8 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016 EDITOR SEYEDMOSTAFA RAZIEI SS poris Dancing to shape athletes Kids’ early dance habits will strengthen their sport- ing skills later on By SIMRAN GILL helps kids develop broad athletic skills that are useful in everyday life, according to dance coach Jenna Fay. The Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre is hosting a Mini Dance Fusion Camp for children under five, from March 21 to 24. “When you’re younger it is easier to manipulate your body into the correct positions before you are fully devel- oped, it is ideal because you learn the proper technique immediately,” said Fay, drop-in coach at The Landing Dance Centre. The Mini Dance Fusion Camp focus- es on training Kids in a combination of ballet, jazz, and hip-hop in order to im- prove their technique and strength in a high-energy and positive way. said Ac- cording to the camp’s website, these genres of dance ingrain good muscle patterning which can lead to healthy posture. Fay said from hip-hop to ballet, dance is preferable over other sports because it teaches skills that are trans- ferable to everyday life. “Dance is known for increasing flex- ibility, coordination, and strength, and through dance you can work all the ma- jor muscle groups at the same time, which results in a well-rounded work- out,” said Fay. Harbour Dance Centre dancer Jo- varia Ghani said she started dancing at a very young age, which gave her the skills and endurance she has today. “T started doing ballet when I was three. From very early on I learned how to train and condition my body. I am so grateful that I started so young because had I started as a teenager I would have to learn to move my body in a completely foreign way,” said Ghani. BENEFITS early age dancing EDUCATION Lis dance from an early age PHYSICAL HEALTH Dance can bring Dance can bring discipline improvements to overall and focus to children's health studies SOCIALIZAION SELF-ESTEEM Dance is a highly social Dance gives children a activity and can improve better sense of their bodies Source:Rebecca Lake at communication ” Livestrong.com | | ae TOMMY WONG Flickr photo Ballet builds lifelong skills for kids. = oz Langara College photo Jaylene Soegard (left) was named to a PacWest all-star team, along with fellow Falcons Caly Sangha, Gary Minhas, Ravi Basra and Drake Downer. Rookie's lofty leap One of Langara’s youngest basketball players is making big strides toward the future By JASON HAMILTON or any high school basketball player making the jump to the collegiate level as a rookie is a big deal. For Jaylene Soegard, of the Langara Fal- cons women’s basketball team, being named to the PacWest all-rookie team was the result of hard work. Soegard was the only Langara Falcon to make the women’s rookie team. Ravi Basra and Gary Minhas were named to the mens’ rookie team. Mike Evans, head coach, praised Soegard’s evolution throughout the season. She’s a defen- sive specialist who has developed into a starting player. “By the end of the year she was starting the best perimeter player on the other team, which is saying a lot for a rookie because the kids she was guarding were 21-23 year old women and she’s 18,” Evans said. Soegard finished the season averaging 5.0 points per game, and 3.2 rebounds per game. Evans said that with the right amount of work in the offseason on offense, “the sky’s the limit for Soegard.” Soegard said she’s been playing basketball since the age of six when her father first intro- duced it to her. She’s played in tournaments as far away as Japan and she’s even represented team B.C. at the North American Indigenous Games, a favorite basketball memory of hers. A graduate of Robert Bateman Secondary School in Abbotsford, Soegard also was a part of the Junior Cascades basketball program, which was developed by the women’s varsity coaching staff at the University of the Fraser Valley. Soegard was honoured to be selected to the PacWest all-rookie team. “lve put in a lot of work over the practice sea- son and I was really excited once I heard I made it onto the all-rookie team,” she said. As for next season, Soegard hopes for a better playoff performance. “I think we'll be a stronger team a next year and nobody will expect it,” she said. Falcons seeking to fill soccer positions Langara coaches, high- school students show each other what they have to offer at ID sessions By NICO HERNANDEZ the local authorities last Sunday afternoon, the Langara Falcons men’s soccer team held a recruitment session for the upcoming season in September. All positions in the men’s soccer team are open for the fall season. Play- ers from all across the Lower Mainland went to try for the Va 6 Bi: the wind warning issued by team at Trillium Park. Mare Rizzardo, head coach for the You have men’s soccer team, [0 knock is looking to fill the the ball roster with players that have a strong Wherever I sense ofthe game. apgnt it to “Soccer IQ has to be important, you Be have to be skillful, MARC RIZZARDO you have to knock the ball wherever I want it to be,” said Rizzardo. Luca Bozzetto, a Grade 12 student at Kitsilano Secondary School, is already making long-term goals. “Hopefully, ’m going to make it into the team, make it far in the playoffs, and win the championship,” said Bozzetto. At the session, Bozzetto said he is hoping to improve his soccer related skills, such as passing, shooting and first touching the ball. During the session, Bozzetto’s father, Steven, enthusiastically supported his son from the sidelines. He managed a Vancouver United Football Club team for a couple of years in the past, and he appreciates the ef- forts and commitments that soccer coaches make. “{Luca and I] think we can turn the men’s soccer team into a higher rank- ing in the upcoming season, if [Luca] becomes a part of the team,” said Ste- ven Bozzetto. His dream is to see his son become a professional athlete. The next recruitment session will be held on March 20 at Hastings Park. HEAD COACH NICO HERNANDEZ photo Soccer players try out in the rain at an identification session.