8 Fitness comps find range Extra divisions in wom- en’s bodybuilding allow for different body types By CHERYL WHITING tions when it comes to competing on stage and showing off their hard work than they did 15 years ago, and the sport is moving towards a less mus- cular look. There are four divisions in women’s bodybuilding based on size and height; bikini, figure, physique, and bodybuild- ing, with increasing muscularity re- quired for each category. Peter Crocker, a professor at the School of Kinesiology at UBC who has published papers on high-level women athletes, said the so-called ideal for women’s bodies is constantly chang- ing. “T would say there’s less constraints on women and what they can do and what they should look like,” he said. “Overall I think women have access to more diverse bodies.” Wayne Carlin, the vice-president and head judge with the BC Amateur Bodybuilding Association (BCABBA), said that figure is a newer category that was invented in the early 2000s. He said prior to this there was only men and women’s bodybuilding and thinks the women’s bodybuilding divi- sion will phase out in the next few years, to be replaced by the physique category. “It’s more of aesthetic lines that you look for, more femininity and not as bulkier type muscles,” he said. “It’s our job as judges to make that stay that way so we don’t keep getting bigger and bigger every year. “ Shelby Maletz-Comm, 23, first got into competitive body building in uni- versity. She competes in the figure division at events in British Columbia, and said some competitions don’t drug test, but that she has decided to only compete in natural events. “One thing I really take a lot of is greens powder; that’s the only supple- ment I can say I wouldn’t give up,” she said. “For the most part I don’t take any supplements,” she said. Crocker said that he thinks body- building is healthy overall, though he has concerns about the potential abuse of anabolic steroids in women’s body- building. “IT know in male body building that was a huge issue,” he said. “If people are taking steroids they’re obviously compromising their health profiles.” Fes: body builders have more op- DYNAMICWEDDINGS.CA submitted photo Shelby Maletz-Comm poses during a bodybuilding competition. Nov.6. Slacklining rd harrowing heights SPENCER SEABROOKE submitted photo Spencer Seabrooke, a professional slackliner, walks a highline at the Chongqing Highline Meetup in China in October, 2016. Professional slackliners from Vancouver attended an event in Utah By CHELSEA POWRIE Ihe extreme sport of slacklining continues to be popular in B.C., converting new followers and in- spiring enthusiasts to take the practice to dizzying new heights. Slacklining is like tightrope walking, but the rope isn’t taught. It involves stringing a piece of specialized flat webbing, around two inches thick, be- tween two anchors — trees, poles, cliff- sides, or whatever’s around. Then, a person attempts to keep their balance and walk the length without falling. Slacklining competitions exist throughout the world. In 2016, the World Slackline Masters was held in Munich. Competitive slackliners also vy for world records for longest and highest lines. Spencer Seabrooke is the former world record holder for longest high- line without a harness, 64 metres at 290 metres elevation, and is also the owner of local company SlacklifeBC. He just finished the “Turkey Boogie,” a yearly gathering in Moab, Utah, that involves highlines and space nets, which are large nets in midair that people base jump from. Now, Seabrooke is heading home to focus on his business. “We want to get some sort of indoor warehouse where we can teach people slacklining,” Seabrooke said. Slacklining slows down in winter due to weather conditions, so Seabrooke uses the time to recharge after a busy season. He travels fre- quently to highline in extreme loca- tions, including the highest line he ever walked, which was in Yosemite Nation- al Park in California. “Lost Arrow Spire in Yosemite is about 4,000 or 5,000 feet above the val- ley floor. So it feels very cool to walk on,” Seabrooke said. “And the first time anyone rigged a highline was there. So it’s also an iconic piece of history.” Xavier Vivas, the owner of Absolute Slacklines Vancouver, has seen a steady increase in business since he opened five years ago. He said slacklin- ing isn’t for everyone, but for certain people, it is addicting. “Someone has to be a little bit brave and courageous [to slackline],” Vivas said. “People try sometimes and they are just not so driven to continue.” Braden Holt, an education student at UBC, first encountered slacklining on campus and quickly became hooked, despite it being difficult to learn. “There were some weird people walking on floppy ropes and I said ‘That looks fun, can I give it a try?” Holt said. “T didn’t want to be beat by this ten meters of two-inch wide slackline, I wanted to beat it. And once you do that one there’s a longer one.” Holt now owns his own slackline gear, and has successfully walked a 90-metre line. “When you’re well balanced on the line, you feel so calm, like you’re medi- tating. It’s part of why people get ad- dicted,” Holt said. 66 There were some weird people walking on floppy ropes and I said ‘That looks fun, can I give ita try?’ BRADEN HOLT SLACKLINER Canucks merch moving slowly Sporting apparel stores have seen a decrease in sales during the Vancouver team’s slump By CAITLIN O’FLANAGAN nucks have a losing record, help- ing the steady decline of jersey sales in Vancouver. For the second time in three sea- sons the Vancouver Canucks did not make the playoffs last year and when they did in 2015, they lost to their ri- vals the Calgary Flames. Vancouver fans, known to waver in tough times, have their frustrations shown by an obvious drop in jersey sales over the past two years. There have also been requests for Vegas Golden Knights merchandise, the NHL’s newest expansion team. The Las Vegas team will play next sea- son and have the potential of bringing Vancouverites, dejected about the Ca- nucks, onto the Knights bandwagon. John Czveka, owner of Vancity Sports, has been selling jerseys in Vancouver for 21 years and said that this year’s sales are even worse than Tisssine games in and the Ca- last year. He also knows other retailers that are marking down Canucks jerseys to the point where they are losing money on them. “Anytime there was a new player on the team people would flock and want that jersey and we haven’t had that request for a while now,” Cveka said. The Manager at Granville Sports Cor- ner, Mike Jackson, has noticed the same trend. Even with the slow sales, however, he has faith that the Canucks will rebuild and bring back their fan base. “The Canucks in particular has been slow, with the transition the team is going through,” Jackson said. “The teams struggling, they were good for us for many years. Now we’ve got to be patient and wait for some of these young players to develop.” Both Czveka and Jackson are still selling NHL jerseys though, with a fo- cus on young stars like McDavid for Edmonton and Marner and Matthews for Toronto. They also have no prob- lem selling original six jerseys, espe- cially Canadian players like Toews for Chicago. Both see high demand for Seahawks jerseys, as the NFL’s popu- larity grows in B.C., as well as NBA and MLB, with a focus on Toronto CAITLIN O'FLANAGAN photo Vancity Sports has had lower sales of Canucks merchandise recently. JOHN CZVEKA Owner of Vancity Sports