The mist low over the lake

put the creak of the oar locks.

back in his ear, He heard his
grandad’s. rasping cough and
smelled the pungent aroma of
the old man’s pipe.

Other sounds.came back, too. .

The reedy calk of a red-winged
- black bird, the hollow cry of a
loon.

A hazy image of the old man
threading a hook through one
of the giant worms they'd stalk-
ed amidst the gravemarkers and
pinned to the wet grass: with
flashlight .beams . the . night
before, came into focus and
then faded into memory.

He looked out across this lake
for the steamy trail a loon sets
down across the water before
lift off — something his gran-
dad helped him see on the event-
ful day 35 years ago — but there

-SPORTSCOPE7

soccer
here in
March

TERRACE — Soccer players
from across the north will be
making a beeline for Terrace
next month as the communi-
ty stages the Provincial In-
door Cup, the first of what
organizer Joe Duben hopes
will become an annual event.

Duben said the March
29-31 event promises 4
minimum of $2,500 in prize
money, a drawing card that
fhas already prom d Prine:

mark the dates on their
calendars.

Entry fee for. the event is
$300 — March 9 is the
deadline — and the tourna-
ment will take the first 20
teams to sign up. Each team
roster is limited to 10 players
who must be I6 years or
older. Duben said eight

teams have so far indicated
they will be vying for the ti-
tle.

For more information,
contact Duben at 635-9338.

7 John Rasmussen

Money
bowlers

TERRACE —Two local
. bowlers are among six from
the northwest going down
south March 2 to decide who
will eventually take part in a
five-pin tournament worth
$43,000, . + .

Larry Lopushinksy and
John Rasmussen will join 97
other bowlers, each taking
part in 109 games, vying for

vincials,

Two bowlers from this
provincial roll-off will
qualify for the big money
event televised on CBC,

Rasmussen has

before on CBC's --Sports

rolled a Perfect 450, scare,
_ 23.

the final 18 spots in the pro-

‘represented the © province.

Weekend while Lopushinsky .

‘George and Qifestel team to} 7)

wasn't one.

He bent down to tet the pack

roll off his back to the ground.
A. pain stabbed: through his

shoulder. Arthritis probably, he .
thought.

| -He leaned the rod against an
alder and once more saw the old
man lower the worm and the

~ string of shining metal disks in-

to the water; again he saw the
slow. gentle motion of the rod
dipping in time to the pull of the
oars,

He could see his breath. He
took off his jacket, folded it
neatly, then removed his shirt.
There was more light now, the
mist was luminous just as it had
been then, moments before the
rattle of the rod against the gun-
whale, the buzz of the reel and
the splash of a big trout against
the water. -

The Skeena
Angler
by Rob Brown

“It's my rod, gramps!’’ he

“hollered. My rod gramps, he

thought. “My rod, gramps,” he
said once again as if to reinforce
the memory and ensure it would
not be forgotten.

. He smiled at the recollection
of that spotted trout brovght to
the boat by good fortune and

: the firm: grip-of a kirbed hook

— barbed twice on the shank
and once behind the point —
rather than skill. ~

“You rod, your fish,’’ gran-

dad had said as he grasped ‘the:

fish, picked it up and smacked it
against a thwart. The fish shud-
dered and its pupil moved
mechanically to the centre of
the eye. As he watched, its ir-
ridescent flanks turned the col-
our of gunmetal,

The: ‘morning. air was cold
against his bare legs. Quickly he
rolled on the neoprene suit. A
solitary mayfly, perhaps the
first of the.day, lifted from the

surface and clinibed into the air.
He smiled at the thought of
all the time he had spent trying

‘to duplicate the delicate dimen-

sions of those ephemeral
creatures, He recalled the pride
he’d felt when the trout showed

- their approval of his craftsman-

ship with the purposeful and

‘confident rises, But even the

lustre of that achievement dull-
ed over time.

He pulled on the flippers,
strapped the belt to his waist,
put on the tanks then scopped .
up some water in the mask,
swirling i it around before dump-
ing it- out. With the mask in
place, he leanéd awkwardly,

picked up the rod, waded in and”.

pushed off.
He swam deeper and deeper,
The bubbles streamed to the

_top, The weeds undulated gent-

ORTS NEWS

JEFF NAGEL 638-7283 TERRACE STANDARD

their annual bonspiel,

PENNY BROWN of Prince Rupert took determination into her game as she and the other three
people in her rink took part in the Valentine's Bonspiel over the weekend. Rinks from ail over the
northwest and stretching into Prince George were in town, The bonspiel is just one of many hap-

pening in the northwest as the curling season reaches its end-cf-winter peak. Many of those in
the Valentine’s will be making the trip to Rupert March 15-17 when female curlers there host

TERRACE — The Caledonia
Kermodes basketball team may
be saddled with injuries but
their play rose beyond those
troubles with a fine perfor-
mance in a losing cause here
Feb, 15 against third-ranked
‘West Vancouver Highlanders.

The team was down 24-22 in
the first quarter, 45-38 at the
half and 61-58 in the third for a
final 82-77 tally.

**It'd be hard to say what
we’d be like if we were all
heakthy,”’ said Kermodes coach
Cam MacKay following the

. game, —

**Tt’s the worst year Pve ¢ ever
had for injuries. There’s been
only four games of the 28 we've
played where there’s been a Full
team,”* he said.

