The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 5, 1994 - C1 vos _ SECTION c MALCOLM BAXTER 638- 7283 INSIDE ‘SPORTS MENU C2 Rookie Stock car racers ROB BROWN On the Dean N 1974 British Columbia’s pre- eminent outdoor columnist, Lee Straight, his good friends and fish- ing companions Bob Tayior and Bamey Rushton, and master fly caster Myron Gregory, made their first trip to a lightly fished, comparatively little known Dean River. The formerly fish-filled rivers of Gregory's home state had been ruined by the demands of runaway population growth; Taylor, Rushton and Suraight had scen the fine steelhead fishing of their beloved lower mainland streams suc- cumb to the pressures of industry. The world of steclhcading was shrinking. Industry was making its first impact upon the Dean. For the anglers this was a mixed blessing: Harrison Air’s Aero Commander, the plane that serviced the Mayo logging operation and the first logging roads into the Dean’s wildemess made access to the river easier. The first trip was better than any of them im- agined, Here was a back cast to a time when rivers were full of wild fish, and you didn’t have to elbow through crowds of fishermen to catch them. Majestic rock architecture marked the limits of the valley. Heavily treed flanks _ Sloped down to the food plain of a river too ‘ demanding ta wade for most of the season, but not so formidable as to be daunting — a river friendly to fly fishers — one filled with fine fish still packed with salt water energy. The experience of the Dean was limned with danger, Grizzly bears prowled the beaches for dog salmon spawning in the surf and walked the ~ Tiver banks in. search of spring salmon. Winds swept down the tributary valleys and rushed up ‘from the sea, bent trees, threatened the tent, Rainstorms pushed the river up and over its banks. The narrow confines of the river valley hastened changes in the weather, put an edge on “being there, fueled the unknown forces of the . bush and fed the imagination. There were. characters too. Rocky, the camp supervisor for Mayo, was a hard-working, hard- drinking yet affable and hospitable, a man with ‘a love of the valley that took on proprictorial proportions.There was Felix, the leather- skinned packer who, after a logging injury, took “Up year-round residence in the valley at a time of life when most men retire to the couch and whatever sccurity is available to them in their ald age, Living in a small cabin with a dirt floor with his much younger wife, Ellie Mac and their daughter Desiree, Felix made a career of load- ‘ing his battered pickup truck with anglers and their gear, charging them for the rough trip over the logging roads to camp siles located along “the river. When Ellie Mac’s wages a8 a pearl diver at the logging camp were added to her husband’s meager earnings, the family had enough income to survive, - Sitting around camp after an exhilarating day of fishing, Taylor and Straight decided this was ’ an expericnce that had to be shared with their ~ fellow anglers in the Totems, the province’s oldest flyfishing club. An angling tradition had begun. Every year since members of the Totems and their guests have formed into-six groups that, over the duration of the Dean steclheading sea- son, rotate through a camp skillfully set up by _ the first group and carcfully disassembled by the fast. Tradition is important for the Totems. First ‘hand experience with the impact of overfishing ~sand regulations out of synch with ecological re- quirements made the Totems champions of catch and release angling. Rotational fishing, - the civilized practice of fishing a section of water in @ moving and sympathetic manner, be- ‘came tradition for the Totem Flyfishers. * There are lesser traditions 100, To lessen stress on the camp chairs, waders are pulled on at a rough hewn bench overlooking the Cook’s Run, a fifty yard gravel beat, given to the camp cook ~ to fish first cach moming. There is the camp joumal, a record of events, weights and measures, which is kept religiously by the ap- pointed scribe for each group, - Peter Broomhall, tall, articulate, observant, former outdoor writer, retired college professor, philosopher, pioncer environmentali ist, angler, is my mentor on this first day on the Dean. This is 7 good, Pete is a veteran of many trips to the ~ river. He was also part of the previous party and ‘in tune with the contours and rhythms of the ~ river, Like a patient older brother, Pete shows me’ ’ the structure of the camp. I remark on the num- ber of ropes holding down the tarpaulin. “We went through a couple nights when we Jay in our cots listening as the wind roared up the val- Jey, We tied more ropes to the tarp and waited to see if they would withstand the next gust.” ROOKIE DRIVERS came out in force for the "94 Terrace Stock Car association season and when the final Mag fell, they’d made their presence felt with two class tides and a runner-up finish. John Cloakey in #776 tore up the track in the ‘A’ Street divi- sion, amassing 758 points to fin- ish more than 80 clear of nearest rival and seven year vet Dennis Darby. Darby’s runner-up finish was it- self notable. In car 594 this year, he more than doubled his '93 point tally to finish well clear of Joe Botz. In ‘C’ Street it was Judy dOitavio in #650 emerging as the top driver of a strong rookie contingent. Her 662 point total left Dianne James to settle for the runner-up spot for the second year in a row. . power | Morwyn Wolnowski, another rookie, fell just 12 points short of catching James — a very narrow ‘Margin given the race point scor- ing system. And in B Street Ed Hall led a clutch of newcomers who fin- ished second through sixth behind Mark Hogarth who, like Darby, drove #594, . Terry Ellis finished third there with only 29 points covering pur suing fellow rookies Ken Healey, Dave Storey and Steve Meier. In Sportsman, Albert Weber