Bowlers target trip wins

Have bowling ball, will
travel.

That'll be the case for the vic-
torious bowlers in two competi-
tions scheduled for next week al
the Terrace Lanes.

First up is a 16-team event
which has-a trip to Reno as its
prize. The semi-final round
takes place this Sunday, March
22 and the eight survivors will
take to the alley again May 2. for

‘the final.

Winners will be decided on
the basis of how many points
above their average each team
bowls. That format means any
leam managing to lift its game
for-the occasion has a chance of
winning.

The second competition may
not take the victors that far
afield but they will get a chance
to mine some gold — as in
medals at this year’s B.C,
Seniors Games.

The house round to decide
who gets berths in the Aug.
25-27 Dawson Creek event takes
place Saturday, March 28
beginning at 5:30 p.m. Entry is
open to anyone 55 years. or
older. . ,

“At the other end of the spec-
trum, there’s a special event
planned for younger bowlers,
the Easter Fun Day set for
Saturday, April 18.

Anyone from three to 18

years can get involved and they
don't even have-to bowl, That's
because apart from the alley ac-
tivity, there’s also going to be
an ‘unusual stuffed animal
parade.

‘Entry is $10 for three bowling
games or $2: for. parade entries
and more than $400 in prizes
will be. handed out during the
day.

For information, call Diane Fran-
cis at the Lanes — 635-5911.

Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 18, 1991 — Page C1

Bill Robinson

Simply
the best

Bill Robinson returned
home this week as the local
Legion's conquering hero.

One of Branch 13's four-
man team at the Legion pro-
vinejal dart championships
held in Sechelt over the
weekend, Robinson found
his best form to take top spot
in the men’s singles event.

The victory earned him a
berth in the Legion nationals
taking place in Nova Scotia
next month,

PORTS NEWS

Points North take meet by storm

skeena
upset
champs

Playoffs are a whole new
season and Skeena Hotel prov-
ed the point opening night as
they upset division champs
Precision Builders 5-4 in recrea-
tional hockey action,

Despite having finished the
regular season in fifth, 13 points
adrift of top spot, Skeena kept
pace with the Builders
throughout the Pool A game
before putting it away in a
shoot-out.

Skeena made it two off the
reel the following night, March
11, coming out on top ina goal-
fest against Inn of the West.
After Inn players took back-to-
back tripping penalties early in
the second, Skeena converted
with two quick goals and held
on to win 9-7,

' Skeena takes on the Inn again [
tomorrow night at 10:30 p.m.
while.the Builders. face the, Tan.
Sunday at 9:15 p.m. in, games
which look like deciding which
A side team goes through to the
one-game final against the Pool
B winner.

An Pool B action, league
cellar dwellers Back Eddy
bounced back from a 4-1 open-
ing night loss against Norm’s
Auto to pull off the playoffs’
second upset’ by edging All
Seasons 2-1. Over the regular

‘|season, Back Eddy had won on-

NO ENTRY. It was open season on goalies when Skeena Hotel played Inn of the “West i in their first en-
counter of the-recreation-division.playoffs.. But. this.time.Tony-Pavao.(above).was-able-to steer the puck.{---
clear as Inn teammate John Evans (23) muscled Skeena’s Norm Hebert (5) aside.

ly nine times compared to All
Seasons’ 21 victories.

However, All Seasons
recovered their form Saturday
night as they edged Norm’s
Auto 5-4. That left all three
teams deadlocked with one win-
one loss records.

All Seasons gets a chance to
avenge that opening loss to
Back Eddy tonight at 9 p.m.

then finishes up with a rematch
against Norm’s Auto Saturday
at 9:30 p.m.

On the Oldtimers -side, River-
side Auto Wranglers were to
take command, dropping Nor-
thern Motor Inn Okies 6-4 in
their opening game then dispat-
ching Convoy Supply 6-3 Satur-
day night.

Convoy and the Wranglers go

at it again tonight at 10:30 p.m.,
the Wranglers meet the Okies 8
p.m. Saturday and the double
round-robin winds up Sunday
when the Okies face Convoy at
10:45 p.m.

The Oldtimers final goes
Monday, March 23 at 9:30 p.m,
while play-off bragging rights in
the Rec division are settled

Bluebacks shine

Yahoo!

