BA - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 7, 2000 EENA ANGLER . ROB BROWN Kids can do it very once and a while some deep thinker, piqued EB: aa phrase or sentence of mine he’s either pry himself away from his T'V set long enough to sharp- en a pencil, strain his cranial capacities to their limits, then scratch out a bil of invective, that makes ils way into this editorial pages of this paper. Lacking the lumber to construct an argument with a strong foundation and a sturdy frame, these scribblers tack together soap boxes of substandard wood to provide themselves with a shaky platform from which they can inveigh against such subjects as fishing and hunting reg- ulations or downtums in the logging industry or the dis- comfort of land claims, all of these complaints mysteri- ously triggered by something I have written. Once an irate respondent fearlessly predicted a down- turn in forest industry then somehow managed to attach part of the responsibility for this imminent depression to one cf my columns, and wished fervently that my job would he the first to go when the collapse came. When I had the chutzpah to suggest that there just might be a better use for the old growth trees lining salmon streams than board and pulp fibre, another sage patiently reminded me that trees grow back, The cant in these rants is the predictable and unimagi- native. Stuff like “Tree hugger” and “‘enviro”, dullspeak symptomatic of that dreaded, but all too common dis- ease, chronic imagination deficiency. One wit even likened me to a kind of breakfast cereal. Clearly not wanting to miss any recognition after the considerable effort he obviously expended to think of it, was such adam clever metaphor. Ta the writers of this calibre, it is apparently not neces- sary to understand the meaning of a word before using it as a descriptor. For example, the word elite comes from the same family as legend elect and intellect. As a noun, it means the choice or select part; as an adjective it's syn- onymous with distinguished, as in an elite group of sci- entists. Used in a pejorative sense, elitist carries with it a sense of being selective or restrictive, in the way that a private school or club is. In the letters ta the editor ’'ve been called an elitist fly fisherman who indulges in an elitist sport a few times. Perhaps the idea that fly fishing is somehow the province of gray-haired old men and princes is rooted the half formed notion that kids can’t do it. E recall more than few meetings where someone spoke against a proposed bait ban or a tackle restriction because such a reaulation would prevent kids from fishing, Though the sincerity of the people advancing this argument is in question, since they are the first to argue a fishery should be closed to everybody, including children, rather than be designated fly fishing only, I'll give them benefit of the doubt and examine the proposition at face value. Fly fishing is readily available to all. Fly rods are everywhere and most are inexpensive. Fly fishing is the preferred angling technique of millions, its history dates back to Babylon, and it’s practiced the world over. Moreover, mastering lure fishing is just as demanding and difficult as fishing a fly; the distinguishing difference between those two techniques is that lure fishing, when done done skillfully is a lot more effective. This is the reason fisheries managers have, where impacts have been an issue, used fly fishing only regulations to keep a sport fishing opportunity available. The managers mak- ing these determinations were not catering to an elite, they were simply making practical decisions based on the needs of fish and fishers. ] have never written or said that children should be denied the opportunity to fish bait where it is legal to do so, bul my experience with children and fly fishing con- vinces me they would much rather fish that way. Over the course of 20 years I have shown a lot of prade school kids how to use a fly rod and have been handsomely rewarded by the obvious enthusiasm they had for the lessons and the sheer delight they evinced when they got the hang of it. In winter we leamed about creatures we would encounter on the stream and tied flies to imitate them, We learned the basics of casting in the class room with small rods made from chops sticks and wool. Then, when win- ter winds permitted it, we refined our casting on snowy playgrounds. By spring we were ready to try the river, We went to the Lakelse River and everyone caught fish, Teachers know the success of hands-on teaching, There’s a good reason for this. Children want to move and get involved in the things they do. They get bored and antsy quickly when they are not in motion. Bar or boat fishing is loo sedentary for them. When they fly fish Sloshing about, their legs are engaged in wading, their arms with casting, while a pageant of bugs, fish and wild life whirls around them. Kids fishing this way are not just fishing, they are interactive, failed to understand or lifted out of context, will. RACE STANDARD CHRISTIANA WIENS a S p ORTS 638-7283 RECOGNIZE YOURSELF?: Michelle Hendry, in jersey 14, and the 1988 Caledonia senior girls basketball team won four consecutive zone championships from 1984 to 1988. Hendry was a team co-captain with Jann Marie Wilson, number 6. Hendry went anto join _the Canadian womans national basketball team a year later. Hometown girl hits Olympic heights “She was ecstatic,” said _he then took some time to explain why he thought this. WHEN Michelle Hendry told her classmates :she - wanted to play Olympic basketball in her high schocl yearbook, she never imagined she’d be 30 before her dreams came true, The basketball player, who praduated from Cale- donia in 1988 and was named to Canada’s national team a year later, has finally made it. The Terrace-born player will be one of 12 female basketball players to repre- sent Canada at the Sydney Olympics in Australia this year. “I’m pretty excited,” she said from training camp in Richmond last week. “But I’m more relieved than anything.” That’s because Hendry’s career with the national pro- gram has been a bit of a ride. When the team failed to qualify for the Olympics in 1992, Hendry and several other players were cut. . She was heartbroken. “If you had asked me if I still thought | would ever play on the Olympic team then I would have said no.” She fought back, made the team again in 1997 only to have current head coach Bev Smith cut her from the team a year later. Motivated by what by ihen had become a decade- long quest to play in the Olympics, Hendry swal- lowed her pride two years later, approached Smith and asked to try out for the team apain. Smith said yes, but didn’t promise anything. “When a coach cuts you once you never really know what’s going to happen,” Hendry said. “I didn’t take anything for granted.” So when Hendry got the Olympic nod Tuesday, May 30 she exhaled — long and hard — before telling friends ‘and family. her mother Ans Hendry, from her home in Kam-' loops. “It was like she was really, really going this time.” “She’s going to get lots of floor time and we're ex- pecting big things from her.” coach Smith said. Based on her 11.