Van City Urban Living is all about lifestyles. Vancouver is a diverse, multi-cultural, city that offers all the opportunities and choices to participate in an exciting urban playground. Having grown up in Kitsilano Beach community, my personal back yard was Kits Beach itself, quiet literally. Originally born in Cambridge, England, my mother and father wanted to return to Vancouver, to join our family. We arrived to Vancouver back in 1965 and settled in Kitsilano. Where I spent my first 29 years, enjoying the laid back, easy going, West Coast dream of playing in the sand, swimming, biking, playing basketball at Kits Beach courts, tennis, golf, rollar-blading...evolving into a Canadian beach bum- with a real esate license!
As a former Professional BasketbalI player in Europe for 7 seasons, I try to keep in shape, physically and mentally, and still participate in all those activities and more, while Vancouver ( Van City) has grown into one of the finest cities in the world. The word is out; the rest of the world is paying attention, thanks to a very successful, the largest in BC history, a global real estate marketing campaign, for the Olympics. We all want the same things in life, Lifestyles that allow us to feed our souls with a healthy, and happy approach to living.
Real Estate in Vancouver ( Van City) is growing at a accelerated level unseen in the past, the future is bright for those savvy enough to invest in their lifestyles, buying into our expanding and evolving market. Whether your thinking of an investment property such as a condo in the downtown core, or a loft, perhaps a townhouse...or a detached home on the Westside, Eastside, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, you can find comfort in a true Vancouver Lifestyle's specialist, someone who has a detailed, informed, and educated background in all of the neighborhoods that Vancouver Lower Mainland offers. I understand the complexities of Vancouver's real estate market, and am aware of the evolving nature our market represents. I have studied buildings, their structures, management companies, managers, and most importantly statistics as the numbers don't lie... Now with over 12 years experience in real estate, as an investor, landlord, and real estate broker, my services excel in a fundamental, professional grass roots approach to providing true, efficient, old school service. I love my profession, it is not a job for me but a lifestyle choice, and take great pride in facilitating my clients real estate needs, desires and dreams. Van City Urban Living... Real Estate Solutions with a smile.
Professionalism
For some time now I’ve been involved in the Vancouver real estate market and have a genuine passion for following real estate news, trends and ensuring that my clients get the best representation possible. Whether buying, selling, looking to invest or re-financing I’m confident I can provide you with the necessary information working with my highly skilled team.
Service
The main thing that separates me from other REALTORS® is my true passion for what I do. It’s this passion that drives me to ensure that I exceed the expectations of any individuals or families who trust me to represent them in one of the most important transactions of their lives. Promptly returning phone calls/emails, keeping clients informed at every step of the transaction and ensuring that I’m never unavailable are all things I consider to be crucial components of good service.
Planet Hoops Basketball
Visit the Hoop Hypes website http://www.hoop-hype.net
Paul Bale is a certified Hoopjunkie. He is one of the founders of Planet Hoops and he also runs his owns basketball development clinics as the Canadian Shot Doctor.
Paul attended Kitsilano High School in the 1980's where he played basketball for Coach Legend Stan Lawson. Paul was a prolific scorer after 5 years, averaged 25 points per game for his entire High School career, leading scorer in Kitsilano Blue Demons 100 year History!
He also attended Langara College for a short time in 1983-84 and he played for 1 season at SFU in 1988 under coach Stan Stewardson.
Paul then went on to a 7 year professional career in Europe playing for 9 different teams in such countries as England and Austria. Paul's specialty is shooting/scoring the ball, and teaching shooting.
Paul still has great passion for this game and a great vision for us at Hoop Hype.net. Paul will also be writing many basketball articles for hoop-Hype.net in the future.
Paul Bale has been an award winning Realtor for over 21 years and is with The Candid Group Real Estate Brokerage.
Here is a video of Paul playing for the Newcastle Comets in the BBL the Premier British Professional Basketball League.
Basketball Bio
My basketball journey started back in 1970-71 season, as a young kid watching the NBA Finals on a 12 inch black and white RCA TV. I remember with clarity the New York Knickerbockers, (Knicks) vs. Los Angeles Lakers and the mighty trio of Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain and Jerry “The Logo” of the NBA, West, and scoring machine Gail Goodrich. The Knicks backcourt was legends Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and Walt “Clyde” Frasier who in the final game had an unbelievable performance with 39 points and 19 assists, and injuredcenter Willis Reed limping historically on to the court, leading the Knicks to it’s second Championship in 4 seasons. Electrifying! Instant hoop junkie! In those days there was such an amazing array of talent, legends like…Nate Archibald leading the NBA in scoring at 34 points per game, as well as leading the league with 11.4 assists! A young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leading the Milwaukee Bucks with 30.2 points per game and 16.1 rebounds per game! “Pistol” Pete Maravich lighting up the league with flair and style, Rick Barry, Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek, Jerry Lucas, Lenny Wilkens, and Dave Cowens. (Pictures)
Little did I know at that time the NBA would get even better!
