B8 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 10, 1997 SPORTS _ | genveq_ | Team flips over tumbling Squad to tour area schools next spring DAVE TAYLOR SKEENA ANGLER ROB BROWN An Alaskan view ast summer as Premier Clark pranced around on his pet pony Jingo in a blatant attempt to revive a flagging image by waving the red ensign and our provincial banner, the unofficial provincial navy — that ragtag fleet of fishing boats manned by motley crews of commercially-inclined fisher folk, including flag-burning would-be Wellingtons hoping to stave off some perceived future Waterloo in which they may be the losers — pulled off the daring maritime coup of surrounding a [erry full of puzzled tourists. This mock epic sea battle with its cast of hundreds attracted the media in'a way not seen since the great maritime battles over flounder- ing cod led by that salty, office-bound land lub- ber, Admiral Tobin. Images of our ersatz fleet, of ferocious sea wives waving placards ex- coriating the dreaded Yanks for stealing our fish, of indignant politicians, of Dagging fish talks, flickered fleetingly across our televideo seis and congealed in pixelated form on daily tabs for weeks. While Captain Clark was decorated for his chauvinism with public opinion ratings, some of us — too few us it seems —- were worried that the fish stocks themselves had been handed the black mark. The president-elect of the Steelhead Society of B.C., Dan Burns wrote to Alaska’s Govemor, Tony Knowles, on the matter, ‘We are reluctant to criticize the fisheries management of other countries as we have our hands full: ‘trying ‘to reform’Salmon: management: ‘in Cafada, 'svrote Burits.“4* However the’ cut: rent“fishery in -Alaska that- is intercepting Skeena and Nass sockeye stocks is causing great harm to other, less numerous stocks of coho and steelhead in those rivers.’’ After pointing out that the steelhead stocks retuming to the Skeena system were the third lowest in forty-seven years, and that the coho feturns were virtually non-existent as of July 16th, Burns called on the Alaskans to stop their interceptive fisheries. “No one,” wrote Burns, ‘‘neither DFO, nor the province of British Columbia, nor the State of Alaska has the right to bring those stocks to the edge of extinction,”’ Governor Knowles referred Burns’ letter to the person in charge of Alaskan fisheries the Lieutenant Governor, Fran Ulmer. Alaska, Ul- mer replicd, does not consider the disagreement over the Salmon Treaty a ‘‘fish war’. While conceding that the number of intercepted Canada-bound sockeye was up last season, Ul- mer points out that ihe Alaskan catch of Nass/Skeena salmon is only 1.75 per cent of the Southeast Alaskan historical salmon catch, and iat the Nass and Skeena Rivers had an escape- ment of 1.8 million sockeye this year, including 900,000 fish, twice the escapement target set by DFO for the Skeena and 250,000 Nass sockeye, 50,000 over the escapement target. The Alaskan fishing effort during peak migra- lion time for Skeena sockeye was 56 hours with a maximum of 100 seine boats working the water. During the same time over 1,000 Cana- dian boats fished for 320 hours. After the treaty period was cover, the waters in northem B.C. were open for 96 hours to the entire Deet while the Alaskan purse seine fishery fished two 15 hour openings. And fishing days in Alaska were down 15 per cent in July while they were up here 24 per cent, Ulmer is right when she writes that the main problem facing Canadian fisheries is a direct result of the unnalural enhancement of Babine sockeye and the 1 ,(()-boat gilinet fishery at the Skeena’s mouth. The coho retum to the Skeena this year is less than one quarter of the worst return on record. When DFO, after prodding from groups like the Steelhead Society over two decades, finally raised ihe issue of coho in 1995, Alaska offered to review Canadian data, but Canada didn’t provide any information. In 1996, says Ulmer, the joint Northem Panel requested the bilateral Northem Boundary tech- nical Committee to review boundary-area coho. Alaska reps came prepared to develop a joint report and action plan but Canada told its scientists not to come and presented no data, The answer to conservation problems will be found in negotiation, says Ulmer. ‘‘We wel-. come an opportunity for Alaskan and Canadian scientists to examine the status of Skeena River steelhcad and coho, the impact of various fisheries and determine the most effective way io conserve those fish....We all need to focus our fishery regimes on the concept of ‘salmon first’,” she adds in a letter reminiscent of hundreds written by the Steelhead Society of B.C, to officials in the DFO over the last twenty years while the feds presided over the real fish war: a war waged by our fishing industry against the salmon; a hundred years war. THE MOUNTAINAIAS ; perform a difficult “three- high” Inanoeuver. The tumbling team is preparing for a big Christmas performance Dec. 17 and hopes to take the show on the road some time in the new year. “TEAMWORK” IS more than just a phrase used in passing with the Spring Creek Mountainair. In fact, without it the team would literally fall apart. The Mountainairs are a new sporis group in town, but they don’t play basket- ball and they sure don’t play hockey. They tumble. ‘We combine gymnastics with acrobatics,’’ says head coach Tammy Bums. ‘We focus on individual endurance, strengih and teamwork.” Right now, 23 youths from different schools are * on the team. They range in . ages from five-years-old all » the way to age 14. “We've got quite a group,” Burns says. “They're getting very good,” This is the second year that Spring Creek, a