638-7283

SKEENA ANGLER

ROB BROWN

Winter gunfire

ast Salurday it was spring in the
middle of the winter. I can’t re-
member another February when
Pve been able to hunt steelhead on
the Kalum with only a sweater and a light rain
jacket.
Squinting like a mole who’s just stuck bis head
out his hole, I squinted through sunny breaks
made brighter by a reflective landscape,

Anticipating a long hike and low water, I left
the chest waders at home in favour of hip boots.
] hadn’t expected temperatures warm enough to
weaken the shore ice to the breaking poiut, so,
of course, that’s exactly what had happened.
When I reached the head of one of the best
pools on the river, I discovered its ice shelves
had snapped and were leaning into the water at
such a steep angle I was not only prevented
from fishing, but the depth of the water was
such thal wading around the ice in hippers was
also out of the question,

I put the snowshoes back on then grunted up
the bank and into the woods. Fortunately moose
had trampled the snow down while cropping
some dogwood almost to the ground, making
the going easy along most of that run and much
of the next. Moose do this especially in years af
high snowfall when they can easily put the river
between themselves and a predator, at [east that
is the theory.

It seemed to me Hkely that these skittish
animals may be drawn to highways for much
the same reasons rivers attract them, Roadways
and railways, like rivers, have shrubbery and
pathways nearby and afford the ungulates a
good view. Unfortunately every winter moose
run afoul of other legitimate and illegitimate
users of these right of ways.

A poacher, like the one I told of last week,
doesn’t have to go far from the road. The situa-
tion created by this unsavory practice has tragic
potential, as my good friend Dionys deLecuw
and his son-in law, Luke Eades found out short-
ly after Christmas.

Being an avid outdoorsman and an excellent
painter, il’s not surprising that Dionys will often
be found striding over the wintry expanses of
the Skeena late in the day, sketchbook in hand,
looking for the soft pastels brought on by the
oblique afternoon light. It was close to four
when Dionys pulled his car into the parking lot
at Shames where he and Luke bundled up, put
their snowshoes under their arms, then jogged
across the highway.

Once over the abutment on the far side, ihey
laced up the shoes and shuffled down the trail to
slough where they crossed on the ice.

The many side channels with their stands of
dogwood and willow and their proximity to the
river make ideal winter habitat for moose. Luke
and Dionys followed well-worn moose routes
soon emerging from the woods at Ferguson's
Reach. From there they trekked the half mile ta
the slough at the foot of Komaham Lodge, then
retraced their steps, since the Shames River was
still open, making crossing impossible.

Just afler entering the bush on the last leg of
their hike, the hikers heard shots. They seemed
close. As it tumed out, the reports were not only
close but directed al them, as Dionys quickly
realized, when a some of them rattled through
the foliage near his head.

But 100 hundred yards away, at the spot
where a riffle fans out into a slough, stood two
men wilh rifles. One was wearing red.

Dionys began yelling and waving frantically.
In retrospect this wrong thing to do, he thinks,
for the men shouldered their arms and squeezed
off another six shots, all off target, thankfully.
Luke and Dionys dove into the snow where they
lay until dark,

- In hindsight Dionys belicves the chatler of the
riffle may have made it impossible for the gun-
ners to hear his cries of alarm; bis waves may
have had the opposite af their intended effect, '
quile possibly mistaken by the hunters for ant."
Jers or some kind ungulate motion.

If the hunters mistook Dionys and Luke for
moose, and saw them bil the ground, why did
they not approach after what must have looked
like a hit? It is likely that the shooters realized
their mistake, then fled without knowing if one,
or both, of the people they’d mistakenly fired at
had been hil. This last act adds cowardice and
blatant disregard for the safety of others to an il-
Icgal and stupid act.

Once he gat home, Dionys reported the inci-
dent to the RCMP. Not much could be done in
the absence of a vehicle sightings. As the con-
stable poinled out to Dionys, it’s best to remem-
ber that late winter is hunting season for nalives
— and for poachers, he might have added — so
dress accordingly,

GOACH OF THE YEAR

There must be more coaches!

CONGRATULATIONS
COACHES!

Nominations for the Terrace
Standard/Skeena Mall Coach of
the Year contest are starting to
roll in, aad we’re happy to report
that so far you’ve selected three
coaches who you think are wor-
thy of the honour.

They are Karate coach Roland
LaGace, Bowling coach Eva
Wilkenson and Hazelton senior
boys basketball coach Maurizo
Basso.

And if these nominations are a
sign of things to come, our judges
are not going to have an casy
time selecting just one winner
and two honorable mentions.

Wilkenson was nominated by
one of her bowlers, 14-year-old
Steven Miller.

‘She has a lot of motivation,’’
he says.

“She makes the team bowl
good and she knows tiow to work
on improving us.”’

Wilkenson has coached bowl-
ing for 23 years and she’s cur-
rently beading up the junior and
senior divisions of the Youth
Bowling Council.

“7 really enjoy watching the
kids achicve,”’ she says.

“T'm really proud of them and
they’ve done really well,’’

Wilkenson has her full level
one NCCP and is still actively
taking coaching courses.

