Instant Replay: The ultimate Sport BC quiz
Sport BC’s 2010 Athletes of the Year Awards are being presented Thursday night (Feb. 24) at its sold-out dinner at the River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond.
As usual, a number of North Shore athletes will be in the spotlight during the 45th annual event, including North Vancouver Paralympian Lauren Woolstencroft who has been chosen the Best of B.C. in a public online vote.
That’s a rare accolade for an amateur athlete. Previous winners have been some of professional sports greatest stars such as Lui Passaglia, Joe Sakic, Larry Walker, Greg Moore, Ryan Dempster, Steve Nash, Jason Bay, Justin Morneau, Jeff Francis and Mitch Berger.
The winners of other awards won’t be revealed until the gala event takes place but Woolstencroft is one of three finalists as Athlete With a Disability and three others from the North Shore are in the running in other categories: Olympic snowboard cross champion Maëlle Ricker in Senior Female Athlete, Handsworth hoop star Kristjana Young in High School Female Athlete and rugby referee Dave Smortchevsky as Official of the Year.
Harry Jerome was the first winner of the Senior Athlete in 1966 when there were only two awards and the first winner of the Comeback Athlete in 1968, an award that is now named after him.
Karen Magnussen is the most prolific North Shore winner, having won the Junior Athlete in 1967, the Comeback Award in 1970 and the Senior Athlete in 1971, ’72 and ’73.
Five others have been two-time winners: George Morfitt, Master Athlete in 1977 and ’78; Dave Wilkinson, High School Athlete in 1982 and ’83; Paige Gordon, Junior Athlete in 1989 and Senior Athlete in 1993; Alison Sydor, Senior Athlete in 1995 and 2004; and Rosalyn Hicks, High School Athlete in 1997 and University Athlete in 2003.
There are some interesting common denominators among the 34 North Shore athletes and teams who have won a total of 44 Sport BC awards over the years. So here’s the ultimate quiz for you to try, with answers at the end (don’t peek).
Aside from all winning Sport BC awards, what do each of these groups of North Shore athletes, coaches and officials have in common?
1. Harry Jerome (former world sprint record holder), Karen Magnussen (1973 world figure skating champion), Elaine Tanner (the Mighty Mouse of swimming), Stephen Pickell (swam for Canada in the 1976 Olympics), Alison Sydor (former professional mountain biker), Paul Kariya (two-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy as the NHL’s most gentlemanly player) and Blythe Hartley (bronze medallist in 10-metre synchronized diving in the 2004 Olympics).
Hint: Think gold, silver and bronze. Worth: 1 point.
2. Magnussen, Kariya, Britt Janyk (won her first World Cup ski event in the downhill in Aspen, Colorado, in 2007) and Manny Osborne-Paradis (first Canadian to have World Cup wins in two skiing disciplines, downhill and Super G in 2009).
Hint: Competed in the five rings of ice and snow. Worth: 2 points.
3. Shelley Howieson (longtime coach at SFU), Rosalyn Hicks (Argyle multi-sport star in the 1990s), Diana Artuso (All-Canadian at Capilano University in 1997 and ’98) and John Meachin (once refereed a game in front of 100,000 fans in Mexico City).
Hint: White is the colour, … is the game. Worth: 2 points.
4. Hartley, Ian Bird (Canadian field hockey star who played in the 1988 and 2000 Olympics), David Wilkinson (set the still-standing B.C. high school 110-metre hurdles record in 1982), Eugene Wong (voted Canada’s top male amateur golfer for 2010) and Jessica Barnett (captain of two teams – basketball and soccer – that won B.C. high school championships in 2009).
Hint: Think blue and gold. Worth: 3 points.
5. Tanner, Janyk, Jean Sparling (winner of both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the B.C. high school track and field championships in 1972 and 1973) and Maureen (Crowley) de St. Croix (Sport BC’s 2001 master athlete of the year).
Hint: The Highwaymen came riding. Worth: 3 points.
6. Sydor, Hartley, Dorothy Lidstone (1969 world archery champion) and Lauren Woolstencroft (the first Canadian to win five gold medals in a single Paralympic Winter Games).
Hint: Wild Rose country. Worth: 4 points.
7. Pickell, Sarah Pike (1985 Sport BC high school athlete of the year) and Philip Bester (pro tennis player who is now 256th in the world ranking as of this week, his highest position ever)
Hint: Spartans rule. Worth: 4 points.
8. Jerome, Tanner, Pickell, Bird, Hawkins (first Canadian to high jump 7’0”), Brit (Lind-Petersen) Townsend (won the B.C. high school 1500m in 1975 and bronze in the 1987 Pan-American Games) and Paige Gordon (silver medallist in the three-metre diving event at the 1991 Pan-American Games).
Hint: Not just Olympians. Worth: 6 points.
9. de St. Croix, Hawkins, B.J. McHugh (marathon record holder in the 75-79 and 80-84 age classes), Olga Kotelko (took up track and field at age 77), Les McDonald (first president of triathlon’s international governing body) and George Morfitt (former president of the Canadian squash racquets association).
Hint: The older the better. Worth: 7 points.
10. Jerome, Magnussen, Tanner, Lidstone, Sydor, McDonald, Morfitt, and Linda Moore rink (won the 1985 world curling championship).
Hint: Election is only for the best. Worth: 8 points.
Note: Other former Sport BC award winners include Arlene McLaughlin, Anita Botnen and Hollyburn’s 1969 synchronized swimmers.
Answers: Hey, you’re peeking. 1. All won Olympic medals 2. All competed in the Winter Olympics 3. All involved in soccer 4. All graduated from Handsworth 5. All attended Hillside 6. All were born in Alberta 7. All attended Sentinel 8. All competed in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Pan-American Games 9. All won Sport BC Master Athlete awards 10. All have been elected to the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
Total points: 40. Outstanding: 30-40. Very good: 20-29. Still need to read this column regularly: 0-19.
This is episode 411 from Len Corben’s treasure chest of stories – the great events and the quirky – that bring to life the North Shore’s rich sports history.
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