ace Reena:

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“SPORTS MENU c2

-. SKEENA ANGLER
ROB BROWN

Lost is found

T’S BEEN SIX outings since the day

we found Lost lake. What a lucky

day it was! What glorious troulings

(as Kenny likes to call them) those
half dozen trips have been,

Lost lake is a jewel, a minc with a mother lade
of silver trout, nestled in a small valley lying in
some of the wildest, most isolated country you
can imagine, or would want to visit.

Maybe that’s why it was lost in the first place.

We found it by accident one crisp day in late
June when the poor folks in more southerly lati-
tudes were sweating an unreasonably hot summer.

We owed our good fortune to the poor naviga-
tional skills of a brash, young bush pilot who
miraculously avoided the narrow valley's steep
walls, barely cleared ihe Iree tops and hil the
water with an unsettling thump, confidently an-
nouncing we'd arrived at Bullfrog Lake.

We belicved him: after the shock of landing,
we'd have believed him if he’d told us the day be-
fore he flown Salman Rushdie to a mountain top
to hunt goats! -

After unloading the gear, we reminded the pilot
of our rendezvous in five days’ time. ‘‘You
know,”’ said Kenny, ‘this sure doesn’t look a hell
of a lot like the Bullfrog Lake Bob and Art raved
avoul. They talked about a big swamp at one
end,’’ There was no swamp.

By the time we convinced ourselves this wasn’t
our buddies’ red-hot lake, our arms were battle
weary from fighting monster trout and it didn’t
matter anymore. - ,

Thus began our. romance with Lost Lake. The
lake was scenic, the rainbow noble fish, true

-~ kings of the trout world: -

The only blemish in that beautiful lake were © the
leeches. The smallest fish in Lost Lake were
large, the large specimens immense and every one
of the fatter was covered in small, oily leeches.

Those giant rainbow were difficult and rare, but
we managed to fool quite a few over the years.
But ! could never get used to the fact ihose low-
brow leeches were sucking the life out of their
handsome hosts.

There it stood, the strangest
building any of us had seen in the
woods before or since.

I'd curse. Kenny, who is not as squeamish,
would just shake his head and say something
about the natural order of things.

The anticipation of our annual trip to Shangri-
La brightencd the darkest days. We look the same
pilot each trip, thankful his skills improved with
experience and thankful he could keep a secret.

Then a strange thing happencd ycar before last.

We had just landed and were gliding across the
lake. I was trying te make a witly play on ‘many
happy returns’’ when Kenny stopped me in mid
pun.

“Cabin,’* he-said.

“No,” I said.

“Huh?’’ said Billy, the pilot

And there it stood, ihe strangest building any of
us had scen in the woods before or since.

Trappers’ cabins arc simple structures, roughly
hewn from the nearby forests, This building was
the work of neither trapper norhunter.

It was like a miniature mansion, a slightly larger
version of one of those ostentatious stone houses
one might find over the grave of some man who
had attained wealth and stature before moving on.

Here, in the hidden valley of Lost Lake, il was a
sore thumb, -

Kenny looked accusingly al Billy. ‘*Bishop,
you...””

“No, nol me,’’ said the pilot, anticipating the
question. “Honest, I haven’t told a soul. You're
the only guys I’ve ever flown in here, Iswear.’’

“Did you see any unusual plancs using the
strip?’’ asked Kenny as we unloaded and started
selling up camp,

Billy was adamant, and a bit hurt, I was sure he |

~ was lelling the truth and I’m sure Ketiny knew the
~ boy. was being straight with us,
Lost Lake had been found again.
The first night on Lost Lake is always charged
with energy and anticipation. I can never sleep the
" night through and Kenny catnaps too. This night
we slept fitfully for a different reason,
Whoever buill that odd house had to be a pretty
showy individual, probably a Loudmouth. Some-
body who would catch some of our giant trout,
(hen brag to his friends,

Word travels quickly along. the circuits of the

sporting world, Soon Lost Lake would be full of
the rich and famous, soon there would be a lodge.
We shuddered at the prospect. -

* We'll pump up the raft and take a closer look

atthe place in the morning,’’said Kenny. :
(to be continued...) :

Ranch

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 16, 1994 - C1

SECTION c

- MALCOLM aucen 638- 7283

debut draws board
experts from across North

~ years

2ND AIRBORNE. Johnny Csondes of Prince Rupert clears the
launching pad and heads skyward during the first ever snow-
boarding competition held at Shames Mountain. Csondes fin-

ished second in his division,

PHOTO by MATT BOLTON.

PRINCES’ WERE kings at the
first ever snowboard competilion
held at Shames Mountain.

The event, put together by the
North West Snowboard Associa-
lion (N'WSA), also marked the of-
ficial opening of the ‘Ranch’, the
snowboard park on the mountain.

It drew competitors from Prince
Rupert to Prince George, a clear
indication of the — sport’s
popularily in the north,

And it was the visitors who
dominated the results.

Jerome Janes of Prince Rupert
captured the 12 years-under tiile
witile fellow coaster Jayme Mel-
Tose beat out Terrace’s Cynthia
Keynon for the Women’s crown.

Top spot in both Men’s classes

went 10 Prince George boarders,

Jesse McKinnon taking the 13-16
division while Brad
Makepeace emerged alop the 17

years and up standings,

Although the Ranch is still oniy
halfway to |ts full potential, meet

‘organizer Jeff Doll is pleased

wilh the way it went.

“The Jib contest was a raging
success,” he says.

The park boasts two table top
jemps with quarter pipes on the
sides, One table has an oil dum

: for Bonking and a rail for Sliding;

the other a fun box to Jib,
.For those who like serious air,

. he points to the Gap, where laun-
_ ching and landings pads are 27ft.

An eight year vet of the sport,
Doll can soar to heights of 30ft

in laying down a 40ft, jump.

He recalis one instructor warn-

} ‘ing, “IE 1 got any more air I'd
| _ have to get a (flying) licence.”

As for expansion of the park, he

‘planned to start work this week

on the half-pipe and eventually
wars to see two of them. :

A full-time snowboarding in-
siructor at Shames, Doll recently
passed his Level I certification.

He formed the NWSA last Sep-
tember {0 promote the. sport.
When he first put the idea around,
response was immediate and
enthusiastic with 40 people in-
dicating they would sign up.

However, ‘‘getting them to join
was another thing,’ Doll admits,
There are a dozen paid-up mem-

Jeff Doll

bers at the moment, but he’s con-
fident that number will grow. ;

Located underneath the chair
lift near the bettom of the
mountain, the Ranch is a fenced .
off ‘area is about 70 yards long
and fairly flat terrain.

But, Doll emphasizes, snow» .
boarders don’t need steep fo per
form impressive moves, Small
bumps boring to a skier can give
boarders enough lift to execute:
180s or even 340s, he explains, *

Having an area exclusively for
snowboardes is an innovation
and Doll belicves all. ski hills
should follow Shames’ example..°

' Conceding skiers and snow- —
boarders are a mix which has not -
always worked well, he says the .
idea should be “sharing the:
mounlain and sharing the fun.” -

A facility like the Ranch allows
that to happen, he suggests, ad-

ding Smithers is now looking ata oo

similar set-up,
And while tht perception might... ate

be snowboarding is for young

‘people only, that’s not the case, :

Dol! points out a few of his stu-

“dents area generation older “and.

they love it.

“Tt’s a lot more frustrating ‘at
first,” he says of the sport, but -
maintains it’s ultimately easier to
learn than skling.

And it’s easier on the body. An.
ex-skier, Doll says he suffered
kne: injuries downhilling, but not |
since switching to a board.

For more information on the
sport or NWSA, contact Doll at
Shames Mountain, ,

Athletes storm the Fort

AN EVEN 50: that was the medal
haul for Terrace athletes competi-
ng at the Feb, 3-6 Northern B.C.
Winter Games.

Local members of the northwest
zone tcam picked up 22 gold, 14
silver and 14 bronze across six
sports.

Leading the Fort St. John gold,
silver and bronze rush were the
gymnasts who collected 38
medalsinall. .

Kathy Arbuah and Fiona Earl
each picked up four gold as they
dominated their respective divi-
sions.

Arbuah took top spot in floor,
uneven bars and vault and a silver

on the beam to lock up the all
round gold in A Argo.

Earl finished atop the B Open
class on the strength of golds on
the beam, floor and uneven bars

plus a vaulting bronze.
Camille Fagan and Chelscy
Schulmeister and Annadelle

Kurtz combined for a dozen
medals in the B Argo division.

Fagan finished with two gold,
including the all round, a silver
and two bronze, Schulmeister two
gold and two silver and Kurtz a
gold and two bronze.

Meghan Wasterman mined. gold
in B Tyro floor and vault, Erin
Sandhals added two more to the

team haul in A Tyro beam and
bas while Amanda Annibal
vaulied to a first place finish in B
Open competition.

On the badminton courts Lori
Buleau finalled “in both ber
evens, bringing home gold in the
senior girls singles and a silver in
mixed doubles. ~

Terrace’s wrestlers were on
form as well, Greg Buck and Agit
Jaswal turning in golden per-
formances in their divisions while
Matt Kerby silvered and bronzes
were collected by John Veilleux
and Jim O’Brien.

Out on the ice, Terrace’s figure
skalers were’ unbeatable In the

recreation —_ptecision “event,” ;
Leanne Ballinger,  Kalie. . pl
Dediluke, Kendra Eys, Ein. } |.
Goodall, Jill Harvey, Carie. .

Tamele, Vanessa LeBlanc, Danlel
Miller, Grace Miltchell,. Dana °

Randrup and Nicole Sheppard |...

combining theirtaients for gold,
Other successful team efforts .

saw Lavern Chinn, Danny. oy

Daumont, Medrick Duncan’ and
Tammy Haselmeyer roll:

bronze in Special Olympic bowl es |

ing while the aduit volleybatiers
spiked another bronze.

For full details on the Games - i ae

medal winners, see. the:
Scoreboard on page C12, °

Atom-ic power takes tourney

TERRACE ATOMS combined
offensive firepower wilh stingy
defence to take a recent Fraser
Lake tourney.

Terrace’s opening game, a 10-1
shelling of Burns Lake, made it
clear they were a force to be mck-
oned with and game two, an 11-2
pasting of host Fraser Lake un-
derlined il.

That pair of wins gave Terrace
lop spot in iheir pool and set up a
semi-final meeting with Smithers.

Although a tighter game, Ter-
Tace sharp shooters found the net
regularly enough to pace the tram
toan 8-4 viclory.

Facing Vanderhoof in the final,
Terrace got off to a rocky stati,

giving up a pair in the first eight

minules, :
“But the team: ‘dug in and, with
both offence and defence hitting

~ their stride, batiled back to an 8-4
“ye Miotory.
z Coaches Gory 1 Demester and.

f
eee Pe ee eT did ah Po we A teak

TERRACE ATOMS | pose with thal trophies following their convincing march to the Fraser iake
tournament title, Coached by Gerry Demester(left) and Karl Boucreault, taam members were (back
row, left to right) Darren Bentham, Jerrid Demester, Cory Wood, Justin Lockhart, Ryan Nester,
Ryan Smoley, Kiyo Godo, Adam Huli and (in front) Lance Armstrong, Brian Rilgier (behind goalie) .

JJ, Boudreault and Brick Karrer.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED -

Karl Boudreault said the players’

“superb tcam work’? and individ-
ual determination had been the
key in their victorious Swcep.

The Atoms tallied 37 goals in

inthe process, «
All members of developmental

the four games, giving up only 11.

program, the 12-mcember squad
was picked ftom among those |.

who -weren’| already commited =: .

to: ‘house « Jeague games --

ae ae