8 THE VOICE | THURSDAY, OCT. 12,2017 | EDITOR VIOLETTA KRYAK Sportsnews Ex-Falcon helps kids soar Former Langara basketball player opens his own academy = By MYRA DIONNE he sound of basketballs pounding hardwood floors, the swish of a net and squeaking rub- ber soles is more than just familiar noise to coach Jamie Oei. It’s the sound he listened to while watching his father coach high school basketball as a kid. His father passed away one year ago and now its Oei’s turn to men- tor small kids. Now he coaches and directs Van- city Basketball Academy in North Vancouver. He opened the academy four years ago to provide acces- sible space for kids to play, even if it meant taking a pay cut. “I'm not a great business man to be honest,” he said. Oeci, 40, played for the men’s basketball team at Langara College in 1999. At 23, he became their head coach — a rare achievement. “In the grand scheme of things, it pays off, because when you do positive things for people you get that kickback later on from somewhere else.” Rana Lee, who played for the womens basketball team at Lan- gara in 1999, currently sends her son to the academy. She said Oei is tough on the kids, but fair and fun. “He’s such a good coach in as- sessing the kids’ level, where they are and what skills need to be de- veloped. That’s why I trust him, you know he knows basketball,” Lee said. Head coach of the UBC basket- ball team, Kevin Hanson, coached Oei at Langara and said the job can be an emotional rollercoaster, but it’s the relationships that leave the deepest impression. “Life after basketball is not just about the X’s and O’s on the court. It’s about lifelong friendships,” Hanson said. He once caught Oei past curfew ona tournament trip to Hawaii, but allowed him to play the following day. They lost their game by one point. Oei said Hanson is one of his biggest influences next to his father, Ernie Oci. “It's funny, you try to get away from your parents when you're younger but then you actually start becoming a lot like them,” Oei said. He is organizing a free basketball camp this winter in honour of his dad. eee Jamie Oei, head coach at Vancity Basketball Academy, raises his arms in the air after a ball made the net at the sound of the whistle during Wednesday night practice with the Grade 4/5 division at Norgate Community Elementary School in North Vancouver, B.C. yea DIONNE PHOTO Golfers in the rough Langara golf team season ends after failure to make finals m= By NICK VALKA nconsistent play and injuries left Langara’s golf team strug- gling to find their swing in their third season of PacWest com- petition. The season ended for the Falcons this weekend after they didn’t qual- ify for nationals. Fourth-year player Jacob Van- derpas, who went into the final tournament six strokes back of the individual lead, said the team needs more consistency. “Kind of up and down, mixed emotions. We had a little hiccup over the last couple of weeks with some players injured, there’s some good competition,” Vanderpas said, who was named the PacWest Ath- lete of the Week this September. “I want to make some damage,” Vanderpas said, going into the last tournament of the season and within striking distance of another individual championship. Josh Kujundzic’s first season as a Falcon was derailed with injury, as he missed several tournaments throughout the season, which played a role in the team’s woes. Kujundzic suffered an ankle injury the night before the team left for their second tournament, and was unable to play in the second and third competition. Despite this, Kujundzic said he had a lot of fun playing with the team. “The golf could have been better, I didn’t play very good in either of the tournaments | played in, but I enjoyed playing for the team and had a good season overall.” Head coach Tom Flockhart is optimistic about the future of the team’s chances next season. “We have bigger goals next year for sure,” Flockhart said. “We're hoping to keep this team together throughout the winter, spring, summer, and then maybe add some pieces next year.” The Falcons placed fifth as a team in PacWest league and no players moved on to nationals individually. Soccer: Midfielders Colin Hempel, Jonah Pang and Alexander Escobar, during practice at Musqueam turf on Oct. 2, 2017. JENNIFER WILSON PHOTO Heading into second half of season, Falcons must notch wins = By JENNIFER WILSON idway through the sea- son, things are looking up for the women’s soc- cer team who now stand third in the PacWest league, while the men remain at the bottom of the league. As the season moved into Oc- tober, both Falcons’ teams grabbed their first wins and the women took home a second victory against Douglas College over Thanksgiving weekend. With 11 rookies starting this sea- son, new head coach Rachael Pelat, said the women had put a lot of hard work into forming relation- ships on and off the field. “Every player was a warrior on the field and that's the same mentality that they're going to have to bring into every game going forward,” Pelat said. “I think they know they might be considered the underdogs in this league, but they can win.” Captain Sydney Bell said the Fal- cons were coming together as a unit during training sessions. “We're feeling good because we've had some really consistent practices recently,” Bell said. ‘The team tied five games before their first win of the season against Douglas. The men continue to trail the league and the game over the holi- day weekend put their total season losses at seven, despite the win against Quest University on Oct. 1. Head coach Marc Rizzardo said the team’s confidence had been boosted by the win, but there is still work to be done. “I had to bring them down a little bit and remind them it was their first win,” Rizzardo said. “It's not like we've been playing really poorly, we've just missed chances and Sunday [on Oct. 1] we finally put them together, so I'm hoping the momentum carries on.” Center back Devon Sandhu said that despite a shaky start, the team is feeling determined. “It gives us more incentive now to focus even harder,” he said. Both teams will play Vancouver Island University once again on Oct. 14. women pull ahead, men anguish WOMEN MEN Oct. 14, 2017 vs. Vancouver Island University 2:30 p.m. Nanaimo Turf Oct. 14, 2017 vs. Vancouver Island University 12:00 p.m. Nanaimo Turf Oct.15,2017 | Oct. 15, 2017 vs. Capilano vs. Capilano University University 12:00 p.m. 2:30 p.m. Musqueam CapU Oct. 22,2017 | Oct. 18, 2017 vs. Quest Uni- vs. Douglas versity College 12:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Quest Campus Cunnings