Bé - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 20, 2000

SARAH ZIMMERMAN

TERRACE STANDARD

wu SPORTS un

_SKEENA ANGLER ROB BROWN

Shopping tips 2000 or the jast ten years, when I haven’t been spinning some bucolic fishin’ yarn, ['ve stuck my pen into commer- cial fishermen, foresters, politicians, bureaucrats, and other people who treated the earth badly.

From time to time this has provoked a letter to the editor or a phone call, which is something I expect.

But one Christmas when I suggested in pass- ing — and, I hasten to add, with my tongue firm- ly in my cheek - that 1 was contemplating the purchase of a new broom for the “little woman”, I was dog-piled by irate feminists.

With that harrowing experience in mind, 1 cautiously launch into this year’s annual gift Suggestions from the Skeena Angler for the Fisherperson in your life.

The finest outdoor experience turns from filet mignon ta a Big Mac when the elements get under your outer wear. Suiting up with right kind of outfit is Job One whether you're fishing or hunting or walking or paddling or climbing or repairing space stations.

The best outdoor clothing I know is made by Patagonia. Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s expensive. So are Mercedes Benzes and violins by Strada- varius.

It used to be that the best outdoor clothing was built from sheep shavings. Wool products are still superb.

Patagonia clothing has the warmth of wool without the scratch and it is lighter and it -breathes. [ have a-closet full of Patagonia cloth- ing and a reputation for wearing things out be- fore their time, but ] can’t trash these items.

If you want to wear out a Patagonia wear you have to set it on fire. The stuff looks good too. Fish Tales Tackle Shop has piles of Patagonia pile, some of it at fire sale prices.

Head gear is vital for fisherpeople and other outdoorpeople. I have a hemp hat made by the Outback people that works well year round. The same manufacturer makes really tasteful head- gear of all varieties in leather and in cloth.

Leona and Randy Murray have their hats as well as a line of jackets at the Northcoast An- gler. Like Patagonia products, the Outback stuff really stands up to the elements, and looks sharp doing so. . :

Giving waders is an undertaking akin to pur- chasing a tailor-made suit for someone without a fitting.

If the person you have in mind has dropped hints about needing new wading equipment, give them a gift certificate to a tackle shop, and make it out for a few hundred dollars.

Fly tying is a wonderful hobby. If you think the person you’re buying for may like to get started, buy them Fly-Tying Made Clear and Simple, a durable methed book that really is everything the title purports it to be. The book has plenty of advice on how to get started and how to tie productive patterns as well.

Every species of fisherperson can use a pin reel, and every tackle shop carries them. As

a couple of inches in diameter with a foot or so of line inside and a clip on the end of that line.

They may be pinned to vest or shirt once a pair of scissors or a nail clipper or a file is atta- ched, making a long search for those oft used items unnecessary.

A filleting knife may not be the best way to say “T love you” but I know a lot of fishermen would appreciate one along with a cutting board, a Scottie sharpener and one of those fish handling gloves that make the job of preparing a salmon so much easier.

Finally, a distinctive gift for the flyfisherper- son — or any fisherperson, for that matter — is one of Don Horsficld's leather creations.

Don builds saddles, leather water bottles, feather brief cases and cases of leather that house reels and rods.

Don is a mastercraftsman who apprenticed under mastercraftsmen in England. All of these masterworks by Horsfield are handsomely made and you may be sure that they will last into the next millenium.

Years ago ] came up with the design of a fly wallet that would house leader reels, sinking heads, a thermometer, a pair of scissors and about two hundred steelhead flies.

The wallet has an adjustable leather strap at- tached so that it can be hung around your neck, leaving it hanging at chest level for easy ac- cess,

I’ve had the prototype for over ten years. Like anything built of fine material it has im- proved with age.

Fish Tales Tackle has a pair of these wallets and some of Don's other products. Failing that, Doa can be contacted at home.

Happy shopping.

Rainmakers win hoop duel

End to end action

marks Classic

By SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN THE GYM was packed at Caledo- nia Senior Secondary on Satur- day, December 9 for the final game of the Kermode Classic basketball tournament.

The annual event pitted teams from Hazelton, Prince Rupert, Prince George and Terrace against one another.

It all came down to the Satur- day evening final between the Kermodes and their rivals the Prince Rupert Rainmakers.

A fast-paced, exciting game, the teams were excellent compe- tition for one another.

With each basket the Ker- modes sunk, the Rainmakers came back with one of their own. Going into the half time break, the score stood at 31-34 for the Rainmakers.

