8 THE DAILY VOICE, FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014 EDITOR GAVIN FISHER S$) orts Golf tour grows Expanded champ schedule fosters local golf talent By BEN ZUTTER tive professional golfers, thanks in part to the opportunities afford- ed to them by the Vancouver Golf Tour. The 2014 tour began in March and boasts its largest championship sched- ule since its inception in 2006. It offers professionals and amateurs a total of 30 championship events, as well as newly added divisions for seniors, women and apprentice pros. Fraser Mulholland, the tour’s co- founder and current commissioner, said one of the goals of the expanded schedule is to give players access to enough events to keep them busy, gain plenty of experience and develop the physical and mental skills necessary for top-tier professional play. He said having over 20 years in golf has allowed him to tailor the tour to- ward fostering young talent. “T honestly think Canada, for our population size, has got as much talent or more from the junior and collegiate age,” Mulholland said. It appears to be working. Recently, tour members and graduates Nick Tay- lor, Adam Hadwin and Roger Sloan have seen continued success, including full status on the Professional Golf As- sociation tour. In a testimonial on the tour’s web- site, Taylor said he enjoyed every round he played on the VGT last year and said it definitely made him a better player. Golfers province-wide are exploding onto the professional scene, according to Mulholland and others. “B.C. is a hotbed for good young golf- ers,” said Brad Ewart, director of the Canadian Junior Golf Association B.C. “These pros need a place to play C anada is producing more competi- 66 when they are not on other world tours ° and when they come home to the Van- I ultimately couver area.” had areal Beyond their interest in organizing pro and amateur golf tournaments, the tour organizers are also active in the Vancouver community. They’ve pro- vided free golf clinics and instruction to underprivileged youth and raised money for medical research through charity golf events. The VGT Ledgeview Classic tourna- ment starts today and the tour’s flag- ship competition, the Vancouver Open, starts mid-June. passion and interest in it, and it just developed from there RICK CELEBRINI Whitecaps FC’s physiotherapist Rick Celebrini gives directions to the team during a practice. By ASHLEY LEGASSIC here would Steve Nash be without Rick Celebrini? This renowned physiother- apist comes with a long list of accomplishments that backs up his high-profile client list. Celebrini is known for working with Los Angeles Lakers’ point guard Steve Nash, who calls Celebrini a “world- class physiotherapist.” But his fast-paced job doesn’t stop there. Celebrini is currently the physio- therapist and head of sports medicine and science for the Vancouver White- caps FC. Celebrini said his background in sports and an ankle injury in his teens inspired his career choice. Celebrini saw physiotherapist Alex McKechnie after an ankle fracture, which sparked his interest in physio- therapy. “T ultimately had a real passion and interest in it, and it just developed from there,” said Celebrini. This spark caused Celebrini to pur- sue physiotherapy as a career. He played soccer for UBC during his studies, and played professionally for the Vancouver 86ers (now Whitecaps) for five years after graduating from university. Celebrini said coming back to work in Vancouver was a “no-brain- er” for him. “Tt’s a sport that I love, and the club I used to play for in the city I grew up in,” Celebrini said. BOB FRID/VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC photo A passion for sport health An injury opened the door for former pro soccer player Rick Celebrini to pursue a career in physiotherapy Celebrini’s first major event as a physiotherapist was the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. He worked with the Canadian ski team. “That was a fantastic experience. Es- pecially coming out of school and being with an elite group like that and travel- ing on the road,” Celebrini said. “Just the opportunity to really ... accelerate my learning.” Although Celebrini’s past experienc- es have been high profile, he doesn’t let that change the way he does business. “T enjoy working with the amateur U-16 soccer player, male or female, as much as I do the NBA basketball play- er, or [the Whitecaps],” Celebrini said. “When we have them in our environ- ment, they’re all the same.” : En ene FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/30691679@N07 photo A surfer catches a wave on Vancouver Island. Surfing in Vancouver? When conditions are just right, surfers can catch waves in North Vancouver By DAVID LA RIVIERE lot of boarding happens in Van- Aor: — whether it’s snowboard- ing, skateboarding or boarding cruise ships - but few Vancouverites know that you can surf here, if only for a few days a year. Vancouver’s location isn’t ideal for surfing. The wind usually doesn’t blow long or hard enough to form sizeable waves, but a few times a year when the meteorological conditions are just right, there are waves in Vancouver big enough to be surfed. One of the few surf spots is Ambleside Park in North Vancouver. Last month 40- to 60-kilo- meter winds brought waves and a mob of surf-thirsty Vancouverites to the spot. “Tve surfed at Ambleside once or twice,” said Sterling Pearce, a local surfer. But he admitted the waves weren’t great. “It was more for the novelty of being able to surf right there.” Like most B.C. surfers, Pearce got his start in Tofino, where he caught the surfing bug 10 years ago. Since then he’s chased waves all over the world, surfing in Mexico, Hawaii and Fiji where the water is warm. Unfortunate- ly the best waves in B.C. roll in during the frigid winter months. “Here it’s all about storms. The win- ter season is the best for surfing in To- fino because you get the most consis- tent swell,” said Pearce. He added that very specific weather conditions are necessary to surf at Am- bleside Park. A post in the UBC Surf Club Facebook page suggested that those looking to surf the North Vancou- ver waters should look for two hours or more of at least 15-knot wind from the west, northwest or west-northwest through the Georgia Strait. Some knowledge of meteorology used to be a vital skill for surfers, espe- cially for anybody wanting to surf in Vancouver. Being able to read the pres- sure on a weather chart could make the difference between hanging ten and sitting at home eating a lukewarm bowl of oatmeal. As technology has ad- vanced, the study of weather has be- come less important for surfers. “In the past surfers had to be pretty on top of things but now you can get alerts sent to your phones,” said An- drew Chad, a 12-year surfing veteran. “You can go to a few [websites] and cross reference them and have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen,” said Chad. “That said it does take some experience to put them together.” Chad said he has never been able to catch a wave at Ambleside Park, but not for lack of trying.