B4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, January 22, 2003 ROB BROWN Spare the Rod Ill he boot tracks on the strand of soft sand edging the shoreline revealed oF next to nothing of the bizarre battle between me and the robust female steelhead earlier that morning: not a hint of my reel seat snapping; nothing to betray the mo- ment when the bottom half of my rod, winch and all, fell into the drink; no inkling of the shock and embarrassment I’d suffered as a result of the do-si-dos and allemande lefts I’d been forced to perform in front of a pair of amused and slightly confused fishermen in order to avoid further tackle wreckage as ] struggled to bring the fish to shore. the exertions of these same lure fishermen who, before ] appeared, had given the run a vigorous massage with wobbling spoons, Other than the gentle disturbance caused by a flock of mergan- bits in the riffle below and the distant rumble of a train, the river was tranquil. An eagle had resumed its vigil from the trunk of the leaning cedar snag that hangs over the spot. where Ted Rawlins hooked the steel- head of his lifetime. These birds, the solitude, required to fish a wet fly, and the sweet, forgiv- ing action of my Hardy de-Luxe were gently sweeping the mishap and mayhem of the morn- ing into the back of my mind, ” bought it fram Steve Nickolls twenty years ago the day after 1’d backed my truck over Finlay’s Fenwick and my green Hanson. It had been sit- ting on the rack al the Northwest Sportsman for .a long time as stiffer and vastly inferior Ameri- tations left the store in the hands of eager fly- ‘fishermen, many of them beginners who had swallowed the ad bait that claimed stiff rods were best because they could be cast farther. Carbon fibre was a relatively new and little understood material in those days. Where other companies opted for stiff rods, Hardy and Orvis, the two oldest flyfishing man- ufacturers in the English speaking world, wisely did their best to ernulate the action of the bam- boo rods that had once been their mainstay and which they manufacture to this day, They came close. My Hardy de-Luxe is de-Light. I’ve used it on rivers and lakes from here to Atiin to catch everything from sockeye salmon to grayling. When Finiay passed five years ago I fastened his favourite reel to it and filled the reel spool with a multi tip line. picked up another fine steelhead. | worked my way downstream gradually - through the Rock Garden, over the flats, through the Coldwaters. The rhythm of the fishing was perfect: a few minutes between trout and a few trout between each steelhead. My subconscious had taken over the fishing in the same way it takes over the mechanics of driving on a long trip. By the time 1’d finished and made my way back to the truck I was in some kind meditative Zen state of semi-consciousness. Distractibility is the hallmark of the middle- aged mind. This morning I got up, brewed a pot of coffee, then went looking for my cup. The ‘search took me to my studio where [ was dis- tracted by the sight of a folio of Elizabethan music on my stand. After playing through a few :pieces I got up and was distracted by something ,else, Long story short: | found myself tying flies ;member why [’d come to the studio in the first place. At times like this my mind is a pinball ri- cocheting from bumper to bumper under glass \streaked with pop stains and thumbprints. So here | was, at the truck, spaced owt and faced with mulliple tasks. [ leaned my beioved Hardy de-Luxe up against the side of the truck in the crack between cab and box, threw a stick for the dog, undid my boots, took off my rain jacket, slipped off my waders, slipped on my shoes, found my keys, opened the door, put the demanding dog in the back under the canopy, put the waders and my wading staff behind the seat, climbed in, and drove off. The next morning another coffee mug hunt took me to the pickup. The bench seat was for- ward revealing the pear stowed thete..My Hardy de-Luxe was conspicuous by its absence. Out of the murky pool of my subconscious an amphi- bian moment emerged — the moment when I’d leaned my tod against the truck. Continued next week. A cigarette butt was all that remained of. sers that had returned to dip for eggs and salmon. the repetitive action and distant concentration - _.,. It may not be cane, but the Hardy de-Luxe. is as close ta the supple action of bamboo:as:a - rod made of carbon fibres can hope to be.