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Year in Review: Peak Performers

2013 Sport Year in Review: July to December

Part 2 of our North Shore Sport Year in Review looks at the biggest stories from July to December.

Local athletes scored big results around the province, the country and the world this year. Let's check the highlights: JulyWest Vancouver's Kevin Spooner represented his home course well as the low Canadian finisher at the Pacific Coast Amateur held in July at Capilano Golf and Country Club but it was Californian Tyler Raber who stole the show and the trophy. Raber led wire-towire in the 47th edition of the prestigious tournament, building off his scorching 63 in the opening round to compile a four-round total of eight-under-par 272.

Spooner, a Capilano member, shot one-under 279 for the tournament to finish alone in eighth place.

The former University of Washington Husky holds the unofficial course record at Capilano, a ridiculous 58 shot during a men's night.

The Pacific Coast Amateur was first held in 1901 and became a yearly fixture in 1967. It now features players from the 16 members of the Pacific Coast Golf Association.

August A British invasion seemed imminent during the finals at the Odlum Brown VanOpen Aug. 4, but in the end it was a hometown hero who scored a stunning victory for Canada.

Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil fought off three match points to defeat Great Britain's Daniel Evans 6-0, 1-6, 7-5 in the men's final at West Vancouver's Hollyburn Country Club, winning in front of a loud and proud crowd that included many of Pospisil's closest friends and family members. Earlier in the day another Brit, Johanna Konta, struck the first blow for the motherland, defeating Toronto native Sharon Fichman 6-4, 6-2 to claim the women's title.

In the men's final Pospisil came out scorching hot, smoking winner after winner to take the first set in just 17 minutes. The 23-year-old Canadian, ranked more than 150 spots higher than Evans, appeared poised to finish off his opponent in time to make it home for an early supper.

Evans, however, had different plans. The 23-year-old Birmingham native was a completely different player in the second set as he blasted his way to an easy 6-1 win. Early in the third set it looked as if Evans would ride the momentum all the way to the title as he built a 4-1 lead and then earned three match points with Pospisil serving down 5-4. But Pospisil fought them all off with some powerful serves to win the game. He then took advantage of two doubles faults from Evans to earn a break and a chance to serve for the match. With the match in his hand Pospisil won it in style, scorching his sixth ace of the set, seventh overall, to seal the victory.

After receiving his trophy the Vernon native mugged for photos with friends and family before taking a trip down memory lane - his first ever pro match was played right there at Hollyburn, a qualifier for the 2005 VanOpen.

"I couldn't be more thrilled. It's like a dream, looking back to 2005 when I was playing my first ATP match," he said. "Back in 2005 it was very overwhelming for me. I was just a 15 year old who obviously had lot of growing to do physically and in my game and everything. My eyes were big and I was kind of looking at everybody like they were incredible players at unreachable levels. I was very new to everything, I was like an innocent 15 year old. Obviously it's very different now."

West Vancouver teen Emily Overholt won bronze in the 400-metre individual medley at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in August.

Overholt, 15, clocked a personal best and set a 15-17 age-group Canadian record with her time of 4:42.03 seconds in the final. She finished 2.01 seconds behind winner Ella Eastin of the United States with Eastin's U.S. teammate Rebecca Mann coming second in 4:40.26.

"I'm definitely surprised but excited by this medal," Overholt said in a Swimming Canada release. "I could see (fourth-place finisher Emu Higuchi) beside me and I think my training just kicked in at the end to help me get third."

In July, Overholt won gold in the 200-m butterfly at the senior women's Summer Nationals, following that up with three golds and a silver at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que., in early August. She is young enough to attend the World Junior Swimming Championships again in 2015.

North Shore players featured prominently as Canada booked their ticket to the 2015 IRB Rugby World Cup by beating the United States 40-20 in aggregate score over home and away games played in August in South Carolina and Toronto.

West Vancouver's Harry Jones and Ryan Hamilton, North Vancouver's Jason Marshall and Squamish's Jamie Cudmore, a former Capilano Rugby Club player, all suited up for the men's national team as they battled to a pair of wins over the American Eagles.

Jones, making his third national team start at flyhalf, finished a powerful Canadian move by smashing through two tacklers to score a back-breaking try in Canada's 27-9 victory in Charleston.

In Toronto it was Marshall's time to shine as he smashed over the line to score the only try of the second half as Canada earned a 13-11 win and booked their place in the 2015 World Cup to be held in England.

