B4 - The Terrace. Standard, Wednesday, May 7, 2003 _ SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN “SKEENA ANGLER’ ROB BROWN Taimen 4 illy thanked Ellen for opening up the post office on a Saturday. “It’s not a problem,” she said, with a long-suffering look on her face that suggested otherwise. Even during office hours on a weekday, Ellen, the postmistress made Billy feel as if asking for a book of stamps was akin to asking her te shovel oul a septic tank with a spoon. At first he thought this sour response on her part was a result of an antipathy for him alone — dis- favour he’d incurred unknowingly — but over time he observed that Ellen was generous and indiscriminate with her contempt. Ellen was sour to everybody, everybody but Joan. The first time he and Joan were in the post office together, Billy actuaily saw Ellen smile at his partner. It was a pitiful, labourious twist of the lips, but it was a smile, and what’s more Ellen actu- ally said thanks and wished his partner a good day afterwards. “Didja see that?” Billy said when the two of them were barely out of the door. “She smiled - she was polite to you.” Joan looked at him quizzically. “Why shouldn’t she be?” she asked. “Joan, she’s a hag — 1 mean real hag! I used to think it was me she hated, but she dislikes everyone.” “Oh, you're exaggerating. I’m sure she’s a lovely person deep down, Some people talk endlessly, some have nervous laughs, others put ona gruff exterior.” — And some people are shy, thought Billy, re- membering how Joan had told him that she’d suffered aching shyness as a-kid, and how a trace of that affliction fell across her radiant and outwardly confident personality from time to time in a way that reminded him of times when a wisp of her hair fell across her pretty face. The glaciers on the far side of the lake were, except for wisps of mist in a few of the draws, clear and radiant in the. morning light. The morning air was sharp. Waves lapped against the lakeshore. Billy cruised down Shoreline Avenue, up Main past Molly’s, home of the Loggers’ Break- fast, the morning meal consisting of six thick pancakes the diameter of long-playing records topped with six sausages the size of zucchinis and a pair of fried eggs spilling over the over- sized plate like Salvador Dali’s watches. Molly and Syd had started serving up this gargantuan meal decades before any adman dreamt up the notion of “super-sizing.” Syd’s brilliant concept was, like most brilliant con- cepts, simple: if a customer could eat the heap- ing repast, he or she could eat free. Greed combined with gluttony pitted against common sense, the same principal underpinning the smorgasbord and the buffet - it put Molly’s on the regional map and helped fill the parking lot to overflowing every weekend, as it was now. On Saturday nights Billy and Joan liked to lic in bed and watch videos. It had become a traditional thing, a particularly enjoyable habit, since they didn’t have satellite dishes like everyone else in town save for Reverend Bob. Billy had intended to stop by Kozmik Videos on the way home and scan the new releases, but the excitement of receiving a letter from Lewis erased that memo from his mind. Once out of the town care, he roared toward home on Happy Fanny Road, leaving a plume of dust behind that looked like jet exhaust. He swung into the driveway and laped down the sidewalk. Joan was still out. Billy threw the other letter on the table as if it was junk mail, then pulled out his buck knife and slid it along the flap of the puffy manila en- velope from Mongolia, Then he reached inside, pulled out the contents and spread them out on the kitchen table. There were pictures; lots of them — a collage. waiting to be assembled, There was a photo- graph of a pellucid river pool more beautiful and mysterious than any Billy had ever seen. There was a fallen tree. lying in a river. There was a rise next to.it. At the centre of the con- centric rings was the tail of a monstrous fish. There were landscape snippings that suggested a wild and beautiful land. And there was an en- velope. Billy opened it expecting a letter, There were $500 US dollars along with a folded paper. Billy assumed it was a letter, but when he unfolded it he discovered a map with a route from Juneau to Seattle to Tokyo, and from there to Seoul marked on it with highlighter, pen. To be continued. Cam MacKay Great coach, great guy By SARAH A, ZIMMERMAN ASK JUST about any of Cam MacKay's former basketball players and they'll tell you it’s been a long time coming. MacKay, a 35-year ve- teran basketbali coach and vice-principal at Caledo- nia Senior Secondary School, was named B.C. School Sports coach of the year last week. “He’s really devoted — this has been a long time coming,” says Matt Arru- da, a Grade 12 Cal student and Kermodes basketball player. MacKay's life-long love affair with basketball and coaching came early. Growing up the middle child of five boys with a coach for a father, Mac- Kay spent more time in the gym than anywhere else. He began coaching bas- keiball as a Grade 10 stu- dent in Kamloops teaching elementary students the TERRACE STANDARD COACH OF THE YEAR: Cam MacKay is well respected by his players and his peers. Lee Johnson (left), Bryan Matthews and Matt Arruda all played basket- ball under Mackay this year. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO basics. He was hooked He’s coached boys bas- ketball at Cal for 16 years drilling the importance of sportsmanship, ethics and community responsibility into his players. But if you ask him, his greatest accomplishment is not bringing teams to provincials or winning games — it’s seeing. his community youth basket- thrive. The Terrace Youth Bas- ketball Association began in 1987 with just two teams of players in grades six and seven. Today the 638-7283 250 players between the ages of seven and 15, many of whom may not have the chance: to play otherwise. “That’s kind of a tra- vesty when you go into Grade 8 and 60 kids want to play,” MacKay says, adding making cuts is a tough process when the kids are so eager. The program is a testa- ment to MacKay’s dedica- tion to community service - something which has worn off on his students. Every year his players commit volunteer time to the program, not because MacKay tells them to but because he's shown them it’s