-1- can rods and their equally inferior Japanese imi- - I fished through the run once more and as I listened to the radio and struggled to re-. By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN IT TAKES a whole lot of imagi- nation, talent and artistic flair to excel in interpretive figure ska- ting and two local teens are put- ting themsefves to the test in that discipline this weekend. Shelby Stach, 16, and Kelsey Minhinnick, 13, are two of 10 local skaters hitting the ice in this year’s Pacific Skate competition in Kamloops Jan. 24-26. Among the numerous events they’re competing in is a special event called the triathalon which sees skaters judged in three areas — skills, solo program and inter- pretive. The interpretive event is a ska- ter’s chance to creatively demon- strate the mood of a certain piece of music to the audience. Working with their coaches and a choreographer the two girls have come up with two very un- ique ideas. “In interpretive you're sup- posed to tell a story,” says Stach. Sporting a crushed velvet ska- ting dress she’ll be performing her own version of a nightmare. “IT really like my piece be- cause it’s something everyone can relate to because everyone has had a nightmare,” she says. The music she’s performing to alternates between a fast-paced beat and a slower tempo. “The slow music isn’t just slow — it’s kind of creepy,” she ex- plains. Kelsey Minhinnick is looking forward to the interpretive compe- tition because it allows her to ex- plore::different areas of her pre-. sentation. The music she’s performing. to. comes from the movie Black Melanson rink eyes up championships By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN TERRACE’S Duane Me- lanson tink has one goal this weekend - to win. The local team - skip Duane Melanson, second Mitch Griffith, third John Evans and lead. Andrew Simpson — is competing in the B.C. Interior Curling Association (BCICA) fi- nals in Prince George Jan.24-26. A win there means a trip to the men’s provincial finals taking place in Sal- mon Arm Feb. 6-9. Three of the Terrace players are no stranger to the interior playdowns. Last year Melanson, Griffith and Evans compe- ted at the event with then skip Kevin McDougall. They didn’t make it to pro- vincials last year. When SHELBY STACH and Kelsey Minhinnick are taking part in a unique event at this year's Pacific Skate competition in Kamloops Jan, 24-26. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO Hawk Down and her theme — a snake. “T have to use a lot of facial expressions and big arms,” says the affable teen who'll be wearing a red snake-skin print dress for the competition. But the interpretive piece is just one part of the triathalon. The skills competition is a technical event which evaluates gliding, turns and edges. And to round out the event is the solo program, where skaters incorporate spins, jumps and field moves to a piece of music. They’re judged on artistic presen- tation and execution of the tech- nical Moves, |... 32 hoy The triathalon’ will be a ‘chal- lenge for the two Terrace teens given thal most of the other ska- “Wel playdowns. They McDougall moved ta New Brunswick earlier this year the team rearranged their positions and picked up Simpson. After the regional play- downs at the Terrace Cur- ling Club Jan. 11-12 the Melanson rink earned a spot at this weekend’s face George’s Dave Johnston rink and Quesnel’s Allan Jacques team. ters they’re competing against skate at a higher level than them. But thier coach thinks they are up to the challenge. “The slow music isn't just slow — it’s kind of creepy.” “The two of them are very well rounded, enthusiastic skaters,” says head coach Cathy Mills. The teens are very involved with the local club and also put in time as program assistants who ‘help out with the younger Cans- kate skaters. & : In addition :to the triathalon, Stach and Minhinnick aie competing in other individual events. “They are going to be very busy,” says Mills. Competitions can be a nerve racking experience but the skaters have developed ways of putting the stress out of their minds and focussing on the task at hand. “Right before I go on the ice [ listen to the music a lot and walk through my program, “ explains Minhinnick. Visualizing the piece is also important to mental preparation. “Lots of times we think of how our program could be and visua- lize it,” she says. The key to keeping cool on the . SjeeP ene: “You just have to stay focus- sed,” Stach says. Sports Scope lias. Prince Collect your old photos HAVE YOU contributed a sports photo to the Terrace Standard but just haven’t had a chance to pop in and pick it up? Contributed photos are piling up and we in- vite you to come in and collect any photos you may have submitied over the last couple years. Our office is located at 3210 Clinton St. and is open Monday 9 am. -5 p.m. and Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Just tell the receptionist you’d like to look through the sports photos. It’s as easy as that. Space still available YOUNG SOCCER enthusiasts looking to brush up on their skills still have a chance to register for the second session of soccer clinics hosted by local coach Nick Kol- The clinics run for four consecutive with the secand session starting Feb. 1. All participants must have been registered with the Terrace Youth Soccer Association in the summer of 2002. Register al the Terrace Arena or phone Nick at 635- 9231 for more information.Olympians coming PLAYERS on the Kermodes’ bench (above) send out some good vibes as Amandeep Dhaliwal (right) lines up for a couple penalty shots. The girls faced the Smithers Senior Secondary squad Jan. 17 in their first game of the Cate- donla Extreme I! basketball tournament. Check next week's issue of the. Ter. race Standard for complete results. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO.