BQ - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 19, 2000

KEITH FREEMAN

ROB BROWN Oil woes part one

‘grew up a few miles from Burnaby Mountain. There was no Simon Fraser University on the top of it in hase days. There was a dusty road named Curtis that ran partway up the mountain past a handful of houses to the small farm of a Danish man who had a few chickens, some geese, a small herd of goats and a small family. We'd visit the farmer from time to time because we liked to feed his goats and because Curtis was a magnif-

and exciting on the way down.

In 1958, British Columbia tumed a hundred. A park and a pavilion were built atop Bumaby Mountain as part of the commemorative celebrations, To reach it, Curtis was extended past the Dane giving us access to the dan- gerous cliffs on the north side of the Mountain where we climbed in shadow, sinking up to our knees in detritus, our nostrils filled with the incense of rotting leaves, our ears with the sound of our pounding hearts and the echoes of gun shots from the rifle range next to the Bamet Highway a thousand feet below.

My pals and | thought we lived in a wildemess par- aise. We could be forgiven for thinking so, for we were surrounded by cultivated and uncultivated greenery. Bears and wolves and deer were still spotted crossing Fell Avenue and were seen in Lochdale, and spotting an eagle was not unusual, Hunters still shot ducks over the sprawling marshes surrounding Still Creek, Burnaby Lake, and the land now covered by the Trans-Canada Highway. Anglers pulled steelhead and salmon from the Coquitlam River and from Brunette Creek. Cutthroat trout still ran in the smaller,creeks, atid the mountains on the North Shore were always in-sharp focus on a-clear day, be ytat iia yee

In truth, we were growing up at a time of urban metastasis, an era of mall sprawl and the relentless spread

in the midst of the oil industry.

In the absence of legislation to mask or remove it, the sour smell of refineries blew into our open bed room windows as we slept. The local groceries and meat mar- kets were giving way to supermarket chains whose store shelves were filled with products enshrouded in eternal plastic. Meanwhile, leaden emissions from high powered engines that ran on actane gas were spewing out of the exhausts of big heavy Fords and Chevs and Oldsmobiles and Chryslers, then settling into ditches on lawns and into the sand lots where children played.

The small! pond we called a lake and loved to swim in was nestled in among the giant green oil storage tanks of

On our way to Burrard Inlet we passed the Shellbum Refinery which, with its lights and towers, its sprawling tanks, its labyrinth of twisted pipes, its parapets and blaz- ing chimneys, looked like a walled mysterious middle eastern city in some distant exotic caliphate to us readers of kids’ books.

That trail to the inlet ran along the fence line of Shellburn down the Eastern side of Capitol Hill. We picked our way carefully through the blackberry thickets then left the fence and followed the path into a forest that had hardened after sixty years of second growth. Eager and adventurous, we raced down hard worn path, past red, rotting stumps of Doug Fir covered with Oregon

the men who dropped them with long saws and double headed axes. Our descent ended at the train tracks where we

where the air was filled with salt and creosote, Squatters’ shacks perched on pilings between the water, and the steel rails followed the contours of the beach toward Second Narrows, From there we made our way to the beach hoping for low tide when the strands were covered in riches like sprawling purple, orange and red starfish, bullwhips, the dark green slippery seaweed ihat made walking treacherous, and Hermit crabs clambering like spiders over the shallow pools carpeted in mussels.

sandy spots where clams spouted, sloshing through the tidal pools probing for bait. At first we pried mussels free of their beds and fastened them to our murderous hooks. Mussels, we soon found aut, worked well, as did a chunk of flesh or an eye from the fish we caught with them.

After mussels we came to prefer razor clams, not because they worked any better, really, but because there was more to fasten a hook onto inside their radiat shells, because bigger to kids is almost always better, and because, even though we were embryonic sportsmen, we were learning that the chase was as big a part of the event as the kill and we reveled in the tunneling.

There was better bait though. We leamed this from an old bent man, one of the squatters probably, who stood

icent hill, arduqus and hot on the way up, sleep and cool

of formulaic neighbourhoods. We were also growing up

the tank farm sunk into the side of Burnaby Mountain.

Huge turnout as Tolko Brats battle Abbotsford T’wolves in provincial bantam girls finals

NEITHER THE Terrace Thunder nor the Kitimat Warriorettes made it into the finals of the provincial girls bantam fastball championships on July 9, but jud- ging by the local crowd turnout at Elks Park in Ter- race, its safe to say the event was a local hit.

The final game, between the Quesnel Tolko Brats and the Abbotsford Timberwolves, encapsulated three days of excellent action, and competitive play.

With Quesnel coming off an 11-7 triumph over Ab- bolsford to force a deciding game, they looked like they were on a roll. Jn that match-up, Quesnel shortstop An- gela Jones was on fire, going three for four with a pair of doubles and three runs scored,

She also made what could be seen as the tournament- deciding play when, in the bottom of the first with Ab- betsford threatening, she snagged a line drive and can- noned the ball to first for the inning ending double play.

Having played five games already that day, the Tolka Brats had the full adrenaline engine on, and Abbotsford, who'd been idle for a few hours, was going to have to ig- nite their engine.

Abbotsford got on the board in the first when Erin Broadfoot scored from second off a Kate Newby single that eluded Quesnel’s infield.

From there, good pitching dominated as Abbotsford’s Kris Cote shut down Quesnel’s usual big hitters Shannon Lindsay and Angela Jones.

As the game wore on, the tired side of the teams began to show. Uncharacteristically sloppy infield plays were beginning to open up the game, as run after run trotted home.

Abbotsford exploded for six hits and eight runs in the top of the fifth inning. The output was sparked by four consecutive basehits and two infield errors by Quesnel.

Quesnel wouldn’t quit though. Down 10-6 in the bot- tom of the fifth, the Cariboo team evened things up and tension began to fill the park, as the see-saw battle con- tinued.

The Timberwolves grabbed the lead back in the top of the sixth as Tami Swidrowich and Melissa Isherwood crossed home plate, again due to some tired-looking Quesnel defense.

This one was to go Quesnel’s way though, with four in the bottom of the'sixth, they gor the last laiigh, ‘arid took

TERRACE STANE ARD

SPORTS.

638-7283.

iQUESNEL: ‘shortstop Angela Jones slides home duringthetprovincial bantam fast- ‘ball finals on July 9. Her team played an exhausting six games on the final day,

the final game 14-13, capturing the first place trophy, tx--- ‘beating Abbotsford to repeat as champions. The event was-erhuge hit with locals. peating last year *s victory.

Be KE

Girls Provincial Softball Championships Final Round Robin Standings Note: Quesnel won championship in playoffs

GP Wwe AS RA Terrace Thunder 4 4 0 a4 13 Fleetwood Phantoms 4 4 0 33 17 Abbotsford T'wolves 4 3 1 43 19 Mission Rex Cox 4 3 1 51 35 Kitimat Warriorettes 4 3 1 37 28 Vancouver Whocpers 4 3 1 36 20 Quesnel Tolko Brats 4 3 4 28 16 Summerland Days Inn 4 3 1 23 42 Port Coquitlam Blasters 4 1 3 34 48 Harewood Stoners 4 1 3 27 40 Ctri Saanich Extreme 4 1 3 26 24 Kelowna Extrema 4 1 3 24 30 Burnaby Gems 4 1 3 16 48 Gibsons Ball Hawgs 4 1 3 14 29 Castlegar Big O Tire 4 qo.86064 22 45 N. Delta Leprechauns 4 0 4 10 25

‘THE TERRACE bench watches in anticipation during the team's action. They

finished atop the standings only to be knocked off by Kitimat in the playoffs.

Thunder top round robin at provincials

grape and still bearing the spring board scars put there by’

emerged from the damp shade into the open seascape.

We crunched over the crust of these beaches past the -

awfully still, teaned on a cane, smoked, and made us . uncomfortable as he stood on the tracks, peering at US -

THINGS WERE looking up for the Terrace Thunder bantam girls fastball team at the provincials on July 7-9, as they won all four of their round-robin games.

Unfortunately, they en- countered another north- west team that was look- ing to keep the trophies from taking any lung road trips south.

The Kitimat Warrior-

ettes took out the Thunder in Saturday playoff action, advancing to the second round, only to be knocked off by the finalist Abbots-— ford.

But the Thunder enter- tained the hometown crowd during the round robin, Led by pitcher Fall- on Yasinchuk, and a strong infield the team outscored their opponents 34-13 in

the four round robin games. That was among the best defensive efforts of any team in the tournament.

The biggest victory came against Castlegar Big O Tire on Saturday. They won that one 13-2, which, besides Abbots- ford’s 20-1 trouncing of Burnaby was the tourna- ment’s most convincing victory.

Sports Scope

~ Paula blessed as team

chases down first PAULA TEIZEIRA leads Terrace Women's soccer in scoring with 12 goals, as her team Blessings chases down Artistic Hair for top spot.

Meanwhile attendance problems continue to pla- gue Flower Power. The team has a record of four wins and five losses, heading into games this week.

The teams play on Mondays at Caledonia, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at both Caledonia and Thornhill Primary School.

Aboriginal sports camp

coming to Terrace TERRACE HAS been chosen as a site for one of two summer sport camps for aboriginal youth in B.C. The camp is part of the $150,000 National Aboriginal Youth Strategy, endorsed last year by federal, provincial and aboriginal leaders.

Grants will be made available ta community groups and organizations to develop workshops, seminars and healing circles.

The camp will take place Aug. 14-18. For more information, contact the Kitsumkalum Band,

Carruthers takes Open

TERRACE’S Debbie Carruthers heat out stiff compe- tition from around the northwest to win the Skeena — Valley Ladies Open on July 9.

Joy Stevenson, also from Terrace, finished one back, shooling a 192. In fact, Terrace golfers swept the top four gross scores at the open this year. Toni Perreault of Smithers placed fifth,

The event might be, one of the last at the course ise

-DEBBIE CARRUTHERS approaches the tenth green during the final round of the

fore nine new holes offer up sume. fresh challenges. - . Ladies Open at the Skeena Valley Golf and Country Club. She bogeyed the hole,

I through the drizzle one soft, ay de eh amie The holes are expecied to be open by the fall.

; Se en 0 but went on to capture the. title, with a low gross score of 181.