importance. “He has influenced me to coach as well, so when I'm older I want to coach too because he has given so much to me I want to give to others too,” says Bryan Matthews, who led the. Kermodes in scoring this year. Continued B10 Jason Haldane ball * program. grow and community league boasts Greek fans love him and hate him By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN TERRACE-BORN Jason Haldane expected gentler treatment when he stepped out on the court with Greece’s winningest elite volley- ball team last fall. — Instead he was met by a hail of curses, spit, coins and rocks ~ and this in the birth place of demo- cracy. At least the heavily armed, fa- ce-mask sporting, shield-weilding Tiot police standing on the side- lines gave him some comfort. Tt was an experience unlike any other in an eight-year professional volleyball career that has also taken him to Italy and France. “I think they’ve always been pretty passionate about volley- ball,” Haldane recalled from the safety of his home in Terrace last week. In Greece volleyball is serious business. He first experienced the devo- _ tion of Greek sports fans when his team Olympiakos took on arch ri- vals Panathinaikos in front of more than 1,500 fans. It was the second game of the season and he wasn’t on home turf, Panthinaikos and Olympiakos, both Athens-based clubs, are bio- ~. tter rivals and“théir fans wilkido “=: just about ‘anything’ to show how’ - much they despise the other team. “They hate each other, these guys just go crazy at the games,” Haldane says. “They start yelling your name, the Greek guys are laughing, they were cursing my mother, they’re spitting on you, they're throwing rocks on you.” That was when he knew play- ing in Greece is different. Greek fans are passionate and bad blood between teams runs deep, ; Spectators are so rowdy SWAT team members line the court standing guard over the players during games. “They just line up around the court and if the crowd starts get- ting oul of control they’re not afraid of going in and cleaning house,” he says, The year before Haldane ar- Puerto Rico awaits proud new papa By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN JASON HALDANE is enjoying every last minute he’s got in Ter- race before heading to Puerto Rico on his next professional vol- leyball stint. Home life is just as exciting as being on the court since his fami- ly welcomed a new baby girl to the clan, Sasha Brielle was born May ! — just two weeks after Haldane re- turned from Greece where he played for Olympiakos, the Greek national champion team. Haldane is going to Puerto Rico for the summer to play more professional volleyball, but the team there is giving him some extra time to spend with his fami- ly before he heads south. It's precious time for the Hal- dane crew. With the two older children Keel, 7, and Taya, 5, now in school, Haldane’s family stayed in Terrace while he played -in Greece. They did get to spend Christ- mas together in Greece which gave the children a chance to see their dad in action. “It’s pretty crazy because they get all excited,” says Keel of the Greek fans. . Globetrotting is something this family has gotten accustomed to since Haldane started playing pro- fessional. volleyball eight years ago. Sasha is the only Haldane baby to be born in his home.town. Taya was born in France and Keel was born in Calgary while Jason was playing for the Canadian national team. Sasha’s arrival has made his homecoming extra special. “She's super beautiful,” he says about the tiny sleeping red- head cradled in his huge hands. She is clearly the centre of at- tention in the Haldane household. Big brother Keel can’t get enough of his little sister. He sits ' next to her lightly running his fingers on her head, fascinated by every move she makes. Taya is also amazed by her new fittle sister and this is what makes playing the game he loves so difficult - being away from his family. He’s learned to get through the tough times and relish the time he has in between with his family. Judging by the glee on the faces of his children it doesn’t matter if he’s a winner on the court or not. , He’s clearly the number one dad in their eyes, He’s just going to have to get used to sharing the spotlight with the children’s newest object of af- fection ~ Sasha.’ ” And that’s something he doesi’t mind doing one bit, ‘ rived in Greece some angry fans got so riled up after a loss they at- tacked a car belonging to the vi- siting team’s president. 1 Then they ya set’ iton fire: F© cba < Whilé* Fant of rival teams hate them, his own club’s supporters can't get enough of the team. Olympiakos has won the the national volleyball championships 10 times in the last 12 years. They won again this year. Olympiakos dominated the best of five series winning three games siraight over northerners Thessolo- niki. Haldane watches a videotape of the championship game in his Terrace living room. The team kills the competition in the final game winning in three sets. The final set is won 25-9 with Haldane serving nine straight points to hammer home the victory. When the game ends the crowd goes absolutely wild setting off flares in the stands, dancing and singing, rushing the court and try- ing to rip much coveted game jer- seys off the players. Fans surround the team like a mob-.before the elated players can escape to the _ hanging room. .“There’s no space to breathe or canyttihg,” Haldshe recalls: © Considering the team got off to": a slow start at the beginning of the season, the six-foot-eight tall Haldane says the win was especi- ally sweet. He gave his game jersey to a local reporter who was immedia- tely offered 300 euros for it by a fan — that’s about $450 Canadian, With the win has come a cer- tain amount of notoriety in Athens. After the victory Haldane was bombarded by reporters ask- ing for interviews and his photo was all over local newspapers. “Everyone knows who you are and that took a while to get used to,” he says. He hopes to return to Greece for the 2003-04 season but the de- cision hasn't been made yet. In the meantime he’s perfectly happy being back at home. JASON HALDANE is thrilled to be surrounded by his family. That’s newborn daughter Sasha with big brother Keel, 7, (left) and big sister Taya, 5. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO ae eee