October North Vancouver's Scott Morgan finished eighth in the floor final in his first ever appearance at the world gymnastics championships held Oct. 5 in Antwerp, Belgium. Morgan posted a score of 14.833 points in the final after executing a solid routine. Kenzo Shirai of Japan won gold with 16.000 points, followed by Jacob Dalton of the United States with a score of 15.600. Fourtime men's all-around world champion Kohei Uchimura of Japan took bronze with a score of 15.500.

Morgan, 24, was the first Canadian male gymnast to qualify for a world championship event final since 2004 Olympic champion Kyle Shewfelt won a bronze medal on the floor at the 2006 worlds.

Morgan's rise up the gymnastics ranks is all the more impressive considering he quit the sport for four years while in high school at Seycove secondary. He resumed training with North Vancouver's Flicka Gymnastics Club in 2007 and made the Canadian national team in 2011. He now has his sights set on representing Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games.

"These past three or four years have been absolutely amazing leading up to this world championship and I wouldn't change it for the world," he said. "It was incredibly nerve-wracking but so exciting to compete here and I want to do it all over again. It's one thing to think about it and to dream about it and it's another thing to feel it and it's absolutely amazing."

West Vancouver teenager Morgan Rielly earned a spot on the opening day roster for the Toronto Maple Leafs after showing well during training camp. Rielly, 19, was eligible to return to junior but Toronto kept him with the big club and he has stayed with the Leafs throughout the season, scoring one goal and nine assists in his first 26 games. His first ever NHL goal came on a sharp wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury in a 3-1 loss against the Penguins Dec. 16.

The former Hollyburn Husky was taken fifth overall by the Leafs in the 2012 NHL entry draft. He made his league debut Oct. 5 in a home game against the Ottawa Senators and then got to play in front of friends and family when the Leafs visited Vancouver for a Nov. 2 game against the Canucks.

North Vancouver's Alex Comsia lived out a soccer dream this fall, suiting up for Team Canada at the FIFA U-17 World Cup held in the United Arab Emirates.

"When I put on the Canadian jersey I feel so proud," Comsia told the North Shore News before the tournament began. "The feeling of representing your country is so special. Canada has given me and my family so much. We want to make the country proud with strong performances here at the World Cup."

The Canadian boys showed well in the tournament - scoring ties against Austria 2-2 and Iran 1-1 - before a 3-0 loss to Argentina eliminated them from the competition.

West Vancouver's Christa Bortignon was named the female athlete of the year by World Masters Athletics following another golden performance at the WMA World Championships held in October in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The super senior won eight gold medals in the 75-79 age category, including a win over 15 other racers in the 100-m dash. Bortignon competes in sprints, jumps and throws, and holds numerous age-group world records. She received her award at a gala held Nov. 16 in Monaco where she mingled with track and field superstars like Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

December West Vancouver brothers Sam and Griffin Reinhart were both named to Team Canada for the World Junior Hockey Championships scheduled for Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2014 in Malmo, Sweden.

Griffin, the middle child of the three hockey star Reinhart brothers - oldest brother Max plays pro for the Calgary Flames organization - played in last year's championships where he earned a fourgame suspension for a high sticking infraction. The Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman, chosen fourth overall by the Islanders in the 2012 NHL draft, will miss the first three games of this year's world juniors but will be counted on as a veteran leader when he returns to the lineup.

Sam, the youngest Reinhart, is making his first appearance at the world juniors. The Kootenay Ice captain is rated as one of the top prospects for the 2014 NHL draft, currently sitting at No. 1 on many pre-draft lists.

North Vancouver goaltender Martin Jones set the NHL on fire in December, scoring six straight wins, including three shutouts, in his first six appearances in the league. Jones was called up to serve as the backup for Ben Scrivens in Los Angeles after Kings star Jonathan Quick went down with an injury. Jones then was welded to the bench for three weeks before finally getting the call for his NHL debut on the road Dec. 3 against Anaheim. The former North Shore Winter Club star shone against the Ducks, earning a 3-2 overtime win by shutting down all nine shooters he faced in an extended shootout.

Jones followed that up with back-to-back shutouts over the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens before earning a sweep of Ontario with wins against the Leafs and Senators. As of Dec. 18, the day this article was written (early Christmas deadlines, eh), Jones had yet to lose in the NHL.

He was named the NHL's second star for the week ending Dec. 15. In his first six games he posted a 0.82 goals-against average and .972 save percentage with three shutouts. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the first goaltender in NHL history to allow an average of less than one goal per game while winning each of his first five career appearances. And, he is only the third goalie in history to earn shutouts in three of his first six games. He is tied with Scrivens for the lead league in shutouts.

The first part of this series, the 2013 Sport Year in Review: January to June, appeared in the Dec. 24 issue of the North Shore News.