I joined my first basketball team while attending St.Augustine Private school in grade 4. My coach who was a grade 7 student sat me pretty much the entire season at the end of the bench. I remember being equally confused as I was upset, not being allowed to participate like my other teammates. This was my first lesson in the saying “there is no I in team” I practiced very hard over the summer and grade 5 and 6, I was the best player in the school leading St.Augustine Angels to the Catholic League Finals, in my last game in the Finals at O.L.P.H., I missed a foul shot without any time remaining in the game to lose by 1 point!
In 1975, at the age of 10, I started playing pick-up basketball at Kitsilano Beach basketball courts. I was too young and small to play on the 1st court, relegated to the 2nd court I practiced up to 8 hours a day, every day and night, when I would sneak out the basement door dribbling from Balfour Rentals at 3rd and Vine, to Kits beach courts for a night session of shooting. I would shoot hundreds of shots in the pitch black of night using the street lamps as a backdrop helping me see the rims. The neighbors weren’t very pleased as the basketball bouncing at 12:00 am can be annoying, but it didn’t stop me!
The summer of 1977, Saturday Night Fever was the year’s biggest film, starring the young and talented John Travolta. This was the 1st time playing on court #1 at Kit’s beach. Howard Kelsey, then a member of the Canadian National team, and local legend, asked me to join his team. I remember my first jump shot after running off a baseline screen pulling up at the elbow from 15 feet, nothing but net! Baby! Swish! My dream of making the NBA was one step closer, actually thousands of miles from reality.
The year was 1977/78 my first year as a freshman attending local Kitsilano Secondary High School. This is where it all happened, and started for me regarding my development over a 5 year period. I was a hardcore jock playing in any sports I could manage, Track and Field, Soccer, badminton, tennis, and Basketball. At that time I was also a junior member at the private golf course called Marine Drive, thanks to my grandfather’s passion. As the years went on Basketball became a all encompassing passion that bordered on obsession. After every season finished all I thought about was playing for various BC Provincial select teams as well as many summer camps, and of course the entire summer ballin’ at Kits Beach! Every year I worked harder than the last, studying from great coaches, and from watching thousands of NBA games. Carefully studying the legends to borrow their moves, enhance them, update them, manipulate and mold them to my already evolving game. In my senior year at Kits High, our basketball team was the only team in BC that didn’t have a nickname! Weird, we finally decided on the Blue Demons and had to because of what happened next! I managed to help lead a short, very aggressive, fast-break, high scoring, run and gun exciting street ball type of game, to the British Columbia High Championships, where we finished 7th, the best in the history of Kitsilano Secondary High at that point in history. I finished 2nd leading scorer in Kitsilano’s history with an average over 5 years of 23.5 point’s per game. I have to mention for die-hard hoopster like me, that the 3 point line did not start until 1984 in BC high schools, one year after I left…to my dismay, I would have averaged perhaps as much as 10 points per game as my specialty was shooting, and scoring. I finished my senior year averaging over 30 points per game, leading all basketball players in scoring for the entire province in 1983.
Surprisingly to me, I received only local College and University interest regarding post-secondary education, and available scholarships to continue my development in basketball. This was disappointing, as I had worked incredibly hard just to get to this point, while I had the proud pleasure to represent British Columbia as a member of our -21 Provincial team taking part in the Jr. Canadian Championships in Brandon that summer. O f which we won the Gold!
I knew that with even more hard training, studying, and practice that I would be ready to try the best league in the world the NBA! That was my dream; I had to try at least! What I did next was a mistake of judgment from a very young man with little guidance, I attended VCC Langara Falcons. For the first time since I was benched in grade 4, I was once again relegated to the bench, which for me was not easy to accept. We finished that season 2nd in BC in the College Championships to Capilano College. (Pictures) Down but not out I left school to work in Vancouver’s growing Hospitality industry and was soon working in the finest restaurants, and hotels in Vancouver learning a trade.
A few years later I would attempt post secondary education again this time accepting a full-ride scholarship at Simon Fraser University NAIA, American Division 1, joining one of my favorite local legends, Jay Triano who was an assistant coach at that time, now an assistant coach with the NBA Toronto Raptors. Big Mistake! I watched together with my high school teammate Mike Bachinski, a first in the history of Kits, the entire season sitting, waving a towel, destroying our teammates in practice, only to watch from the dreaded bench. At 26 years of age, and nearing the prime of my so-called career, I needed to make some proactive, positive choices about my future.
At the relatively late age of 29 I finally decided to play Professional Basketball while I still could. The NBA with only 450 roster spots available was unrealistic, however there is FIBA, Federation International Basketball Association, is the largest governing body of basketball in the world. The best leagues not in the NBA are in Europe! I was born in Cambridge, England. Therefore, my status as a professional athlete was about to become the positive that I had been seeking and working towards! However, is it ever that easy? Of course not! But I new that then and I had a plan.Or so I had thought! I sold everything I owned, quit my job, and said good-bye to family and friends. Purchased a Ford Econoline, camper-van and drove across the United States until I reached the Atlantic Ocean. Purchased a one-way ticket to the UK, with a few contact numbers of teams playing in England’s top league, Budweiser Premier League now called the BBL, or British Basketball League. My first stop was Birmingham Bullets.
The Birmingham Bullets played in a brand new 10,000 seat arena called the NIA, it was impressive. The owneralso has another team in Australia’s top league, of which his brother runs called the Sydney Kings. Both brothers were marketing gurus who had little basketball experience, but a lot of cash! Our new coach was eventually hired and had a lot of experience in lower farm levels CBA, USBL, NBDL, and other obscure US farm leagues, some semi-pro. I signed my first professional contract, moved into our new home a large 7 bedroom house with 6 other new teammates. Within a period of 6 weeks I went from an unknown, and unprofessional, to being on the TV as well as radio, and in all the local papers (pictures). The unbelievable, then happens…all the attention I was receiving didn’t appeal to some of teammates and the coach didn’t like my game, so I was released! Cut! Waived! I couldn’t believe it, for about a second.
After a quick phone call to the head office of the BBL, in desperation asking if any other teams might be interested in offering a tryout? I found myself traveling north to a place called Doncaster. The Panthers were just promoted to the Premier League from the 1st Division and played out of the Dome a 4000 seat arena in the center of town. I ended up making the team and was 6th man, offering valuable service at the point-guard while playing the shooting guard as well. We played unreal team basketball and finished 4th in the League that season. I was offered a contract to play for the Doncaster Panthers the next year; however the majority of our team wasn’t offered contracts? I was disappointed as we had a great nucleus, with only to add the odd player or two! They brought in a new coach who at 44 thought he could still play! I asked for a transfer.
Doncaster sold my rights to the Sunderland Scorpions for 3,500 pounds! And Sunderland folded and sold their team to the newly formed Newcastle Comets, now called the Eagles. I was now a member of the Newcastle Comets playing in the new 10,000 seat arena! (Picture)(Mpeg) Funny how things work out after all? I was starting point-guard and averaging 17 points per game and 4 assists, things were going great. Until, we had a mid-season coaching change, everything just fell apart as our player-coach was completely inept and unstable. Needless to say I was ready to move again, this time for Europe.
Austria was my next stop, as I found a sports agent, and played on a team he had put together with players looking for an opportunity to sign with about 100 or so of agents, owners, coaches from all over Europe. Of the 16 teams at this pre-season tournament, we went to the finals and won! I was our point guard, and finally felt that things were going to work out! I signed with ABC Graz and went to Croatia for 10 days and nights of brutal training camp. The team folded shortly after training camp, as the owners had problems with funding, no cash. I was living with 7 other players in the Turkish quarter of Graz awaiting my next journey.
My agent called with an offer from Austrian Div.1 team called Gmunden Basket Swans! I hoped on a train and fled Graz, looking forward to my next opportunity. I was starting point-guard and had my personal career averaging 21 points per game adding 5 assists.
The next season I played for the Wels 96ers also in Austria’s Div.1. They had just built a new 6,000 seat arena and the town just north of Gmunden was beautiful. That season was outrageous! We started 9 wins and 1 loss, leading the League, until our manager stole all out team money, sold our uniforms and shoes to a team in Hungary, and the team fell apart. We went through 5 coaches and 18 different players, and I received my first All-Star nomination averaging 18 points per game and 4 assists while being 3rd in the league in 3 point shooting %.
I had decided enough of Austria, and went back to the BBL to sign with the London Towers one of the premier organizations in England. That season we won Wembly Championships, we also beat Uconn the NCAA Champions that season in a pre-season match at home in Cyrstal Palace, while also winning the Saintbury Invitational at Wembly to a sold out 14,000 fans, in front of Gary Payton the former great Seattle Supersonics guard, Hubie Brown legandary coach and broadcaster, got to me Mike "The CZAR" of the telestrater Fratello beating Macaabi Tel Aviv and Partisen Belgrade to win it all! I ended my final season with a bad case of Plantar Fac, and ankle, heel injuries...over 30 years of practise, millions miles of running and hundreds of millions of shots fired up, at almost 37 years it was time to hang them up and retire! The best 8 year vacation one could only wish for...manifest your destiny! I lived the dream! Peace
