The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 10, 2003 - BS | oe 638-7283 Testing technique By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN IF YOU ASK Brady Champoux, 10, why he likes Ju Jit Su so much he’ll tell you it has to do with balance, movement, rhythm and mobility. Oh, yeah — it's a lot of fun too. Champoux, 10, has been involved in the sport for more than four years. He was one of 60 young athletes taking part in last weekend’s meet which saw his skills ROB BROWN put to the test in grappling, sparring and self defence. . “This is our first year doing self-defence,” Champoux Phantasmagoria | said after taking part in what's called a self-defence cir- wouldn't worry about them dreams cle. much, though; they're mostly in yer That’s when one person stands in the centre of the head." ring and must defend him or herself against three attack- _ ~Bob Dylan (Taikin’ World War ers, one at a time. It tests the athlete’s reactions, skill, Three Blues) technique and variety of responses to the attack. “How ya sleeping?” ' “twas just w ondering how you're eleeping It allows them to take techniques . 4 i | now that you're on heart medicine," I said. they ve been working on all year and | “OK, I guess. Why?” apply them in a competition setting. : “They’ve got me on inhibitors, dilators, i blockers, thinners — I can’t keep track of it. All I ‘know is that since I’ve been taking the stuff, _ I've been having dreams, lurid dreams like the “We're just in it for fun,” added Justin Klein, who’s § _ones I used to have back in the seventies.” also been involved in the sport for four years. “It sort of “gj : ‘ There’s a sign we're getting older,” said helps with your balance, flexibility .and strength.” ‘ F Bill. “We used to sit here, after fishing river all J Other students such as Alan and Stuart Marshall are Vee morning and talk about tackle and fishing. Now attracted to the sport because they enjoy the self-de- ‘we're talking abouc our health problems.”- | fence aspect of it. ' “The dream I had last night was about! The weekend competition is one of two yearly tourna- fishing,” I said. “I’m sitting on the front porch of| Ments put on by the two local Ju Jit Su clubs run by this house that looks more like a stable and this,]| Shane Pallahicky and Jean Galli, ' .E guy walks up to me. He's wearing baggy cloth-! “Competition is good because it challenges the kids,” - . ing — nondescript, olive coloured. He has a what explains Patlahicky. ‘appear to be hip boots, those cheap kind, the “Tt allows them to take techniques they’ ve been work- ones that are made in Viet Nam or Indonesia - ing on all year long and apply them in a competition what's the brand name Prozac or Pro Tac or | setting.” “something like that? And the kind of ball cap Some students are preparing for the Tiger Balm mar- ’ bass fishermen like. He has a huge Roman nose. tial arts contest in Vancouver in a few months. and the ‘The peak of the cap barely covers it. club’s will host another meet here in the spring of 2004. ‘'l wanna catch a steelhead,’ he tells me. *“*¥ou will guide me.’ anh ls *- "He says this with a strong Italian accent, . “ek like it’s a command.._t.take. offense. ..‘Take.a Spee “hike!’ I tell him, jerking my thumb in the direc- _tion he should go. “At this his eyes narrow. He reaches inside his coat — one of those long coats that Clint -|. Bastwood made famous in those spaghetti west- erns. He fumbles around inside it, pulls out these two metal cylinders, and screws them to- gether. It looks like telescope, but sinister. ‘Is that a gun?’ I ask. “Did you ever have one of those pop guns as a kid? Those ones where you jam a cork in the end then grab the barrel and push the stock to -make the cork pops out on a string?” Bill nodded. “That's what the Italian did but, instead of a, -cork, a bullet blasted out and ricocheted off the dusty ground. He looked up, expecting an an- swer, ’ ‘All right,’ T said. ‘Relax, I'll take you.’ “Next thing I know, I’m driving down these winding back roads to the river in a rental truck _ with the Italian and two other guys. I assume they’re his pals because they have olive skin and have a Latin look. We park and I take them | to the river. We fish‘and somehow Mr. Big Nose | and I.wind up fishing a pool several hundred yards downstream of his buddies. We haven’t zameeatork | PEpylar terrain park set to expand | BRADY Champoux flips Justin Klein over his back in the self defence circle (above) and two students do more of the same below left. Jacob Carey grap;.. plas with another student (Below) af last Wéékend’s ‘Ju Jit Su meet. 1 “‘On the other. side we're sure to get a steelhead,’ I boast as | lead the way across a By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN hitling the obstacles. . similar terrain parks. Wilson suggests when the fast run. . THE CONSTANT barrage of snow falling re- Line-ups in the park could be seen from the work's complete it will rival some of the best le Half way Across he starts to slip. I reach out cently has many snowboarders counting the chair lift any day of the week. parks not only in B.C, but in Canada. “for him, but just as his hand is within reach I days until Rodeo, a popular run at Shames That popularity has prompted the resort to The hill opened Dec. 5 for the weekend but push him off. He falls backward, yelling some- | Mountain, opens up. pump an extra $2,000 into the park and hire will be closed today and tomorrow, reopening thing in Italian. I watch him, arms, legs, and the That’s the run dotted with obstacles such as two assistants to work under park designer for the season Dec. 12. _gun flailing. He looks like a collapsed umbrella | -aits, pipes and large crates called fun boxes, Tyler Wilson. There’s already a mid-mountain base of 192 as he's swept down into the rapids. upping the ante for boarders and skiers alike “There are eight new features added to the cm with 120 cm down at the lodge. “Alerted by the commotion, his friends have | looking for a challenge not offered by natural park this year,” says Wilson. “It’s snowing so much up there they're try- made an easier crossing upstream, They make terrain. “Mostly rails and fun boxes for more ad- ing to keep up with it,” says Wilson. for me. J enter the bush a short distance ahead The terrain park opened up last year and vanced riders.” “The groomers are working overtime up of them, There has been a tremendous hatch of | .aw a constant stream of young snowboarders Rodeo's expansion puts il al the top end of — there to get all the runs groomed.” ‘giant stoneflies. The ground is covered with them. They pop under our feet like firecrackers. There are luminescent tailed frogs clinging to the trees and golden salamanders in the mossy - swamps. I know the place well. I lead my pur- suers into a swamp full of towering devil’s club ‘ and lose them. ‘When L return to the river, I stop to catch my breath. I can hear panic-stricken Italian deep inthe woods, They're fost, 1 think, I walk a car- pet of-salmon corpses to the river and start wad- ‘ing. back. My downstream leg bumps something. ‘[ stop and nearly jump out of my waders. It's the ‘ armed Italian. He’s in a bad way, but he’s not | Kitimat bantams a powerhouse KITIMAT’S bantam rep head coach John Amos. - téam is a force to be reck- He says if the team oned with this season. wants to pick up more The squad is sitting on wins ill! have to start giv- top of the Skcena Valley ing 100 per cent on every inter-city league so far this shift. 4 dead. He gives me an imploring look. He's too year and proving a Lough "Some of the kids took - aT Me spe taff and lift my size 12 felt- *“ match for teams like Ter- some shifts and they ean on my stall and Nit my Tace, weren't giving il as good.’ - soled boot out of the current, bring down on his head and push him underwater. - "Next time get a registered guide,’ I say. “What do you think it means, Bill?” . = Bill swallowed the last off his sandwich and -|> Started to pour his coffee. a : | 3We should start charging those foreigners _ More to fish our rivers,” he said.” a Last weekend the two an effort as they have and cities went head to head in it cost us,” he said. |. a pair of games. Terrace Immediately after Sa- Jost the Friday night match turday morning's game the up 6-3 and suffered atough squad geared up for a two- . 11-3 loss the next morning, . game road trip to Prince “We expected them to. Rupert, playing one game x TERRACE and Kitimat’s bantam rep. teams face off in the second of two be the toughest team: in that same night and an-. , gamas at the Terrace arena last weekend. ——- _ Mie zone,” says Terrace other the next morning, .