February 10 2003 Over The Edge Page 8 New Ladies Turning Some Heads By Carla Pasman Superbowl weekend proved to be a time of opportunities for the women’s team. Both of their games were against teams ranked considerably lower than them so this was a chance for many girls to get some much deserved playing time. Rookie Lindsay Ross chipped in with 11 points on Friday against Douglas and received player of the game honors as UNBC thumped the Royals 90-39, It was a great team effort said coach Loralyn Murdoch as every girl on the team scored at least once. On Saturday night it was another rookie, Allison Beswick who received player of the game after get- ting 16 points and 6 rebounds in the Timberwolves 79-57 win over Kwantlen. The UNBC women remain in 3rd spot behind Fraser Valley and Capilano College and improve their record to 8 and 3. UNBC Men Win Nail Biter at Home Disney on Ice Rejects Invitation By Austin Nairn For all of you who were left in suspense after my last arti- cle regarding our new ice rink and the invitation to Disney on Ice, the wait is over. Walt responded on Friday as say- ing “He doesn’t feel that some members of his cast would be welcome here.” Rumor has it the last time they were here some of the Dwarfs upset a few people at the Generator. It seems that some locals were hitting on Snow White, the dwarfs took offence and before long pick axes were fly- ing. I tried to confirm this story with Dopey but he claimed to have a bad case of the munchies and was unable to answer any questions. By Austin Nairn Going into Super Bowl Weekend the UNBC Men’s Basketball Team was tied for 1st in BC with 5 others teams who all boasted a 6 and 3 record. This included both of the teams they were playing over the weekend, so this was a huge opportunity for Zane Robison’s boys to move their way up the rankings. They played Douglas College on Friday night and won 78-72 in a defensive battle which saw UNBC hold Douglas’s top scorer to a mere 11 points. “The score was not a great indication of just how close the game was” said Robison “as Douglas had a chance to make things very interesting towards the end.” Friday’s game proved to be just a glimpse of the nail biting action that was to take place on Saturday as the men took on the Kwantlen College Eagles. With UNBC leading 36-32 at the half Kwantlen mounted a comeback that nearly turned out to be too much for the Timberwolves. We pick up the action with 37 seconds left, UNBC with pos- session and leading 69-68. After running down the clock they shot with 7 seconds left and hit the rim. By hitting the rim the shot clock should have been reset but because of an error by the referee Kwantlen ended up with the ball. The Eagles Zach Russell then ran the floor and threw up a Hail Merry which somehow went in. Luckily for the T-Wolves Russell was called on an offen- sive foul so UNBC held on to win. The end result saw UNBC come out of the week- end with 2 wins and sitting alone in the number one spot for the first time ever. World’s Greatest Blind Athlete Remains Driven By Simon Corman, The Martlet VICTORIA (CUP) — “How successfully you deal with adversity determines how successful you become as a person,” said Craig MacFarlane, speaking last Thursday evening in the University Centre auditorium at the University of Victoria, BC. MacFarlane’s story is an inspirational account of sport- ing success: he overcame blindness to excel in every- thing from competitive wrestling to freestyle water- skiing. Since losing his eyesight in an accident at age two, MacFarlane has never consid- ered his blindness a handicap. Instead he chooses to regard it as a minor inconvenience. At the age of six MacFarlane left his home in Sault Ste. Marie to attend a school for the blind, nearly 800 km away from home. A teacher suggest- ed that MacFarlane give wrestling a try, as a way to deal with the isolation he faced being away from family and friends for the first time. The rest, as he likes to say, is history. “The work ethic it takes to become a great athlete trans- fers into the rest of your life,” MacFarlane said. Throughout his 11-year wrestling career, MacFarlane represented Canada in numer- ous international competitions where he matched up against sighted wrestlers. From there, he used his “drive” to become the world’s first blind freestyle water-skier. He also competed and excelled in sports such as golf and downhill skiing. These accomplishments led many observers to refer to MacFarlane as “The World’s Greatest Blind Athlete.” MacFarlane shows no sign of slowing down. He has recorded a rock album, writ- ten an autobiography titled Inner Vision - The Story of the World’s Greatest Blind Athlete, and is now contem- plating a bid for the US. Congress. Throughout his successful career, MacFarlane has become personal friends with a wide variety of celebrities, including Michael Jordan, Gordie Howe, and former U.S. president George Bush. And yet MacFarlane takes the most pride in his motiva- tional speaking campaign, which he began at the age of 19. Since then, he has spread his positive message to over 2,000 schools and community groups. He is “personally touched” by the more than 38,000 letters he has received. Despite all his achieve- ments, MacFarlane refuses to simply relax and reflect on the “accomplishments of yester- day.” Instead, he continues his busy lifestyle, motivated by an internal desire that he refers to as a “self-lit flame.” He believes that enthusiasm and passion are the keys to creat- ing desire every single day. “The key to creating desire is to find something you are interested in,” he says. When faced with personal hardship, MacFarlane reminds all to remember that there is always someone less fortunate then you, and that it is important to simply believe in yourself. “For if we don’t believe in ourselves, how can someone else believe in us?” he asks. “Remember to have self- esteem, to have pride, to feel good about who you are, what you represent, and what you've accomplished. I think it’s important.”