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game “Tt was like she was really, really going this time.” — Ans Hendry, Michelle’s mom. at the Pan Am Games, where Canada won a silver medal in Winnipeg last year, the 6°2” forward faces pressure to keep it up. Smith said Hendry, who is short for an international forward, needs to get crea- tive under the basket. “We're working on get- ting her to come outside they are not only allowed to, but encouraged to get wet.: Ten-year-old tops at poo! MEET Terrace’s newest swimming sensa- tion, Allison Knoedler. Knoedler swam the 200-metre breast stroke 15 seconds faster than any other 10-year-old in Terrace Blueback history. At the club’s home Spring into Spring meet last month, she placed third in the 200-metre breast stroke, clocking in at 3:25.38 minutes to smash a 1992 club re- cord. Knoedler also won five other first place ribbons including another shattered club record in the 200-metre backstroke. “It’s just hard work,” said coach Mike Carlyle, attributing the 10-year-cld suc- cess to technical training. “She’s improv- ing immensely,” Knoedler moves up fram the develop- ment three program into the competitive stream of Bluchacks who regularly attend larger long-course meets. For Knoedler, that means the upcoming provincial trials in Victoria, where she qualifies to swim in the 100 back, 200 medley, 100 breast, and 200 freestyle events. Other record breakers at Spring into Spring include Jenine Barton and Kyle Narzt. Barton shaved almost two seconds off her 200-metre fly, clocking in at 2:32.08 seconds, fast enough to win the race and give the 14-year-old swimmer her third pool record of the meet. Barton’s other two record-breaking swims came in the 200-metre backstroke and 400-metre medley, in which Barton placed second. we ne Barton also wan two second place fi- nishes in the 100-metre butterfly and 400- metre breast stroke, She won fourth in the 800-metre freestyle, hitting the wall in a best ever time of 10:48,02 seconds. Kyle Narzt, 17, broke a record in the 50-metre freestyle swim, shaving .23 sec- onds off the pool’s fastest time to date of 25.74 seconds. Other red ribbon winners at the home- town meet include previously unseeded Justin Barton, 8, who won one first and two second-place ribbons. * Hayley Gipps, 10, won the 50-metre butterfly and topped off her performance with a second and third in the 100-metre freestyle and backstrokes. * Tan McKinnon, 8, won six red rib- bons, charting best ever swims in every race he entered. * Aaron Moldenhaner won three red ribbons in the 10 and under 100-metre and 50-metre backstrokes as welt as the 100- metre freestyle. * William Shack placed first in the 13- 14 year old 200-metre freestyle and char- ted his first AAA time in the 1500 free- style, The time qualifies him for the Age Group Provincials in Victoria’s Common- wealth pool. He. joins fellow Bluebacks Kyle Narzt, Kaya Downs, Jenine Barton and Petra Rohinson at the July 20-23 meet. * Ten-year-old Janine Callicou's train- ing is-tight on track with her first AA time in the 100-metre freestyle. ~_ more where she can shoot or slash to the basket.” Hendry is ready for the ’ ~~ challenge - she always faced pressure to score, she’s as healthy as a 3()- year-old ball player can be, and her game’s never been better. For someone with Hen- dry’s resume that says a lot. For the last seven years she’s played professional ball with the DKO Yell- ojackets in Germany. Before that, she lead Simon Fraser University to three conference champion- ships and was twice named the NAIA player of the year. She was also named to the Kodak All American team, the first-string All American team and SFU athlete of the year three years running. Her name was beginning to be recognized around campus and in lower main- land basketbali circles, but Hendry says, when it comes to promoting women’s bas- their own regions — but not across Canada.” she said. “We want to bring women’s basketball to the forefront in Canada so that young girls playing basketball will have someone to look up ta.” The team trains in Rich- mond this week before heading to pre-Olympic tournaments in Australia, Toronto and Texas, where they’Il compete against tough Cuban, Brazilian and American teams. Their first Olympic game is scheduled September 16 against hometown favour- ites, Australia. After the Olympics, Hendry doesn’t plan to call it quits. She finds out this month if her agent has negotiated a new contract in Pamplona, Spain to play in the profes- sional women’s league there. Sports Scope abou! the organization. Volunteers wanted TERRACE Minor Fastball hosting B.C.’s best fastball teams at the provincial bantam C championship here July 7-9 and they need your help. To make the tournament a sucess, organizers need scorekeepers, announcers and help with the opening cer- emonies, scheduled Friday, July 7. Call Kelly at 635-7144 for more information. Seniors week kicks off TO MARK seniors week, June 5-10, the B.C. Seniors Games zone 10 organizers will be at an information booth in the Skeena Mall, June 9, Any seniors interested in keeping active and having fun can drop by between 10 am and 4 pm to learn more For more information, call Maxine, 638-8648. Bowlers keep lanes busy THE PINS couldn't stay up in May. Two bowlers and a Senior Games five-pin bowling tourney, May 10, kept the Terrace lanes busy last month, After knocking off strike after strike, M, Muellar and Mickey Poaque, both from Terrace, joined the bowlers 400 club. Muellar bowled 389, coming only 11 points from rolling a perfect game. And Poaque, rolled 209, also carning a place in the elub, Prince Rupert broke through Terrace’s senior bowling dominance, winning the zone 10 bowling tourney, May 10. Tilley Bathmann, Eileen Harder, Helga Bartell, Joyce Nejaski and Anna Marie Drewes made up the winning Prince Rupert team.