B4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 8, 1999 CHRISTIANA WIENS __ Sports Scope Where's Rob? EVEN THE Skeena Angler gets a little time off now and then. Rob Brown's weckly column will retum next Wednesday. : Junior golf at nationals TERRACE’S Scott Rigler scored three 85, 74, 75 rounds at the jun- ior nationals, ‘If he would have aver- aged 75, he would have made the cut,” said Bruce Carruthers, man- ager of the Skeena Val- ley Golf and Country Club. “Tt was a great experi- ence for him, he just had a bad first day, Pool closed THE TERRACE Aquatic Centre will be all spiffed up for it’s 25th Anniversary celebrations Oct. 2, The pool will be closed for annual maintenance and cleaning from Sept. 6 to Sept. 30 this year. That means the pool will reopen Oct. 1, just in time for the anniversary party. Women’s hockey THE TERRACE women’s hockey league is back and looking for players. The club is looking for women aged 13 and up available to play hockey on Wednesday nights. The league is hoping to set up two local teams this year. Local participants can then try out to be on Ter- race’s competitive team will compete against other northwest teams and, hopefully, plan one longer gel-a-away tournament laler this season. Scott Rigler Call Colleen Findlay 638-1058 for more in- fonnation, _ Girls wanted... .. THE TERRACE ringette club is looking for girls’ aged 6-16 interested in playing ringette for the 1999/2000 season. Organizers say interested girls are welcome to “‘try out”? the sport at the end of September during initial ice times. And, if equipment is a problem, the ringette organizers say some used gear is avail- able. Register by phone by calling Dianne at 635-3562 or find the club at the Skeena Mall during Clubs Day, September 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Slow-pitch CONSIDER it a challenge. Terrace and area slowpitch teams are invited to the Second Annual Fall Slow-pitch Tournament in Prince Rupert Sep. 18-19. Hellyer hopes at least 16 northwest teams will participate in the round-robin tournament, dubbed the Fall Classic. Deadline for entry is Sep. 13. Entry fees are $200 per team, Call Bob at 626-7764 or at Breakers (624-5990) for more information. Demolition derby IT’S the speedway’s most popular event of the season and it’s back — bigger and badder than ever. Speedway organizers say the annual demolition derby September 12 includes dashes, obstacle courses, backwards races, barrel races. Their will be no mud pit this year but never fear — the ever-popular bag race is back! The bag race, or back seat drivers dream, allows passengers to navigate a driver, whose eyesight is ‘impaired by a paper bag over their head, around the speedway’s slippery slope. All races start at 2 p.m. sharp, Referee clinic TERRACE MINOR Hockey offers frec one-day clinic for minor hockey referees al the Terrace Arena on Sept, 25. Adults and youth are welcome but participants must be 13 years old or older on Dec. 31 to qualify. Registration is at the door and clinic hours are yel to be announced. Call Cam MacBean at 635-3277 or Chris Guanlaugson al 635-1511 to register. Get on the list THERE'S still time to get on the minor hackey waiting list to play in the 1999/2000 hockey sea- _ son. Registration for all age groups except the older midget division arc already full, said registrar Norma Gununlaugson last week, _ That despite an effort to put more youth on the ice by adding one player to each team roster. ‘One child waiting is one too many, said Gunnlaugson, Organizers are especially enthused about the number of younger players, aged five, six and scven, interested in hockey this year. Aad she said, midget players usually lag behind the younger divisions because many players pay their own way. ‘‘They also go out of town and try out for other teams,” she said, Any interested parents or players should call Norma at 635-1511 to register. _ TERRACE PORTS Back from Nationals | The Northwest Merchants fastball team return from Ontario stronger and proud of their experience By CHRISTLANA WIENS TO THE Northwest Mer- chants, going to the Senior A Men's Fastball Championships in St. Thomas, Ontario was a brush with fastball royalty, The team represented BC al Nationals last week and gol a chance to play against 12 of 15 players ftom Cana- da’s gold-medal winning Pan Ainerican Games team. “It’s very exciting,” said Merchant manager Debbie Thane in a interview from St. Thomas last week. The Merchants won two games, lost: another - five games and came within one run of making the final cut. Nonetheless, Thame said the games were an adven- ture, “Is definitely an experi- enece,’’ said Thame. ‘‘It’s high caliber bali that a lot of us have never played at be- fore.’ The games started Mon- day, Aug, 29 in a 5-4 win against Charlottetown. Trevor Kern pitched seven innings against Papa Joe's Pizza, Prince Edward Island led 4-2 until ibe bottom of the seventh when Terrace tallied for the win. A passed ball that went out of play brought Ter- jace’s runner on second and third home to end the game. Trevor Shannon hit two singles, a double and an RBI lo top Terrace’s scoreboard. Game 2. On Monday, | Aug.