Kermode forward Rob Haug- land got scoring under way quick- ly in the third quarter making the score 33-34. However, Prince Ru- pert answered back right away with another basket of their own.

The back and forth action con- tinued throughout the second half with the ball continually travel- ling from end to end.

With eight players standing six -foot-plus, the Kermodes were all about rebounding, rarely allowing the ball to be recovered by the Rainmakers on missed shots.

Nonetheless, towards the end of the third Kermode coach Cam

MacKay was getting antsy. His team had left several baskets un- answered and time was ticking,

In the dying seconds of the third quarter Terrace was lagging behind by five points.

A great last minute effort by Caledonia guard Rick Dhaliwal resulted in a three pointer just as the buzzer sounded,

The Kermodes would end the third quarter of play down by one basket with a score of 55-53.

The fourth quarter saw more tight, exciting action between the rival teams but with 4:19 remain- ing the Kermodes were struggling.

Terrace guard Jason Klein proved invaluable to game play when it came to intercepting Rainmaker passes. Klein would emerge out of thin air to intercept several passes, giving possession back to the Kermodes.

However, the Kermodes need to improve on their foul shots,

In the final game of the tourna- ment Caledonia took 30 foul shots but they only managed to sink 14.

Had they improved their accur- acy even to 75% they could have have beaten the Rainmakers.

The senior boys played hard, but so did the visitors from Prince Rupert.

With several foul shots given to their opponents and too many missed shots late in the game, the Kermodes just couldn’t pull it to- gether for the win.

Despite a well fought game, the final score was 67-73 for the Rainmakers who took home the first place trophy.

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HKone CES

KERMODE FORWARD Sean Dusdal soars above the rest ina game against Charles Hays at the Kermode Classic, Dec. & — 9.

their name implies these are simple little reels, °

m Doing the breast stroke

Junior national swimmers Jenine Barton and Kyle Nartz com- peted at the Kamloops Ice Classic Dec. 8 -.10. Despite bat-

tling pneumonia Kyle clinched two second place standings. Jenine swam weil setting six Blueback Swim Club records.

honours.

ERNIE MIL-HOMENS shows off his two first place trophies from the World Bench and Dead Lift Champtonships in Reno, Nevada in November.

Canada.

Then, in the bench press, he benched 450 pounds, also good enough for a first place standing.

The international event drew roughly 650 competitors from as far away as Swe- den, Guatemala, Germany, Hawaii and

“EF was going to do more in the dead

lift,” said Mil-Homens,“but I tore a ten- don or a ligament in my shoulder 10 days

Shames hires new talent

Local athlete lifts’ his way to the top

NOVEMBER was an exciting month for local power lifter Ernie Mil-Homens.

The 24 year old athlete was in Reno, Nevada on Nov. 19 competing in the World Bench and Dead Lift Champion- ships in the Jr. Men’s 198 pound division.

After lifting 600 pounds in the dead lift, Ernie walked away with first place

before the competition.”

Mil-Homens has indeed lifted more weight than the 600 pounds it took to place first, but on advice from his doctor he lifted only what it toak to win,

“Doctor Lindsay told me not to lift my maximum, but I was being stubborn, try- ing to block it out,” he said.

This is the second World Champion- ship win for Mil-Homens, he also won the 1999 world championship in the same weight class.

This win comes hot on the heels of his 2000 Sr. Canadian Championship win in

uly.

Mil-Homens is taking a bit of time off from serious training over the holidays, but plans to get back to his regular train- ing program in the new year,

SHAMES MOUNTAIN has a new director of their Skier and Snowboar- der Development Centre.

Mare Boutin joins the Shames crew after working at Temple Basin Ski area in New Zealand, where he was an assistant ski school director and instructor.

Boutin replaces former director

John Wright. __ A third level ski instructor, avid back country skier and. outdoorsman, Boutin is eager to get. started on plans for the upcoming ski season.

He has spent most of this week meeting with ski.and snowboard in- structars to discuss programming for the 2000-01 season.

Mare’s vision for the ski school is simple.

He says he would like to foster a personal rapport between instructors and clients to develop a tailor made approach to lessons.

“If they want to learn to ride bumps, then we'll do bumps,” said Boutin, a

He is looking forward to being in-

volved with existing programs ‘such as Ladies’ Day and Tykes Tyme.

He is also excited about develop- ing programs such as Carve it Up, a program. designed to let people try out shaped skis with an experienced pro. “Clients can put a little mileage on them, test them out and see what shaped skis can really do,” said Boutin.

The tentative opening date for Shames Mountain is December 20, snow permitting.

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Marc Boutin