oy Bye ea ge a Outside of the bats masters who ply their trade on the ponds and impoundments of the . eastern and mid-western United States, there are few profes- sional fishermen. Even the most — proficient of these hawg- hustlers earns a pittance com- pared to pros of equal stature in. other sports. Because there are no tour- ! decadés' ago. naments, making a living as a fisher of salmon and trout, re- quires a singularity of: purpose and sharply honed self- promotional skills. A- handful of fishermen eke out a living in the salmonid arena. Eventually they attract adoring followers who slurp up their products and eagerly wait for the latest bit of | fishy wisdom to fall from the lips of their favourite hero. But the real heros of the sport aren't interested in showing others how far they can cast, Or how many fish they can catch. They neither receive nor wish to receive money: ‘from the | recres- tion they love. A large amount. of their time is spent fighting like hell for the fish and waters ‘that sustain them. “Tom Protheroe is ‘one of these men, ‘ An assessor:by profession, an “angler by ayocation, Tom began fishing on streams near his Port Moody home more than three His skills; grew and “new waters beckoned. He joined the Kingfisher’s Rod and Gun Club and, with his fellow club members — undeniably some of the ‘best. and most ‘dedicated steclheaders in the province —: he began fishing the streams of- Vancouver Island arid making annual pilgrimages to the Thompson: During these years, Tom and two other adventurous Kingfishers, Ray Noel and Stan: Hill, made a number of forays . into Skeena to fish the Bulkley, the Copper and the Fish Rivers. The fine times those trips af- forded probably had a hand in Tom’s decision to take a posi- tion in Terrace. An intelligent and observant angler, Tom soon realized the Skeena fisheries were troubled and the only solution to their problems jay in the realm of fishpolitik, The influence of the commer- cial fishing industry over politi- cians and managers in B.C.,-has been disproportionately large and Tom knew it. As the diminution of the fish stocks at- test, what is good for the com- mercial fishery is not often very good for the fish. A. long-standing member of the Steelhead Society of B.C,, Tom. began attending the meetings of the society’s nor- ehwest chapter. Together with. some of the chapter’s ‘veteran members and other concerned anglers in Skeena, he con- tributed significantly to a cam- paign. which ultimately. gave, and continues to give, the ’ Sport- sman a greater voice in the management of the fisheries resources of this province. PARC, the Pacific Region Advisory. Comanilitee to: the Minister ‘: of Fisheries ‘and Oceans, is a. very important ‘body in’ shaping ministerial . decisions: for..thig coast. Tom sits on that committee as well as Board, voice of the sportsfisherman in B.C. And: if that were not " enough, he has found time to sit: as. director’ onthe ‘Terace ' Salmonid . Society, “and « stiil regularly attend both Steelhead Society meetings and numerous ad hoe gatherings. . Tom Protheroes’ 8 world is a parade of meetings: enervating, tension-filled, all-day sessions dealing with decisions ranging from trivial to monumental. the pace is often unbearably slow, the frustration ulcerous, but im- portant steps are ‘achieved this way. There have been some signifi- the Sports Fishing “Advisory. the’ longest standing’ ye cant fishery. events dn:,our.-area of late. One is the decisio the Department of Fisheries ain Oceans not’ to proceed : with: comercial : fishery. in’. Douglas Channel. ‘The diligent | effort.of | the sportfishing- community: of. Kitimat had a great'deal to do- with that decision, but it would.- ‘not have..been made. without. considerable wrangling’ on various political ‘levels. : Tom - Protheroe ‘figured: prominently in those debates... --:. The commercial will ‘has kept . pink and sockeye : from the. _ sportsman in this province. This: . ludicrous situation. will: change this season, and I know © Tom Protheroe. has been prominent — in ‘winning that battle too... “The next time you ‘assemble your tackle and make for ‘the stream, there is a good chance | Tom Protheroe will be boarding - a plane enroute to distant board room to do battle on our behalf. Thanks Tom, SPORTS. JEFF NAGEL 638-7283 wo TERRACE STANDARD -SPORTSCOPE- Half- marathon TERRACE — It’s all set and ready to go. With the first major race of the year coming up this weekend, runners around the northwest are getting warm- ed up for the Prince Rupert Half-Marathon. The annual race is being run April 8. Racers will start from the Prince Rupert Civic Centre at ] p.m. and follow a course along Hwy16 to a rest area and back. . The 21.1-kilometre early season. race. should be‘ a challenge. for one and all. Anyone interested can get more information at Ail Seasons Sparts. Soccer victory A Terrace select men’s soc- cer team came out on top of the competition at a men’s soccer tournament two weekends ago in Kitwanga. The Terrace team stole vic- tory away in the final from the host Kitwanga team to capture the $1,000 tourna- ment jackpot. Terrace player Rod Morales was named tourna- ment MVP. Kitwanga collected 5800 for second place, followed by a Vanderhoof team that finished third. Fastball time A new men's fastball league is pulling in players and teams from all over the northwest in preparation for the first pitch on May 5. You too, can get invalved, the league organizers say. So far at least eight teams are confirmed for the league ~— which will have a separate Masters category for over-39 teams, They include the Nor- thwest- Oldtimers, Terrace Juniors, Terrace Truck Log- gers, - Hazelton Bombers, Mahoney-Hamilton Truck- ing, Kitimat Merchants, and Cole Petroleum. Organizers anticipate at least one more Kitimat team and one Prince Rupert team to Join the lineup. “ Deadline for players and teams.to sign up is May !. Those interested can contact