-30, Tepace’Jogt their second ‘game of the tourna- ment to Alberta. The Edmonton Express beat Terrace 7-0 despite Jonathon Hunt's double and a Single from Mark Verde. Merchant’s pitcher Dan Valachy allowed a double and five base hits from the’ tough prairie team. Game 3, By 4 p.m, Mon- day the Merchants were back at bat against Brook- NORTHWEST MERCHANTS FASTBALL A RARE OPPORTUNITY: The Merchants are one of Northwest BC's onl at the national level, ee ficld. This time Trevor Kern took tu the mound in a eight inning game allowing two doubles and an RBI to finish the game 2-1 Terrace, Jonathan Hunt! won the game for Terrace on a RBI single. Game 4. Terrace charted its‘second.Joss-in.a.1-7 game; to Newfoundland,” 2 The Labbatt Blues managed to completely stall Valachy ai the mound as the Tesrace pitcher recorded ino Strikes, Valachy also allowed two homers aud a triple while four Terrace players made it on base to put Terrace on the scoreboard. Game 5. And it looked as though Valachy’s slump may become permanent when Terrace posted their third loss against a tough team from Stittsville, Ontario. The 9-0 loss put pressure on the team and raised the possibility of not making the upcoming round of play, ’. Game 6. Brad Neufeld” ‘made his:first appearance at ‘the mound against the Owen Sound Selects but didn’t fare belter results than team- _mates. : Terrace posted its second scoreless game of the tournament, managing only three hits off the Ontario pitcher. The loss gave Terrace a two and four record, giving them one last opportunity to must win situations <2... & i reat Y fast ball teams to represent BC make the finals, second when the game Ifthe Merchants won their ended and the loss next game against Win- eliminated Terrace from the nipeg’s Vi-Corp Vipers, the (ournament with a 2-5 two teams would post equal record. three and four records. That would then force a tie-breaker game for the final Spat, pitting, the two, teams~-head-to“-head~in-a= Thame said the tourna- ment had it’s challenges. ‘The pitching is a lot used to in the province,’ ’ Thame said. - Game 7. As it turned out, Terrace lost the heart- breaker 2-3, forcing their own exit by one mn. Terrace nearly tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning when Mino Verde doubled a hit off the top of the home run fence, narrowly missing the game~ tying home tun. Verde was left stranded at And not only were balls harder to hit, refs were more particular about illegal pitches — where a variance in the pitcher's foot pattem or style resulted in an auto- matic walk for the other team, “They called over 200 il- legal pitches on the first day,”’ she said, ‘ Artistic Hair Studio beats Back Eddy Bullets In women’s soccer final STAR OPPONENTS: Heidi Seibring of the Back Eddy Bullets battles Leanne Ken- nedy of the Artistic Hair in the championship game of the Terrace women’s soccer league Aug. 28. WINNING IS all about dedication to the team, says the coach and player of Terrace’s championship women’s soc- cer team, Artistic Hair Studia, Jutia Tuninga, long-time coach and soccer player says cach meniber of ber team really showed up all season ‘Long la control league play and win the final 5-1 over the Back Eddy Bullets, “Everybody has their position,’’ Tuninga said. **They're very dedicated —~ they can come oul regularly and work on a system’? Tuninga admits the team would have been surprised to lose based on Artistic’s strong performance all season long. “Leaane Kennedy’s pretty much scored a goal a game,’’ she said. ‘‘And Natalie (Wiens) on defense really made that unit come together,”’ And although Tuninga has been playing soccer on and off at college and high school since she was 16 years old Taaity of her teammates are relative beginners to the sport. “Five people haven't played since high school,’’ she said. “And the average age is over 30." But Artistic Hair has one advantage other teams lack: all bul one teammate, playcel together last season as well. The one added player, keeper Liza VandeVelde, is an ad- dition based on an carly injury of the team’s original goal- tender, “Liza has done well there,’’ she said. ‘She’s not the strongest goalic in the league but she sure held it together for us, we really appreciate her." Tuninga also cites Megan Henderson, a second-year soc- cer player, for her improvement over the year. “'She’s grown in leaps and bounds,’? Tuninga said, “She's been incredible in her development,”* Scoring began carly in the first half when Artistic Hair Studio’s Leanne Kennedy, who topped women’s play all season long, scured a quick goal, - Artistic’s Monica Rauter then scored another goal ona break away. Minutes later, Kennedy came back for the third goal of the game. The Back Eddy’s Patty Tackema powered her way inlo Artistic's end to make the game 3-1 Artistic Hair, but it wasn’l long before Rauter scored another goal on a penally shot into the back left pocket. And before Back Eddy knew what happened, Kennedy was back at the net to make the game 5-1 Artistic Hair Studio, ; The Back Eddy Bullets, who improved gradually over the season to claim second spot, shut down Artistic’s of- fense in the second half to keep the final score 5-1, > 638-7283. Jougher thay the guys are. . 7 Siseae BSCR HG ESRB AHR (PEPE SERTES EAP EET SIE eee ee eee tere eS wt