The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 7, 1996 - AS CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD Let the games begin! ——-- IN JUST two days 3,500 athletes from hundreds of communities will board busses all over northern B.C., busses that will take them to the pinnacle of the winter Sports season - the Northern B.C, Winter Games in Prince George, The Kitimat-Stikine Regional District will be represented by 340 athletes who will compete in 17 different events. And 178 of those athletes are from Ter- race, For many of the participants from the smallest communities, these games will mark their first major competition, “The philosophy behind the games soctety,”’ explains Games Coordinator Judy Burch, “ts to bring athletes in small - communities together where the level is so that everyone can compete,” She says it’s also a valuable opportunity Special group aims high THERE ARE seven very special athletes from Ter- race and Kilimat who will at the . Norther B,C, Winter Games, For some, the chance to learn social skills, make new friends and be goad sports is just as important as Winning medals, They are Special Olympics athletes. ‘Donna Hepworth and Arlene Lindley —_-will STRIKE! Special Olympics bowlers hit the lanes in Terrace every Saturday afternaon for a practice ses- sion. Organizers say some take the sport very for competitors to meet, and learn more about their peers in other areas of B.C, That sentiment is echoed by Games Chair Jack Philpot. In a= statement to organizers and participants he writes, “friendship and discovery,.that is what these winter games are all about, Ask the person next ta you where they are from, how they live and where they see their dreams taking them...” Over the three day course of the games, J9 events will happen at 33 venues in the city of Prince George. The Games Society’s Director of Market- ing and Promotions, Kathy Siddall, says the over 1,000 volunteers that have signed on will be instrumental in ensuring every- thing ruas smoothly, “Volunteers involved in the opening ceremonies have been working for a year already,” she says, “And the excitement’s been so strong that Rewcomers ta Prince George are just Signing on now and working full-time.” The scope of the games is reaching beyond B.C, this again this year. Siddall says a number of invitations are extended to out-of-province teams each year, and this year is no exception, _ There will competitors from the Yukon involved in the biathalon, and the fencing competition will see athletes involved from Grand Prairie, Alberta, But all games organizers are quick to point out that the games are about so much more than the actual compelifions, Perhaps Burch put it best when she simply said “it's a chance to bring togeth- er the north.” om seriously, while for others it's just a chance to get to- gether with friends. Five of the bowlers are on thelr way to the winter games, Tepresentling Terrace in the pool, while Peter levels of the athletes are and she has a worker with her who hands her the tantly a chance for the up the bowling (cam. Henyu, Medrick Duncan, Alfred. Chinn, Sylvia Prochot and Grace Furtado of Kitimat make up the local bowling team. ‘The bowlers get out and practice every Saturday, while the swimmers get their time_on Saturday...., .., ‘Regional —_ coordinator very wide spread. She says some bowlers work to maintain their averages, while for others it’s mainly a chance to get out and socialize, “‘One man has an aver- age of 175 and he works really hard,’’ Cox says. ball, and everyone cheers when she hits a pin down.” And although Cox says it’s nice for the athletes to win medals at competi- tions, there’s other things that are just as important. *‘And, we also,.have a.) 2/8 an opportunity to girl who’s both blind and Meet people and be. good mentally handicapped Sports and most impor- athletes to try their best,”’ says Cox. ““As long as they try their best,’’ that’s what’s _important. The three coaches who will be going are all -volunteers, Malcolm Smith coaches the swimmers, while Cecil Boehm and Louise West from Kitimat head West has been selected as the teams’ head coach ‘for the winter games. “The Northen B,C, Winter Games are really goad at accepting the athictes,”’ Cox says, ““They’re not _ Segregated and they’re in- cluded right along With everyone else.”’ The Mail Bag _ White not a Keeper Dear Sir: In light of the recent events porirayed in the media the Terrace Promise Keepers — Men of Integrity Sucicty has the following statement, From the founding of the society it has been clearly slated. that Promise Keepers would call men to the higher standard that God has established for us as men. We affirmed that we would hold each other accoun- table in the following promises: 1. A Promise Keeper is committed 10 honouring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit 2. A Promise Keeper is committed lo pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs his brothers to help him keep his promises. 3. A Promise Keeper is committed to practising Spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity, 4, A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection, and biblical values, 5. A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of the church by honouring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his lime and resources, 6. A Promise Keeper is committed reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity. 7, A Promise Keeper is committed to influencing his world, being obedient to the Great Commandment (see Mark 21:30-31) and the Great Commission (see Matt. 28. 