Norm at 635-2249. The Men's. ;Fastball League’s 22. ‘regular season ‘games are scheduled between May 3 and July 10 at the lege fastball park. The league will also -host a, tournament in .Terrace on the. Canada Day, Toug weekend | in July. Northwest Community Col-. THEY WENT, they boxed, and they brought back the hardware. Local boxers Darren Bell ‘let and Joey Losier defeated the provincial champions in their weight classes in unanimous decision bouts to win the Jr. Golden Gloves provincial boxing tournament. Lites prevail in playoit final TERRACE — After flirting with danger in their three-game playoff series against Inn of the West, the league-leading Skeena Hotel Lites piled it on in the final game to capture the Ter- race Men's Recreational Hockey title. The final saw the two teams clash in a relatively even first period, but Skeena Hotel : skatérs hammered in two goals in the -dying seconds of the period. After that it was all Skeena Hotel as the Lites cruis- - ed to an 8-2 pounding of Inn of the West. Leading scorers were Emile Gagnon and Bruce ’ Cameron, who each racked up two goals and two assists. The first two games set the stage for a possible upset vic- tory by third-place Inn of the West: Game two saw them ham- mer Skeena Hotel 8-3, and Game one was 4 narrow over _ time loss to. the Lites. ‘Inthe first game Inn of the West had. been ahead 5-4 until the Lites tied it up with a goal in‘ » the last 30 seconds of the game, Skeena Hotel went on to steal the game with the winning goal in overtime. "Lance Legoeuf — also the top won thelr. series against the layoff scorer with 13 points — : P ph ‘North. ‘Coast Wranglers in three " Notched three goals and two. .- assists, while teammate’ Dan’ » Van Os netted another three in the Inn’s game (wo triumph. - TERRACE — Two Terrace boxers took on the province's ’ best and won.at the Jr. Golden Gloves boxing championships in Vancouver last month. Once again Darren Bell and - Joey Losier were facing older, more experienced boxers, and once again they beat the oddsto come out ahead. The two local boxers qualified for the tournament by winning their weight categories at the B.C, Winter Games and the Silver Gloves tournament earlier this year... “ But. at.the Jr. Golden Gloves;--; Losier and Bell had no competi- tion in their Junior ‘B' division — age 13 and 14, Both were moved up to Junior 'C’ to face 15- and 16-year-old boxers. The two opponents they took on weren’t just two years older — they were also last year’s pro- vincial champions. Coacii Jeff Dilley said Losier's opponent had 22 fights to his credit, compared to Losier’s 5, Bell was also boxing a fighter with more than twice as many bouts under his belt. Losier struck quickly in his bout, scoring a first-round flash knockdown in what Dilley said looked like a replay of his 14-second first-round TKO at the B.C. Winter Games. “To his credit his opponent was able to get up and continue, but the rest of the rounds weren’t even close,” Dilley said. “Foey oaut-manoeuvred and a bounc ig puck hovering near. the goal. mouth. ‘Inn of: the West made the playoff ‘series by defeating - Norm’s . Auto: Refinishing two’. ~ games - to ‘one: '‘Skeena Hotel oo The we olbiie‘toans a “the: Northern Motor Inn Okies and .-Conyoy Supply battled ‘through a- ‘best-of-five Playoff series of their own. ‘ttup, sand thi “INE GOT ITI’ Northern Motor Inn Okles goaltender Samy tanning sprawis on the ice to bat away third. - “ ‘But Convoy supply edged out the Okles 2-1 In game four to tie : fh grabbed.the title a with, an: 3-2’ ‘gvertine ‘yictory.on _ After Convoy won the first with a 4-3 win In the second game anda 10-6 -win in the “A goal by Hank ‘Roundup. game Se, the Okles burst back {The top ‘oldtimer playoff. -sborer” was ‘the Okita’ Steve” Scott, with six points. out-boxed him the rest of the fight, and won it on a 5-0 unanimous decision of the’ judges."” Bell got out to a slower, more. careful pace in his bout before : realizing he could out-box the: other fighter. “Then he picked up the ace tion and gave him a standing eight-count in the middle of the second round,”’ Dilley said. “From then he just picked him apart."” Bell hammered away through - the-thir und..to, secure: the . < unanimous: decision; ; he said, The . vidories would. also * qualify Beil and Losier to go on to the Junior. Nationals in e Quebec City this spring — if they were only a bit older. Instead, Dilley said, the two boxers they beat will go-to the nationals because -Bell and Losier don’t qualify yet for Junior ‘C’ division competition, ““That’s the way the rules. are,”’ Dilley said, ‘‘but it's’a tribute to the talent of these two boxers."” Bell had fought a Junior ‘C’.. boxer at the Winter Games, but lost by a narrow margin. But . Dilley didn’t expect the pair to - win decisively at the Golden oe Gloves. “Everyone down there was | surprised,’’ he said. ‘We went because I felt they were good © enough to hold their own, and.) the experience would be grea for them.” oe Bluebacks _ . set swim records | TERRACE Blueback swimmer -Cory Holland won six gold: medals and set two new ‘provincial records at the March 16-18 B.C, ‘Terrace’ = ; - Competitive Swimming Cham- --_ plonships in Victoria: Holland set new standards {a his age class with times of.26,8 seconds in the 50-metre, ‘and. 58.55. seconds in the 100-metre freestyle. . Holland is expected to bresk more provincial records in-that.. age class before turning 13. He | won gold in the 100. and. 200-metre breaststroke, ‘the S0-and = 100-metre - ‘freestyle, 200-metre freestyle; and. 200-metre individual medley; and bronze in’ the 100-metre’ backstroke. Cory’s sister Tina won three golds — in the -100-~ and. and 50-metre breaststroke and silvers. in the 100-metre breaststroke, 50-metre butterfly: ‘Contond re freestyle. Jocelyn — ord earned a bro 200-metve butterfly. iat “As a whole, the Bluebacks: recorded 23 and earned idm meee beat: time - 200-metre individual ‘medieyt,’