” —ee eee

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 22, 1994 - Ct

SECTION C

ROB | STA

E LOOKED over Rutt’s ridiculous

china bibelots - horses with plants

Sprouting from their backs, gnomes,

microdeer and a wishing well — and
saw the outline of the crab apple tree against the
deep blue of the pre-dawn sky.

It was 5:30 a.m, There was no need to confirm
it with a glance at the clock. After more than 30
years of this rising routine, he Anew it was 5:30
a.m.

Most of the gear was in the care. He'd put it
there the night before, another part of the
routine.

After a bowl of mush, he grabbed his rain
slicker and the heavily patched waders from
their hooks, took the lunch bag from the fridge
and quietly stole out the door.

The street light lit up the comer of Jim’s
house, He noticed the blue trim was faded and
peeling now, not surprising as it had been more
than five years since he and his fishing partner
of so many years had taken their last fishing trip
together.

And what fine trips they’d been. Trips that be-
gan before so many new roads were cut through
ihe landscape, when one fisherman on a run was
a crowd, when nobody wanted large fish be-
cause deep freezes didn’t exist, when there were
new bends in the river and each one was full of
promise.

After Jim had passed on, his widow, Edith,
had become more distant and sirange with each
year.

For the last few she’d adopted the add habit of
rising before first light to feed the remains of
old suppers to the crows.

At first he found the sight of Edith standing
high atop her spiked heels, peering. down
through rhinestone-Studded cat’s eye glasses
amid a murder of barking crows, difficult to
handle.

But, eventually, it became part of the routine.
Every morming he gave her a perfunctory wave
and every morning she didn’t wave back.

But today, she and the coal black birds
weren’t there,

‘*Strange,’’ he thought.

The road was wet from a light drizzle during
the night. His tires hummed against the pave-
ment until a small stone became wedged be-
tween the treads and started to strike the road
with the rhythmic monotony: click-click,,.click-
click...

The clock on the Royal Bank building read
10:30 a.m. ‘*Can’t be right,’* he shaok his head,
**Just can’t be.”

He looked at his watch: 12:01 it said. The sec-

ond hand was still. “Gotta replace the damn -

battery,’’ he thought.

He didn’t know what powered the Royal’s
clock, but in the 30 years he’d marked time with
it, it had never deceived him.

Odd’, he thought.

The aura of light behind the mountains began
to grow and spill over into the valley. It was a
Strange, orange-tinged light, the kind he’d seen
suffused’ through the polluted gills of
metropolitan sunsets. He’d never scen it on his
many morning rides to the river before.

‘*Punny,” be thought

The hillsides began to emerge from the half-
light. They were green with second growth

_ where, it seemed, only days before there had

been new cut blocks. He parked in the usual
Spot aad crawled from the car like an insect who
had been kept too long ina glass jar.

The creek crossing the trail — the one he'd
waded through for more than a decade — was
bridged by a pair of alder logs. He assumed
canocists or hikers had put them down, yet the
logs looked as if they’d been in position for
years.

It was when he was thigh high in the river and
had examined the run he’ knew so intimately
that he realized something profound and un-
alterable had happened.

There were subtle yet definite changes to the
riverside, thousands of them. He fell a surge of
youthful energy. At the same time he realized
the permanetice of his new state. He would not
be driving home tonight.

He felt an uncontrollable to cast. He did and
was soon into a magnificent fish. The animal
shot from the water and performed wonderfully.

When he had released it, the urge overtook
him again, He cast and was into another, a twin
to the first. It glowed radiantly when he brought
it to the beach.

“Heaven,” he thought before the urge took
him again, ‘This is heaven."’ a

He cast, another fish took in the same place i in
the swing of the last two, It fought with carbon
copy ferocity and shone with the same brilliance
before being released,

His arm hurt, but he had to cast. Yet another
clone took hold.

“Ob, hell,’’ he mumbled as boredom n began to
set in, “*....0h, hell,?’

Special

IT’S A SAD IRONY.

This year three
northwestern athletes
earned the right to compete
at the Canadian Special
Olympics,

Caledonia, Thornhill Jr.
Secondary and Skeena Jr.
Secondary students all made
the top 10 B.C, money
raisers in this year's Milk
Run which was intended to
help Special Olympics,

And now, eight years after
it got going, the local
program is facing collapse,

At the recent annual

tym

general meeting of the
organization, only two
people showed up.

Joan Cox, local co-
ordinator for several years
and now holding that
position for the region, was
one.

And she has issued a plea
for volunteers to help ensure
the organization stays alive,

The local co-ordinator has
reluctantly had to give up
her job to go on to post
secondary schooling.

The 30 bowlers have lost
their coach and also need

scorekeepers,

The swim coach will
remain but also needs
volunteer help given the
numbers involved in that
sport,

And Cox and Jo Buck
can’t cover all the
administration bases on
their own,

“We need some help,’?
says Cox, ;

How can you help? The
needs of the bowling and
swimming programs are
covered above, —

And Special Olympics also

KIWANI ‘K’. There. was no mistaking Kiwani oltehar Kristen's ioy at nailing ¢ down a seventh inning
strike out in the Mites softball final, Her impressive work on the maurid helped force an extra inning

in which the Kitimatians' defence ‘came through to edge STP of Smithers 16-14 for the tile.