The good news of the game
was the 15-point effort of Mike
Parker in his first appearance
since being sidelined for a
lengthy period with a bad ankle,

‘“He’s one of our biggest
players. At six feet, four inches,
it was nice to get him back,”
said MacKay. Parker played
with the ankle in a brace.

MacKay also credited
Parker’s . defensive skills in
keeping Highlander Greg
Meldrum to 20 points. That’s
down from his 27-point a game
average.

The bad news of the game

‘ly. He swam through, conical |
of green: Light. 'A -

shafts
broadening | V wake’ caught his.
attention. A beaver’ =

ched the rhythmic motion of its

legs as it swam through the mit-
ror,
Deep enough, he thought. He
clicked open the bale. The float
took the line to the top. The pull

‘of the current, still evident,

took it away gently. He stopped

its course. The leader, weight :

and bait hung below it.
After a short time a: trout: ap-.

_peared. It eyed the bait: Its fins

flickered when: ‘it. struck, - He

‘played it from ‘the: bottom; The
‘fish rose into - the “air; ‘then’

splashed“: baok ‘downto the
water,

He thought of flying kites,
and medel airplanes as a child.
My rod, gramps, he thought.

Kermodes

close

was a broken nose suffered by
Kermode player Paul Manhas.

That happened in the third
quarter but he returned in the
fourth to score 12 points for 2
team-leading 27° point perfor-
manice,

Kermode Geoff MacKay was

close behind with a steady 22 -

point game.

Coach MacKay was also hap-
py with the effort of players
who would normally be sitting
on the bench but because of in-
juries, are seeing a lot of on-
court time.

“Jason Krause is doing an exe
cellent’job in a guard position:
He’s been working a lot and has
‘the smarts,”’ said MacKay.

He added Grade 11 student

Mike Newhouse to the list of |

those performing well from the
bench.

The Kermodes now turn their «

attention to next weekend when
they host the Prince Rupert
Rainmakers in a zone playdown
to determine who heads south
for the provincials,

MacKay said he’s not sure -

who'll be healthy for that game,

Gary Peden has had ‘surgery
on one knee but the other one
now swells up, Brunt Neeve also
has a knee problein.

The Kermodes will tune up
for the zone playdowns with a
game this week against a local
senior men’s team,

Money raised

TERRACE .—Iean Maroney
made the chili as usual and 82
snowmobilers turned out Feb.
10 to raise $12,300 for B.C.
Lions Sociely Easter Seal
Houses.

The annual snowarama event

in which riders collect pledges

for going 100km is held by the
Skeena Valley Snowmobile
Association on behalf of the
Lions Society for Crippled
Children.

One of the Easter Seal houses
is in Prince George and there's
on in Vancouver at which area
parents and ‘children can stay
when the latter need Specialized

medical attention,

Snowarama chairman Mac ©
Fell said he appreciated the sup-
port by snowmobilers and by
businesses and individuals who
gave donations.

This year’s total was one of
the highest ever since the
snowmobile association began
hosting the snowarama in 1978.

It’s the fifth year Maroney
has made the chili for the
drivers and it comes in two large

- pots,

‘At first E did it by myself
but now the Lions chop up the
onions and celery,’* she said.

Biker pedals toward his dream

TERRACE — Local cyclist
Mike. Christensen took off for
Vancouver Monday, hoping it’s
the first leg of a journey that
will take him to this year's
world championships.

One of 15 racers on the
possibles roster for the B.C.
team, he says itll take a few
races to properly assess his
chances of inaking the provin-
cial squad again,

However, describing. his

“ physical condition as ‘really,,

really. good", he's confident.

- he'll be one of the five or ‘six.

‘ bikers who'll be tagged to Carry:

the BC. colours: in the: na-
* “tfonais.

he said. However, the competi-
- _ ion ‘will be’ toiieh” with: aloe

pe sald ihe season
— he'll ride for the ABI team

for most of it — is scheduled to +

get underway March 3 with the
first in a series of training races
which allow the: riders to
sharpen wp. °

The following month it’s time
for the -selection races,

new prospects.

“And it’s thelr eyes he's ‘hop
Jing to catch.. I. want to. move...

on to a higher level this. year,’

the -
‘results of which will determine
who rides for ‘the’ province.’
That’s also when’ the national
coaches show up to. scout ‘the :

who raced for the national
squad in 1990 having the inside
track.

If Christensen does get the
nod, it’s still not an automatic
trip to the worlds. The national
‘team is split into two groups, he
explained. Top riders go into

-the A team and it is these who’

take part in a series of Pro-Am
taces and the world champion-

‘ships.

“The B team, or developmen-

:tal squad, have to be satisfied -
with lesser competitions, but he.
“sald, even they. get to do some
travelling — last year that in-:

“cluded

competing. i ina race. in - help

Guadaloupe, West Indies.

However it goes, fitness will
not be a problem, Although the
snow and January cold snap
kept. him. off the roads,
Christensen put in a lot of hours
at the local rec centre swimm-
ing, weight lifting and
simulating road workouts on
the roller machine.

Since the..weather improved
in late January, he’s been put-
ting in three to four hours on
the road on his days off. Saying
his fitness level is “‘much, much
higher’’ than this time last year,
he © adds, “Haying a goal