19-20). In November 1994, (seven months prior to ihe attack on Tammy Fee in Jackpine Flats), the Directors of the Terrace Promise Keepers ~~ Men of Integrily Society met with Ric White about a perceived impropriety con- coming Promises #3 and #4. Mr. While submitted his resignation from his leader- ship and any ongoing involvement with the Promise Keepers organization rather than submil to the guidelines laid out by the board. The events that occurred in June 1995 were ones that shocked and horrified us as a commitice. It would be incorrect 10 say that Ric White was a leader or member of Promise Keepers as stated in The Terrace Standard, January 31, 1996 issuc, Wisdom and biblical sleps were taken with Ric long before any of these events oc- curred, Ric’s disassociation was made public in a late No- vember general meeting, We are disappointed that the Terrace Promise Keepers were not contacted for clarification prior to publication of the above men- tioned column. Joe Sullivan, President, Terrace Promise Keepers — Men of Integrity Society Joan Cox says ii Pi | These Angels pay their dues THE MUSIC is cued, the costumes are pressed, their skates are sharpencd, and ‘‘The Broadway Angels’? are on their way to the Northern B.C. Winter Games! The Angels are a group of {9 dedicated precision skaters from Terrace and they hope to take Prince George by storm. “T feel really good and confident,”’ says co-coach Jessica Lambright of her team’s chances al the games. The girls, aged 10 to 15, practice three times a weck, They do two 45 minute on-ice sessions, and one 45 minute off-ice session, “It’s like when you go to Las Vegas and see showgirls kicking and twirling,” says Lambright. “It’s the same concept except on ice,”’ All nincicen girls will be on the ice at the same time, and Lambright says that number will definitely add to the de- gree of difficulty in their routine. A precision team can compete with eight to 24 members, and the judges do take into consideration the difficulty in coordinating larger numbers of skaters. Teams must complete certain movements in their routines, like pinwheels, circles and blocks. “Doing everything is unison is the biggest considera- tion,”’ says Lambright. The Broadway Angeis will skate a 3-1/2 minute routine al the winter games. Historic times relived at games IT’S UNLIKE any other sport at the Narth- erm BC winter games, Grown men wielding deadly weapons and Ictting razor-sharp knives and toniahawks fly through the air. It’s Black Powder Marksmanship, and 63-year-old Peter Nicholson will be the sole Terrace representative. The sport is broken down into three cate- gories; formal, primitive, and the knife and tomahawk throw. Nicholson says the formal category In- volves shooting at a paper target, often drawn up to look like a buffalo or another kind of game animal, In the primitive category, competitors walk through the woods to different sta- lions, and then have to find a metal target, which will be suspended from a tree Will specialists leave? Dear Sir: In the debate on Mills Memorial Hospital funding recently revived by Terrace city council there are fre- quent quotes from some of the medical staff to support the promotion of fear and anxiety. I would prefer to let the MMH board along with the medical staff to work toward a solution, Mayor Jack Talstra, who has now seems to have become the Liber- al opposition non-candidate, started the revival of the issue, Perhaps Jack will soon hold a press conference on where the $3 billion Campbell Liberal spending cuts will come from. It is no surprise that some of the medical profession support the call for more beds. Hospital operation is paid for by the taxpayers. When some doctors get into the political arena and say that they worry about bed closures threatening patient care what they don’t tell you is that their income is facilitated by hospitals and the complement of beds. More beds available, especial- ly baving a emply bed every time it is convenient for them, helps them make a living. In 1992 Mills Memorial had 89 beds; last year it had approval for 52 beds and they had 70 per cent oc- cupancy rate. The number of hospital beds available are not an indicator of the level of paticnt care. Specialists did not leave Mills after the dire predic- tions of 1992 and they will not leave because we are expected to run a hospital almost as efficiently as other hospitals in B.C. Wherever the doctors go they will find a similar situation. What will put our health services and medicare at risk is higher costs than the taxpayer can afford. In- efficiency and having a Cadillac model hospital when a Chevrolet model will do are more of a threat to patient care than the number of beds. People should take a walk down Park Avenue and look at the multi-million dollar medical building. Does anyone really believe that specialists are planning to leave? MSP payments to doctors across the province have increased 25 per cent over the last four years, No other group can boast increases of this magnitude. Since doc- tors have their income facilitated by using hospitals paid for by taxpayers, and if they are genuinely con- cerned about a reduction in the number of beds maybe they should petition the minister to withhold a portion of MSP payments for the provision of any beds beyond the 80 per cent occupancy requirement. Helmut Giesbrecht, MLA, Skeena Picture perfect. It's not easy synchronizing nineteen bodies to do the same thing at the same time, but that's exactly what these girls will be doing at the Winter Games. Thelr routine is set to medley of Broadway music. shooter’s turn. And in the knife and tomahawk throw, competilors use weapons which, in most cases, they’ve fashioned themselves. Nicholson says they have to throw them ala target and mect the required number of turns. *You really have to be a good judge of distance,’’ he says. “Tf your weapon is only supposed to turn once, you'll have to hold it much differ- ently and stand in a different position than you would if you had to do a half a turn.”? And this could be one of the more color- - a ful events to watch al the Winter Games for all competitors will be dressed in full hunt- ing regalia. Nicholson wears a buckskin shirt, leg- gings, aloin-cloth and floppy felt hat with a About the Mailbag branch, band which he beaded himself, The Terrace Standard welcomes letters to the editor. “Sometimes, it'll be fairly big,’’ Nichol- “We're trying to create an atmosphere of Our deadline is noon Friday. Our mailing address is son says. 200 years ago,” he says, 3210 Clinton St., Terrace, B.C. V8G SR2 and our fax number is 638-8432, Last year we had the pleasure of publishing more than 250 letters, a clear sign that readers take an in- terest in a wide variety of issues. BEARING THE FLAME, Local blackpowder shooter Peter Nicholson is ooking forward to rekindling memories of 1991 when he held the games torch proudly. That's the year the games were held here. "But sometimes they throw in tricky one like a crow of a gopher,” The goal is to shoot the target and make it sway; When it stops moving, it’s ihe next Medals at the games will be awarded in each of the three calegories and Nicholson says it’s very likely he'll be competing against people half his age.