8 The Langara student on coaching youth and defending his B.C. belt 66 Boxing is By RYAN BANAGAN ne might think a boxer becom- ing B.C. super-middleweight champion would be life chang- ing. Not so much for boxer and Langara student Dave Robinson. “Life hasn’t changed much actually. I’ve been fighting for a long time, so it’s really not that much different,” he said. It’s all about moving forward for Robinson, “It’s whatever the next step is.” Robinson, a.k.a. “The Shoebomber,” was handed the super-middleweight championship belt in July, following a unanimous decision win over Chad Ge- row from Revolution Martial Arts and Fitness in Langley. The next chance for Robinson to de- fend his belt will be on Nov. 22 at the Night of Champions in the Italian Cul- tural Centre. However, his opponent is still unde- termined. This is something he is used to though. The Shoebomber said the last time he defended the title, his opponent changed four or five different times be- fore the fight. “This was hilarious. I was supposed to fight one guy. Then it switched to a different guy. Then the guy who showed up to fight me was someone I had never seen before,” he said. As a result, Robinson doesn’t find it helpful to study many of his opponents on tape. Instead, he tries to come up with a good game plan, focusing on his own HANDOUT photo North Burnaby Boxing Club coach Dave Robinson rejuvinating one of his prospects in the ring between rounds during a fight. Dave Robinson coaches jabs technique. “Boxing is all about rhythm and con- trol,” he said. Besides being a boxer attending Season finale for Falcons soccer teams Women clutch playoff spot in Saturday double header but men did not advance By ANNIE ELLISON women’s soccer teams both won dlo-or-die matches against Doug- las College on Sunday, only the women will advance to the post-season. The men’s side won 4-3 and the la- dies won 4-2 to secure a spot at the Pac- West provincial tournament. With a bench that looked more like a first-aid tent, the women’s team battled through almost a dozen injuries — most notably sidelined fourth-year cap- tain Lana Rockhill —to defeat Douglas and clinch a playoff spot. “Dougie Daycare gave us a run,” said centre-back Katarina Tomic, “but we pulled through when we needed to.” Following a 2-0 loss to Kwantlen on Saturday, the game was must-win. Although Langara led the score all game, Douglas consistently brought the heat. In his 12 years at Langara, coach Ryan Birt said this is the most talented squad he has ever worked with. Twin sisters Chelsea and Amelia Brown scored a goal apiece against Douglas. Both sisters assisted each others’ goals. “T just always know where she is,” said Chelsea Brown. The ladies will amp down physical training this week while they rest up and focus on tactics for Friday’s semi- final game in Squamish against defend- ing league champions, Thompson Riv- ers University. The Falcons have lost their last two avers: the Langara men’s and school, Robinson spends most of his all about meetings with TRU, but drawing the free time coaching at North Burnaby rhythm top-ranked team in the first round of Boxing Club. playoffs has its benefits. He coaches youth classes on Tues- and “Tf you want to be the division day and Thursday. When he isn’t train- control ... champs,” said Birt, “you might as well ing for a match, he is coaching the com- h th go beat the defending champs.” petitive class with Manny Sobral and when ey Going into the weekend, Langara’s Rob Bortolazzo. learn just men were tied with Kwantlen for the His main focus in coaching is to fa- like the fourth and final playoff berth. On Sat- cilitate the education of youth in the . Y urday, the Falcons blew a three-goal motor skill development of boxing’sba- are going lead to Kwantlen and remained tied at sic fundamental movements. He said, “When they learn just like they are going to school, I get excited about that.” Tickets for the Night of Champions include food and drink for $100. get to school, I excited... DAVE ROBINSON 20 points. The high-scoring, largely rookie crew can celebrate a strong final week- end, despite not advancing. Head coach David Shankland re- turns to scouting for the 2013 season. ¥ . ee: Bo Lid (4 7 JULES KNOX photo Guard Jesseca Eng, left, dribbles past forward Cassidy Ostering, right. “a b-ball team rallies too late Falcons lose at home against Quest University By JULES KNOX finally started to find it’s rhythm as it rolled into the final quarter of Friday’s game against Squamish’s Quest University Kermodes. But it was too late. The Falcons struggled with a slow start that ex- tended into most of the game as Quest’s tight plays, slick passes and unstoppable offence led the team to a 71-41 victory in a PacWest pre-season game at Langara. Jesseca Eng said she felt prepared going into the game. “Our intensity and tenaciousness are our biggest assets,” she said. But this confidence fizzled on the court as the team failed to match Quest’s drive for the net. Quest’s dribble-drive offensive strategy created plenty of shots, and while the Falcons were still scrambling to catch up, the Kermodes took these shots with deadly accuracy. By the end of the first half, Quest had a 23-point lead. During the third quarter, the Falcons finally T= Langara Falcons women’s basketball team started to come together as a team. Two stolen balls prompted morale-boosting cheers from fans on the sidelines. More energy was injected into the game as the Falcons picked up the pace. By the fourth quarter, the Falcons had closed some of the gaps in its defence. It finally put ag- gressive offensive pressure on Quest. But the ball still couldn’t find the net. Coach Mike Evans said he was not impressed with how the team played. “T thought on the whole we were terrible,” he said. “We were beaten in every aspect of the game. Defensively we were horrendous, and offensively we weren’t very tenacious.” He said there were moments when the women played hard, but they didn’t have much to show for it. We’re a better team than that. The Falcons were short three teammates be- cause of injuries. Noticeably absent was Rhea Sil- vestri, an experienced third-year player whose height was sorely needed on the boards. Eng said that the next practice is going to bea tough one. “We’re going to be pushing each other harder, that’s for sure.”