The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 12, 1997 - A3 Boxers rally | against docs By DAVE TAYLOR AMATEUR BOXERS KO'd with news their event had been dropped from the Northern BC Winter Games organized a protest rally last week outside the new Park Street medical centre, The sport had to be canceled because no local doctors were available to sit al ringside and games regulations re- quire thal a physician be present at every bout. A total of 35 boxers were coming from as far away as Anchorage, Alaska to fight. The Anchorage team had ac- tually left for Terrace when the event was canceled. It was extremely disappointing,’? says games coar- dinator Diana O'Brien. ‘‘It’s hard to believe not one doctor would volunteer their time. They made a lot of comments about jt being a blood sport." Disappointed athletes and parents rallied outside the medical centre, Friday, They wanted to protest what they said was misinformed prejudice on the part of the doctors. “They'll take their money but they won’t come to the fights,”’ says Cindy Mitzimberg. Mitzimberg has three children in the boxing club. She says it’s hypocritical for Terrace doctors to charge $45 for each boxer’s required physical exam, and then refuse to cover a fight. “It’s totally unfair,’’ she says. ''These kids have worked: really bard all year just to have the rug pulled out from un- der them.,”* “It’s really not that violent,” she says. ‘Rugby is way more violent and they don’t even wear padding, Are they going to cancel it next?” Chad Gerow was one of the boxers who was set to fight at the games. ‘‘It think it’s stupid, We’ve been working teally hard ali year so we could fight in our home town.” Gerow points out that the club is for amateur boxers only and they all wear protective padding. ‘‘We wear headgear aud use padded gloves,”’ he says, ‘‘It’s not like the pros.’’ Boxing club coach Rusty Doane also says the doctors are probably mistaking professional boxing for the amateur sport. ‘It’s like comparing tennis to basketball,’’ he says. “T think maybe the doctors have seen too many Rocky movies.”’ But local physician Dr, Geoff Appleton says the medical community is being used as a scapegoat for a problem that actually resulted from poor planning. “This was no one’s fault but the organizers’,”’ he says. “They expected us to feap to the rescue at the last minute.” Appleton says there was a Terrace doctor who was will- ing to help, but he had to drop out due to personal matters — leaving games officials little time to find another doc- tor. ‘People are accusing us of not doing our duty. Well, I don’t buy that,” Appleton says. ‘*This was not our duty, it was a voluntary thing and we had other plans. Some of us were going away, some were on call, some had wives who were having babies.” Appleton points out that eight local doctors were already invalved in the games. He says it’s unfair to demand thal physicians drop their plans at the last minute to watch boxing — a sport that most physicians find too violent. ‘This is not a sport like hockey or wrestling where nth Z someone might get burt by.accident,’” ‘he says, ‘This is a sport where the goal is to knock the"other guy out. And to accuse us of not supporling our community because some of us may not want to witness that is unfair.” -AMATEUR BOXERS in Terrace held an information picket at the Park Street medical centre last week to protest against local doctors who wouldn't attend their fights at the Northern 8C Winter Games, forcing the event to be canceled, “TERRACE STANDARD Entrance To Another Dimension “A. Show For All Ages” February 19, 1997 R.E.M. Lee Theatre Tickets: $15.00 available at Uniglobe Travel (ne News In Brief City increases fees IT’LL COST a bit more to put up a massive new devel- opment in the city, and a bit less for a small scale one, A development permit for construction of a project worth mare than $1 million will cost a developer $1,000 now. And council has also added a lower level of fec, charging just $100 for development permit worth less than $10,000, Council system changed MAYOR JACK TALSTRA has done away with cily council’s system of examining issues using a number of different committees. The work of the old four committees — public works, planning, finance and recreation — is now going 10 be dealt with at one big commiltce to be at- tended by all councillors. Thal committce-of-the-whole meeting will take place on the Mondays when council doesn’! meet, and on Fridays al lunch when needed. That also means an cnd to the system of pulting a councillor in charge of each commiltec. The mayor also appointed council members as the city representatives lo a number of other organizations. The appointments arc: Councillor Linda Hawes — Service clubs and Ter- race aud District Chamber of Commerce, Terrace Ad- visory Parks and Recreation Commission, the River- boat Days Committee, Terrace and District Community Services, Val George — Forestry Advisory Commission, Kalum South Community Resource Board, Terrace Public Library Board, and Terrace University Access Council. Rich McDaniel -—- Seniors Advisory Commission, Stopping the Violence Committee, and Yellowhead Highway Assocation. Tim Down — Airport Advisory Commiltee, the Muks-Kuin-Ol Housing Society, Terrace Beautification Society and the Terrace/Thornhill Restructuring Com- imiltee, David Hull — Community Health Council, Family Court and Youth Justice Committee, P.E.P. Executive comumitice, Skeena Union Board of Health, Terrace Health Care Society. Ron Vanderlee — Community consultative com- mittee, North by Northwest Tourism Association, T.E.A.C., Transit Advisory Commission. Mayor Talstra will attend Skeena Treaty Advisory Comnitice mectings. CBC Radio defended ONE OF THE new city councillors wants the city to mount a defence of CBC Radio, Tim Down said CBC cuts are threatening northwest regional radio service, and said council should look at supporting the service that now cxists. Layoffs affecting CBC radio and TV operations are already taking place. Underlay* with any Rollend purchased by Feb. 22 a * 7/16 Alb. Chip Foam or Upgrade for only 10°/sf 4718 A Lazelle Ave, Terrace Name Address I Phone (H) W) ! Bring or mail you entry to: ae 3210 Clinton Street STANDARD Terrace, 8.C, VBG 5R2 | Winners will be drawn at random from all entries received. Prizes must be acceptable as awarded and have no cash equivalent. 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