Swim coach Bill Nash's reac-
lion said it all in the wake of the
Points North team’s stunning
performance in the March 6-8
provincial ‘AAA’ swim meet
held in Victoria.

With just 16 of the 360 swim-
mers in the meet, Points North
took tap spot for medium-sized
clubs and overall only the host
Island Swimming Club topped
their point tally.

The Points North team is
made up of swimmers from
three northwestern clubs and
this time included eight swim-
mers from the Terrace
Bluebacks, five from the Prince
Rupert club and three Kitimat
Marlins.

Nash said the Blueback con-
tingent put in strong perfor-
mances throughout as members
clocked four of Points Nerth’s
seven youth national qualifying
times.

In what Nash described as the

Tuesday, game time 9 p.m.

Northmen set to scrum down

Conditions permitting, the Terrace Nor-
thmen will take to the field next Tuesday
evening, March 24 for the first of their pre-

season practice sessions.

That will leave one month to prepare for
what promises to be a hectic season.

Spokesman David Hull said

schedule calls for the Terrace club to play

10 games in just eight weeks.

“That will be achieved by playing some
double-headers against its Prince Rupert
and Smithers rivals, he explained, adding
the team will also get two weekends off.

The Northmen open their season Sun-
day, April 26 when they head for the coast
to take on the Prince Rupert R.F.C. and
the final match in the five home-five away

welcome to join.

the ‘92

cordingly.”’

series takes place the last weekend in June.

Noting the club is always on the lookout
for new players, Hull said anyone [8 years
and up, with or without experience, is

Although rugby is a physical game, he
emphasized the Northmen played at what’s
known as a third division level, ‘‘a social
level of rugby, where people relaize they
have to go to work on Monday and play ac-

Anyone wanting to join up or learn more
about the Northmen can contact Hull at
638-1327 or Willie McCleary at 635-6603,

kkk Kk

The future of any sport rests on the hav-
ing another generation of players waiting in

the wings.

With that in mind, northwestern clubs
are trying to assure the future of rugby here
by encouraging the introduction of the

sport into local junior and senior secondary

schools.

While the details have yet to be firmed
up, Hull was hopeful rugby will soon be
played at schools in Terrace, Smithers and
Prince Rupert.

He noted it is already extremely popular

with Lower Mainland youngsters with boys
as young 4s six-years are now playing the
game, One of the attractions, he added,
was the sport was a relatively inexpensive

2. ‘You just needs boots and shorts,’’ he
explained.

corey Holland

Jocelyn Coxford

“swim of the meet’’, Garth
Coxford turned around a ninth
place finish in the preliminary
swim to take the bronze in the
12 yrs,-and-under 400m _in-
dividual medley relay.

In doing so, he slashed 15
seconds off his prelim time and
recorded the fastest time in the
butterfly leg.

Another inspired perfor-
mance came from Jocelyn Cox-
ford, 14, who swam to a per-
sonal best time and a: silver
medal in the 200m butterfly, her
best event.

Corey Holland, 14, made the
finals in all but one of the events
he entered, collecting medals in
both the 50m and 100m
freestyle.

Fresh from the junior provin-
cials, Chris Kerman, 10, added
to his medal collection in the 10
yrs.-and-under reiay while
14-year-old David Vanderlee
swam to a youth national quali-
fying time in taking fourth in
the 200m butterfly.

Also clocking a youth na-
tional time was Aimee Peacock,
14; 7an tie 100m ‘bivast” siroke”
final.

Although she was out of the
medals this time, Tina Halland,
12, racked up personal best
times and places in the finals,
“With some more work, she'll
be coming home with much
more,’’ Nash predicted.

There were also words of
praise for Marina Checkley, 10,
who improved on her best times
and placings in all three of her
individual events. ‘“For a first
time provincial swimmer, that’s
very commendable,’’ Nash
pointed out.

Picking up gold for the
Points North team was
Kitimat’s Amber Wuensche
with two victories in 10-and-
under events while clubmates
Dallass Bishopp and - Nathan
Kearley teamed up with Ter-
race’s Chris Kerman and Adam
Marcinkiewicz of Prince Rupert
to grab a relay medal.

A total of 32 clubs took part
in the Victoria meet, including
one from North York, Ont.