Our second coach, Roland
LaGace, was nominated by one of
his students, Dr. Joe Zucchiatti.

He says LaGace is a very dedi-
cated coach who teaches solely
for the bencfil of bis students.

“He trains us to be better
people and better students,” Zuc-
chiatti says.

“He communicates excellently
with his students and he’s very
generous.”

LaGace was very surprised

when he heard about ihe nomina-
tion.

He has his fourth depree black
belt in karate and his first degree
black belt in iaido. (Japanese
swordsmanship).

He’s coached both adults and
children in Terrace for 16 years,

‘Tt’s good for kids to stay with
karate,”’ LaGace says.

“It keeps them out of trouble.”’

He coaches three nights a week
for about eight hours.

And our third nominee comes
highly recommended from the
Athictic Director at Hazelton
Secondary School.

Simon Dodd says Maurizio
Basso has come a long way as a
coach in the past few years.

*He’s made a lot of growth in
his coaching and he puts in more
hours that anyone we’ve ever had
the school,” says Dodd.

“The kids respond well to him,
he’s real dedicated and warks
hard.”’

The Hazelton senior boys bas-
Ketball team is now beating teams
this year who have dominated
them in the past.

“I'm surprised I was
nominated,’’ says Basso.

“It must mean one of two
things; the boys are playing good
orl’m doing a good job.”

And he speaks very highly of
his team.

“IVs more of a reflection of the
boys than anything,” he says.

“They're really good kids.’?

Basso has developed a spring
basketball camp in the Hazeltons
and he invites his former team-
mates from UBC and UVIC ta
take part,

If you think you know of a
coach who could give these three
a run for their money we'd love
to hear from you.

You'll find a nomination form
on page B3.

All you have to do is fill out
and either drop it off at the Ter-
race Standard Office or mail it to
3210 Clinton St, Terrace BC,
V8G 5R2, or fax us at 638-8432,

The closing date for namina-
tions is March 1, so you only
have ten days left.

Our panel of judges expects to
make their decision sometime in
mid-March.

WINNERS! The Terrace junior C ringette team took gold at the Northern B.C. Winter
games. The girls beat Burns Lake 6-5 in the final game. Ringette executive Roger Tooms
says the team is improving in leaps and bounds.

More than competition at Games.

LIFE LONG friendships, a
wealth of memories, and for
some - the experience of a
lifetime.

Everyone who competed at
the Northern B.C. Winter
Games in Prince George Feb-
Tuary 9-11 came home with
more than they left with,

While many of the 178
athictes from Terrace were
fortunate enough to stand on
the medal podium, the ones
who didn’t were certainly no
less fortunate.

The Winter Games are
promoled noi only as a major
sporting event, but also as a
venue to meet, and learn more
about others who live in
Northern B.C,

In the Games program,
chairperson Jack — Philpot
writes ‘“‘friendship and dis-
covery...thal’s what — these
Games are all about. Ask the
person next to you where they

are from, how they live and

where they see their dreams
taking them...you’ll remember
your conversation for years to
come,’””

Wrestling coach Dave
O’Bricn echoes those senti-
ments,

“It was an excellent experi-
ence for all concerned,’’ he
Says.

“Many made friends from
out of town. They wrestled as
a zone-team, billeted together,
socialized together and
cheered on wrestlers who are
normally on a different team,’’

The  Kitimat-Stikine team
placed ‘second. overall, with
many :of the local wrestlers
taking home individual medals
as well.

Members of the Terrace’

Bluchack Swim Club ail put in
very strong performances,
with 13 of 14 swimmers com-
ing home with medals they
received in both
and relay events

individual .:

“They did great,’ says
coach Mike Carlyle,

“Overall they had very ex-
citing performances, and there
were some surprisingly [ast
swims,”

14-year-old Marina Check-
ley won a whopping 10
medals.

The Terrace Jr, C Ringette
team also did very well.

The took the gold medal by
beating Burns Lake 6-5 in the
final game.

‘*They had an excellent time,
and they gol to mect: people
from the area,”’ says executive
Roger Tooms.

‘‘And their performance was
a big improvement over the
last tournament.’” .

Spectators also had the
chance to wholeheartedly be-
come involved in the Games.
“The luge event coordinator
says over 500 people turned
out far the team event, and

that’s the largest crowd ever to

gather in Canada to watch the
luge.

Terrace’s Jonahthan: Peltier
took silver in the Youth divi-
sion, and the bronze went ta
Chris Arnold on the Senior
Men’s side,

Four Terrace figure skaters
finished competition in the
medal rounds.

They are Kendra Eys, Nicole
Lindsay, Robbie Stach and
Christa Lambright.

Other results include a gold
medal for the adult mixed vol-
leyball team, ‘and a silver in
boys curling.

Twelve members of the Ter-
race’ Peaks Gymnastics Club
earned a total of 35 medals; 13

gold, 13 silver and 9 bronze.

Terrace judo competitors fin-
ished with one silver medal

‘and two bronze and the juve-

nile B men took gold in short
track speed skating event,