school located in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, has had a tumbling team. They started out with a pilot program last year and Bums says it met with surprising success. “Tt really took off,’’ she says. This year, a whole new group signed up, and many of the original members stayed with the program, creating a good mix of new and experienced youths. Bums says the team tries to choreograph all its acrobatic moves and gym- nastic routines 10 music, Youths pile on top of each other to perform impressive feats of strength and balance, like the ‘‘butterf- ly’? and = “*three-high’’ moves that involve a tower of children standing on each-other’s shoulders, But this group is about more than tumbling, it’s about a lifestyle. “We try to promote health and drug-free awarencss,”’ says Bums, ‘We really focus on exercise and keep- ing and ealing healthy.” Burns started the group last year based on her own experiences on a tumbling team in university. She says she thought it would go over very well in Terrace. Their name, the **Mountainairs”’ even reflects both the environ- ment of the area — *‘mountain’’ and the musi- cal nature of the routines ‘air’? — meaning a melody. And these youths are get- ting very good. Burns says she hopes the team can tour local elementary schools this spring, to show the kinds of things that can be achieved through teamwork and a healthy, active life- style “We might even do a mini-tour of the province this year,” she says. And next year, the team might go on longer tours, The Mountainair’s first big public performance is coming up next week, The team will be incorporating their unique skills into a Christmas theme, complete with a backing band and choir. It's a. free. evening of unique entertainment, and Bums says everyone is wel- come io attend. The per- formance will take place at the church, across from the college at 7 p.m. Dec 17, Wrestlers get jump on season IT’S BOUND to be a gripping year. Terrace’s youth wrestlers have once again hit the mats — this time with greater numbets and more experience. About 22 female and 12 male wrestlers have signed up for the season, Seven of the girls are from Caledonia, with the rest coming from Skeena Jr. It should be a good year too, Skeena even gets to host the Zone Championships on Valentines Day. “A few of the girls went to wrestling camps this year,’? says coach Dave O’Brien. ‘‘So we're at a bit higher level, with more seniors. And we have some great, great leaders on the wrestlers to competition in a lower-stress atmo- sphere. The emphasis was on participation. There weren’t any medals or even placements on the line, so wrestlers were grouped according to weight and experience —- as opposed to just weight, Team mates even wrestled each-other. “We're at a bit higher level, with more seniors. And we have some great, great leaders on the team.”’ —coach Dave O’Brien deportment at all times,’ O’Brien says. ‘‘It also is a reflection of a very nice group of athletes.’’ O’Brien says the Chandler Park meet was a great, althongh quick, way to start the year. And he says there are some good female wrestlers to watch this year include returners Grace Wittkowski and Angie McRae, **They’re looking very strong,’’ he says. Grade Nine newcomer Kristi Allen is also off to an excellent start, with a 6-0 record. This past weekend was the Hazelton Warm- Up, which traditionally kick-starts the season. It’s an open competition mun strictly by weight- class, 80 some novices can end up facing much more experienced wrestlers. team.”’ Both the girls and guys are looking good so fax, The season-opening mepl was held two weekends ago at Chandler Park in Smithers. O’Brien says it was a new, less formal begin- ning to the year, designed to introduce new In fact, the only award presented was to the most sportsmanlike team — which went to the Terrace girls. ‘I'm proud of (that) because I’ve always stressed sportsmanship and demand proper dard. “Nobody gets hurt,’ O’Brien says. ‘‘But some girls get beat pretty quick.” Nearly 200 wrestlers were expected at the Warm-Up. Results weren’t available at press time, so look for them in an upcoming Sian- Mount Elizabeth cages Wildcats. Fan support can't stop Kitimat comeback THE WILDCATS went on the attack in their home opener last Friday, but they were ultimately repelled by a feisty Mount Elizabeth squad, The Skeena Junior Boys feam was supported by a noisy crowd of close to 100 Supporters, with naise- makers, cheerleaders and even a live band. Skeena came out strong, no doubt buoyed by the phenomenal fan support. The Wildcats took it to the hoop, putting the visiting Kitimat squad on their heels, By halfiime, the hometown boys were up 34- But the tables were turned in the second half. Kitimat _ came out like a new team, scoring basket after un- answered basket to get ’ within striking distance of the wounded Wildcats. The Cats rallied after their initial surprise, however, and the play picked up the pace for some great end-to- end action. The rest of the game was a nail-biter. Skeena was there right to the end, but they couldn’t stop Mount Elizabeth from pulling ahead and eventually win- ning 70-68. The Kitimat game was ac- tually the second of the night for the Wildcats. Ear- licr in the evening they played a Skeena Alumai squad from the *60s, *70s and '90s that was bent on re-living past glories. ‘Some of the old guys filled out their uniforms very well,’’ quipped one spectator, But with age comes expe- rience and the Old Timers handily put the youngsters away 23-15 ina short game. JUMP SHOT: Skeena played well, but couldn't hold onto an early lead in a game against MESS last Friday night, They lost 70-68.