Terrace Blueback swimmers
will now take time to catch their
breath before heading north for
this weekend’s meet in
Petersburg, Alaska.

- [t is more winter than spr-
ing, and almost certainly too
early for new steelhead to be
in the river, But Ed and I go

- looking for them anyway.
As we drive past the area
where rough cutting and bur-
ning has left two small creeks
_ exposed to the elements, we
try to convince ourselves that

the mild winter, the big silver
fish of spring ought.to be
too.

At the bit of lunar: land-
scape where the herbicides
were applied a few years ago,
someone has repaired the
road. ‘‘Looks like we won;t
‘need our bikes after all,”’ I

* say. Ed nods..

Where the sun hasn’ t been
‘able to reach, there is still
snow on the road. I shackle
the bikes together and then
tothe truck. We walk the last

200 yards to the trail leading

‘since everything is early after.

into the old trees and to the.

river. There are boot tracks
on it. There are boot tracks
in to all the good riffles these
days.

We walk through the rem-
nant forest, It’s damp and
dark under the old trees and
the air has a musty, earthen
smell. Trees are growing,
trees are dying. An old
-balsam, rotien- to the- core,

has been snapped in two ‘by ~

the outflow winds of winter.

On the corpse of what must —

have been a giant spruce,

there is arow of sturdy seedl-

ings, healthy little trees thriv-

ing in the shade of ‘their
. parents.

At the clay pool we assem-
ble our rods. The song birds
aren’t here yet. In. the
distance there is the cry of an

-eagle. Somewhere behind us

the throaty call of a jay —
echoes through the woods.

Ed slips into the water and
begins: casting rythimiically.

The Skeena
Angler

by Rod Brown

The light-coloured line un-
furls over. the water in a tight
loop. The fly, a heavy one,
drops with a small splash on
the seam where the faster
water on the outside pushes
against the slower water on
our side. ~

“Tf they’re in the river,
they'll be here,” | call over
the sound of the stream. We
fish through once, twice, but

there’s nothing doing. The ~~

- gurrent's heavy. We grab on
to each other and wade to the
other side, It’s noon and time

' for a sandwich and cup of
tea.

SS

Ed lights a smoke. -His:, ~

hands are the rough hands of
aman who has made his liy-
ing working hard, outside in
all kinds of weather. One
thumb is bent at a painful
angle, a break deformed by
arthritis probably.

We talk about the cedars —

on. the trail that have had.

their bark peeled for baskets
_— culturally “modified by -

Tsimshians. And this leads--~

_us to the nass valley where ed:
built bridges: into”

companies.

the ©
wilderness for the ° timber

Mighty spruce, struggling Sapl

“Acres of the biggest,
clearest hemlock you ever
saw,” says Ed Chapplow,

“Big spruce on the bottom
lands?”?

Ed’s eyes widen. “Oh

' yeah,’? He pulls on his
cigarette and adjusts his blue
ball cap. ‘‘Huge spruce on
the valley bottoms, most of
them hauled off and chipped
for pulp.’ He shakes his.
head.

A pair ‘of eagles ride the
wind above their nest-in the
crotch of-a cottonwood tree.
‘Some of those nests weigh
more than a ton,’’ I say.

“We had this one up on
the Nass,"’ says Ed. ‘‘we told
the “company they had to
leave some trees around it,
They didn’t and it blew down
the next spring. All ‘they
‘could’ think: of was making
more money.”

After lunch we fish down
stream and around the bend,

ngs

Some nice cutthroats save the
fishing component of the
day. Ed winces on the wade
back.

“You alright?’’ I ask.

“Broke a hip years ago,”’
replies Ed. ‘I think arthritis
has got in there now.”

“Does it hurt bad at the
end of the day?’”’'

“TY just take a handful of
uspirin when ‘I get home and
it feels okay."” ;

We emerge into the clear-
cul, load the bikes and head
home,

“Those ™ little ¢ planted
trees,” I point to” the spindly
saplings, their. tops: hanging
limply down, ‘that were
planted throughout the set-
ting years back. °

oat? m

“They don't look: like
they’re doing very well, mak-
ed and exposed here in the
open,” J observe.

“Nope,, not well,’ " says ed,