From marshmallow to crown roast

BC Place re-opens with new roof
By Eric Wilkins

n May of 2010 the famous
“marshmallow” roof of BC Place was
deflated. Fast-forward to September
2011 and $563 million later; a very different
sight has replaced the iconic dome on
the Vancouver skyline. Now boasting
a retractable roof, BC Place is new and
improved, and, as of Friday night, once
again the home of the BC Lions.

But what exactly has been done to the
stadium to warrant the exorbitant price tag?
Lord knows when / get a new hat it’s not
that expensive! Thankfully BC Place has
received some additional upgrades to go
with its new top. For starters, the outside
of the stadium is now a great deal more
visually appealing. Portions of glass adorn
areas on the outside of the structure, giving
a lighter feeling to the formerly concrete
fortress. Along with the glass, there are
also light panels which can flash several
different colours and put on a fantastic
display for any outside observer.

Moving to the inside, BC Place now
houses the second large st cv ntre-hung

screens in North America (Dallas has the
largest...everything really is bigger in
Texas). All the seats have been replaced,
the washrooms have been redone, and the
concessions have been revamped.

At field level, an estimated $1.2 __
million artificial turf has been installed. The
crucial fact about the new turf is that it has
been given FIFA’s 2-star certification, which
means that international soccer games can
be played on it. There are also supposedly
800 WIFI antennae, though these are most
likely reserved for media use.

An extra note about the roof to clarify
anyone’s curiosity: the roof does NOT
retract fully. The opening is only as large
as the field, and, as such, regardless of foul
weather the fans will always stay under
cover. The roof takes only 20 minutes to
expand or contract.

I have the pleasure of seeing BC Place
every day when I wander in to work, and ~
I have to say that it’s quite spectacular.
There is a video floating around YouTube
of the light panels at work, and if you don’t
plan on seeing it in person anytime soon,

I definitely recommend that you check it

out! However, as important as aesthetics
are, it must be kept in mind that this is a
sports stadium, and therefore, I am most
excited about the new playing surface. I
am not a strong supporter of artificial turf;
I am in fact staunchly against it, but it is
encouraging to know that the best product
on the market (turf-wise) is being used.

 

Now that BC Place’s field has the FIFA
stamp of approval, international soccer
games may finally be played out on the west
coast instead of the centre of the universe...
Toronto. Looking forward to taking in a
game sometime soon, and can’t wait for the
Grey Cup!

 

Canada’s run comes to an end

2011 Rugby World Cup

By Dylan Hackett

anada’s 79-15 defeat to the host-

nation—and Canadian head coach

Kieran Crowley’s former squad—
the New Zealand All Blacks last weekend
marks the end of our 2011 Rugby World
Cup run.

Canada’s initial 3-0 lead two minutes
into the match on a penalty kick was soon
quelled by a flurry of kiwi tries with the
half-time score being 37-8 All Blacks. The
“beardo” Canucks played better rugby than
last weekend’s draw against Japan with
fewer handling errors and more territory.
Vancouver native and youngest Canadian
on the pitch, 21-year-old Connor Trainor,
landed two brilliant tries but the loss to the
world’s top-ranked team was no surprise for
the defeated lads and rugby fans alike.

Having finished fourth in Pool A,
Canada now must earn qualification for the
next Rugby World Cup in 2015, hosted by
England and co-sponsored by the Welsh
Rugby Union for use of the beautiful
Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Currently
in 12" place in International Rugby Board

Canadian players are being scouted for
Welsh team Gogledd Cymru (pronounced
“gog-leth come-ree“) in hopes of both
bettering skill of Canadian national players
and promoting rugby enthusiasm in North
Wales.

With the 40-match pool phase of the

“With a recently signed player development partnership with the ever-
friendly Welsh Rugby Union, Canadian players are being scouted
for Welsh team Gogledd Cymru (pronounced “gog-leth come-ree“)
in hopes of both bettering skill of Canadian national players and
promoting rugby enthusiasm in North Wales.”

rankings, Canada’s chances of qualification
are more likely than not. With a recently
signed player development partnership
with the ever-friendly Welsh Rugby Union,

Rugby World Cup finished, the top two
of five teams from each of the four pools
are the only nations still in contention.
Quarter-final match-ups for the coming

 

weekend in local time are Wales (register
for Wales Field School 2011!) vs. Ireland
10:00 p.m. Friday, October 7, England

vs. France, 12:30 a.m. Saturday, October

8, South Africa vs. Australia, 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 8, and New Zealand vs.
Argentina 12:30 a.m. Sunday, October 9,
2011. All matches are to be broadcast on
TSN2, channel 147 (220 HD) with standard
TSN rebroadcasts of England vs. France on
Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and of South Africa
vs. Australia on Tuesday, October 11.

For those without cable or TSN2, all
matches can be viewed on the Rugby ~
World Cup website (www.rugbyworldcup.
com) free of charge, 24 hours after initial
broadcast with interactive match highlights
for those wishing to skim matches for
important moments.

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