/

/

Countdown ontoS

SUNDAY, JULY 10 is T-Day, as
in Triathlon, Skeena Valley style.

When the starter’s gun sounds
at 9 a.m., competitors will dash
into the not-so-warm waters of
Lakeise Lake to swim the 1.5km
triangular course that will bring
them back to the Furlong Bay
beach.

For some, members of teams,
that will be the end of their excr-
tion for the day, Pan

But those competing in the indi-

vidual class will have only Just .

started.

From ihe beach, they'll nin to

the waiting lines of bikes, hastily
pull on shoes, mount up and head
out on a 40kmi road race that will
take them to the. weigh scales at
the Hwy 16-37 interesection and
back lo Furlong,

Which will leave only the 10km
Tun to complete, the rouie taking -

them out to the Kinsmen’s camp

at the south end of the lake. and:

and back,

Gmelling as.that sounds, and Is,
it will have taken the winner only
slightly more than two hours fo
complete all three legs.

. With out of town entries al-
‘Teady coming in, organizer Ray
Wamer is anticipating ‘the ’94

quired for the cost of insurance,
Warner explained, BCTA mem-
bers being automatically covered,

Equivalent fees for teams are
$130 and $140. Those waiting
until race day ilself to register
will have to pay another $10 on
top of those figures.

Warner described. Lakelse Lake as chilly, but
bearable. And it should warm up by race day.

Skeena - Valley. Triathlon. will

prove a big success yet again.

As in years: past, there will be
five categories in which to enter:
men’s’ and” women’ 8 individual

and men’ v's, 2, women! 8 and rated

leams, -

The entry. fds are $55 for ftidl-
viduals. who are members of the -
“BC Trathion. association, $60 for -
nonmembers. The. exita’ As re=.

All participants recelve a- STV
‘T-shir, a ticket to the three-

course banquet held at Northwest
Community College that evening
and a chance at one of the many

‘spot prizes to be drawn at that
-titne,

- ‘The first three finishers in cach

Classification will go home with
trophies and plaques to mark their .

athi¢vement. -.
Warner said entry forms are

MALCOLM BAXTER 638-7283

ics need you!

needs people willing to look
after basic administration
such as a secretary,
treasurer, a half dozen
general committee members
and fund raisers.

Silas Clayton, Arlene
Lindley and Solomon Angus
head out to the national
games on July 10,

It’s a first for Lindley and
Angus,

Ifthe program is allowed
to die, it'll also be a last.

To keep Special Olympics
alive, phone Cox at 635-.
5633...

IT TOOK hours rather than
minutes, but when the final out
was made Minute Muffler had si-
lenced Norm’s Auto.

And that gave them fop spot in
this year’s Squirts sofiball tourna-
ment, held June 11-12 at Elks
Park.

Meanwhile, one field over, it
was an all out-of-town affair as
Kitimat’s Kiwanis and STP of
Smithers battled for the Mites
crown.

After STP had fought back to
force an extra inning, the Kiwanis
sent three across the plate then
wrapped up the title on a pop to

’ short and strikeout with one

across and two in scoring posi-
tion.

After battling heavy showers ali
day Saturday, teams in both divi-
sions welcomed the cool but at
least dry conditions of Sunday.

But it was sunshine all the way
for the PeeWees and Bantams
when they took to the field this
past weekend for their tourna-
ments.

For results of those, see next
week’s Standard.

This week sees the wrap up of
the 94 minor softball season with
two titles still up for garbs.

Bridon dropped the Lions 7-4
last Thursday to join the Leos
atop the Mite standings, both all-
boys teams having 9-3 records,

McAlpine edged Co-op 12-11
to ensure they will finish the sea-
son as the top ail-girls team in the
division.

In the Squirts division, Skeena
Hotel (boys) and Minute Muffler

(girls) are tied at i7 points, but

the hoteliers have two games in
hand.

And right on their heels are two
more female squads, Safeway and
Dairy Queen, two points back.

With only one loss this season,
Lazelle Mini-Storage look as-

. sured winners in the PeeWee
division this year.

Vie Froese Trucking and Vic’s

Midgets also look sct to triumph ©
in. the Bantams and Midgets _

respectively.

available at All Seasons Sports,
the swimming pool, Sportworld
and North Caost Angler.

Or people can contact him at
635-6459.

Apart from athletes, Warmer is
also encouraging as many people
as possible to come out and watch
the event.

**The more the better’’, he
added. However, because safety
considerations require access to
the Furlong Bay park to be
Hmited while the race is going, he
Suggested spectalors get there
early,

voluntecrs to help on the many
Jobs to be done on the day includ-
ing directing traffic and manning
water slations,

Having taken a test dip in the

lake last week, Warner described |
the water as “‘chilly, but quite --.
bearable, And - things should: 2i.:% ff

warm up by tl then n Gly 10),'" he ee

added.

STV is also looking for