cashed in on Ernie Perkins deci- sion to race only sparingly this season, tallying 870 points on his way to the title, Akhough more than 200 back, runner up Mike Lemky had rea- son to be happy with his year, im- Cont’d on C2 STOCK CAR association members were saddened last week by news of the death of longtime racer Dennis Darby. Darby was killed when the ground gave way beneath the Cat he was operating while road building in the Nass Valley. This season had been Darby's most successful since he joined the local speedway circuit in 1988. He and co-driver Mark Hogarth were fiercely compe- titive, providing fans and fel- low racers alike with great racing experiences. On his way to finishing sec- ond overall in the A Street mourn driver Darby class, he also took the Memorial Trophy for Street Stock. Given the importance of that race to all drivers, Darby was understandably especially pleased with that victory. Among the other trophies he picked up over his racing career were the 199] double of the Hard Luck award and the Roll Over trophy. Although a determined competitor, Darby was known for his sportsmanship and willingness to help out fellow racers. Little wonder Stock Car as-. sociation members say he will be greatly missed. ocal rockers are ready to roll THE PICASSO touch. Scotty Easton is all concentration as he paints the date of tha Terrace Cash Spiel on sheet one. It’s just one of the many jobs being done In preparation for the new season. THE ICE is in, the circles of the © house painted and work crews are feverishly completing a number * of spruce-up projects. Curling is back and the first rocks are skimming down the sheets this week as the Terrace club once again offers a week of free curling. The invitation to go down and throw a few is extended not only to experienced curlers wanting to tune up for league action. The club is also encouraging those who have never played one of the country’s most popular winter sports to come down and give it a try. Instructors will be on hand to show newcomers how the game is played. And once again this year the club is giving a break to all new. curlers: a 50 per cent reduction in the dues for one night’s curling, - That can translate to savings of between $50 and $100, depend- ing on the league, Regular curlers can also save themselves money by purchasing a club membership if they don’t already have onc, It costs $150 for an individual, $200 for a family but: member. ship docs bring its rewards. First, lower curling dues. For example, one night’s men’s league curling costs members only $140 plus GST compared to $185 plus GST. And new members get 50 per cent off the cost of curling in one league. So a new member in one of the men’s leagues pays only $70 plus GST. Curl only once and the total cost of membership/ducs is slightly higher than dues only, but you're dollars ahead in each sub- sequent season. And you get full voting rights at club meetings. New members curling twice a week sce savings immediately, Aldiough the Friday night . Mixed league is already full, club ‘ manager Keith Melanson says there are spots available in other Mixed, Men’s and Ladies leagues. “TE you don’t have a full team thal’s no problem,”’ Melanson points out ‘We'll find a spot for you, Runners leave paving behind AFTER A couple of years break, school cross-country running has returned to Terrace. Although the original club was all-Caledonia, coach Foe Murphy says the revived version, like the summer track and ficld club, targets runners in both junior and senior secondary schools. So far, the 10-mcember team consists of only Cal and Skeena students but he says interest has - been expressed by Thornhill Jr. Secondary. That core team has been out running for a month now and heads to Kitimat tomorrow for its first race of the season. They include Cal grade 12s Steve Critchley and Gord Amm- stong and grade 118 Justin Keitch, Rob Freeman and Steve Melton. ° Amnstrong comes off a solid track season where Freeman was the distance runner for the team and Melton concentrated on mid- dle distance races, From Skeena there’s Brent Stokkeland, a grade 9 who was also part of the track team last year, and newcomer Murray McCarthy, For the girls, Monique Char- those athletes given the very short track season in the north. “For middle and long distance Tunners it’s especially important to have a fall program,"’ he adds. But equally important is trying to get younger students to join in. That will not only swell the size of the club. it would also ensure The Terrace club does its training — and will host its meet — on Ferry Island. bonneau brings her track experi- ence to the cross country season. It's no surprise track athletes abound on the team, says Mur- phy, In fact, it would be surpris- ing itthey didn’t, That, he explains, ‘i because "cross country should be a crucial Part of the bling program for future continuity for both the fall and summer sports. But that docsn’t mean the club is only looking for those who want to run competitively. ‘Anyone from junior highs who likes to run can come ‘out as a club level exercise only,”? he em- - phasizes. And, Murphy: pola out, those, ameter committed to other sporis could still benefit, time allowing, from taking part in cross country, ‘It’s great for conditioning.”’ Cross couatry is of course off- road and off-track, running routes keeping mainly to grass and/or gravel roads, The Terrace club does its train- ing — and will host its meet — on Ferry Istand, Boys run a 7km course, girls 4lon, as set down by the provin- cial high school sports body. Those racing competitively run. in either the grade 8 division or the grade 9-12 one. The club trains every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after school. Anyone wanting more in- formation can contact Murphy at Caledonla (635-6531). Terrace will-host other north- western school teams Ssturday, Ost. 22.