—— = Page 14, March 1981 Cassiar Courier NORTHERN B.C. WINTER GAMES Cassiar was represented in three sports in the North. ern B.C. Winter Games in Prince Rupert. The group of; 18 brought back ‘2 gold, 2 silver and one bronze medal: The weather was nice down in Prince Rupert with the sun smiling on the famed rain capital on all four days of competition. The folks in town certainly are the most hos- pitable bunch we ever met. The following reports cover the 3 sports Cassiar was involved in. INDOOR SOCCER BY TEAM CAPTAIN: GEORGE MILLAR The Cassiar contingent of “‘international”’ stars some- how found themselves on the wrong side of an apparent- ly very flexible soccer schedule i.e. the schedule changed every day you looked at it! The wrong side (for Cassiar) included the strongest teams in the tournament — Kitimat, Prince Rupert and Prince George, all of whom play all year round, indoors and out. The other side of the draw, where the ‘‘Cassiar Crunchers” (or “Wong's Wobbiers and Millar’s Marauders” of last edition of Cassiar Courier) would have been more at home, and would have fared well, included such world-famous and noteworthy teams as ‘‘Ed’s Diner’, ‘‘Tom’s Truckstop” and “The Flying TV Repairs’’ — none of whom would -have endangered Vancouver Whitecaps’ tilt at the N.A.S.L. indoor championship. However, such was our tuck! SOCCER TEAM IN ACTION In the first game against Kitimat, after lan Cartwright and Brian Archer had convinced themselves that they might still have both legs. at the end of the game, having earlier witnessed some atrocious refereeing and ferocious play, Cassiar allowed Kitimat to take a 3 - 1 lead at half- time. No real excuses, but some of the ‘‘internationally interlaced ‘’ locals were a bit overawed by the pace of the game, and some strange “house “ rules regarding goal- keeper areas. We found our feet, however, in the second half, and managed to pull the game back to a tie, on a free kick by Steve Curila, which the “referee’’ refused to allow, to the dismay of the Cassiar players, and the view- ing fans, who had apparently “turned on” in Cassiar’s favour. At the end of the game, which Cassiar assumed \was a draw — as did a well-known provincial soccer dig- - nitary who was visiting and viewing — the Kitimat play- ers created a fierce verbal battle with the game score- keepers and tournament director, the result of which was a 3—3 score, and the expulsion of a Kitimat player. ‘To the credit of John Wong's. coolness and the Cassiar ‘team, the conduct of the Cassiar crew was admirable, especially under the circumstances. The team left the gym, believing aiey had tied their first game with Kit- imat. THE KEY TO YOUR INCOME TAX PROBLEMS | IN CASSIAR - LEE CORAN | 205 SMITH STREET PHONE 778-7456 MON & TUES 9a.m. - 5p.m. WED & THURS 9.30 - 9p.m. OTHER TIMES BY APPOINTMENT ONLY The next day, however, when we appeared at the gym, not only had our schedule changed (one game at 3.30 vs Prince Rupert, followed by a back-to-back game against Prince George at 4.30) but so had the score against Kit- imat. It now stood at 4 - 3 for Kitimat. Apparently, there had been some nocturnal negotiations between the referee anda “related’’. Kitimat player, and agreement had been reached on anew score! A formal protest from the Cassiar team, and the threat of some players to withdraw were to no avail, and the score will go down in the record books as 4 - 3, but we know better, don’t we? Cassiar’s last two games can best be remembered for a few memorable incidents - least of which were the scores of 8 - 0 and 9 - 1 against Prince Rupert and Prince George respectively. Some unforgettable memories were of John _ Wong hopping on one leg down the gym, chasing a ball after throwing away his crutches (he was injured in the Kitimat fracas), the shell - shocked look on lan Cart- wright’s face as balls whistled by him (no fun, lan!), the determined effort of Terry Farrell to bring back pieces of Prince Rupert and Prince George players’ legs to see if they might add, some new flavour to the cafeteria fare, and the desperate look on George Millar’s face as he searched the crowd for some oxygen tanks in the last game against Prince George. In the end, despite the scores, the Cassiar players did their best and can be quite pleased with their effort. They did not give in, although they were up against the “class” of the tournament, especially against Prince George (who took the Gold, Prince Rupert the Silver, and Kitimat the Bronze). Much more serious practice is needed if Cassiar hopes to-come close-to teams which practice all year. The talent is here, but a little.more dedication is needed in practice. At present , however, we are not, it’s safe to say, a strong threat to the Whitecaps, or even the Edmonton Drillers. Give us a year or two, and a few good “‘drafts’’, and then they might be in.trouble! All in all, a creditable © showing, and a fine effort by all. BADMINTON BY OLAVO SANTOS MEN’S DOUBLES The badminton team which went to Prince Rupert for the Northern B.C. Winter Games consisted of 3 students Gwen Hudson, Joselito Santos and Olavo Santos. These students competed against teams from Smithers, Terrace, Williams Lake, Fort Nelson, Prince Rupert, Prince George and all over Northern B.C. in a double knock out tournament. All three students played singles, Gwen Hudson and Olavo Santos played mixed doubles Joselito Santos and Olavo Santos played in the boys doubles, and Gwen Hudson teamed up with a girl from Terrace for the girls doubles. - The results were as follows: Gwen Hudson: Gold - Girls Singles Olavo Santos: Gold - Boys Singles Gwen Hudson and Olavo Santos: silver - Mixed Doubles Gwen Hudson and partner from Terrace: Bronze - Girls Doubles. - SQUASH BY PAT ‘‘Read at your own discretion’ MAGUIRE. January the seventh was the day! This was the day our squash team left Cassiar and competed against the best in the land at the game which has recently become Canada’s No. 2 game. The squash team comprised of Pat Maguire (where did | leave ma Haggis?), James (Jim the hit man) Gilpin, Albert (smash a racquet in one lesson) Gondurak and Guy Gregoire (la plume de ma tante). The coach ride to Prince Rupert was enjoyable, with the beauty of the tailings pile becoming more attractive as we left it far behind. Trouble, as expected, did become a reality on the coach as the soccer players and their en- tourage, began their sing - a - long ritual which continued until we reached our destination. With George Millar lead- ing the rest with his soprano voice, his affable partner Terry Farrell decided that his vocal chords were better and proceeded to attempt to outdo his fellow soccer part- ner, with the result that by the time the bus reached Dease Lake, the soccer team appeared as happy as the men who frequent the cafeteria on a steak night. At long last the coach drew into a parking lot in Prince Rupert and as the driver put on the breaks, a mighty yell erupted from the occupants of the bus - yes, George Millar had stopped singing! Most of the badminton players left our company, which was not too surprising, obviously they had had enough of John Wong's jokes, examples of which can be heard in most kindergartens! As for the squash team, they were well looked after by their hosts, and were booked into most luxurious premises with comfort as the prime concern. Next morn- ing arrived, and with it came ghastly tales being told of Mr Farrell's snoring habits during the night, accompanied -by Mr. Millars rendition of Fleurs o’ Scotland. This was den- ied of course, as both the parties accused, stated that they — lay awake all night and couldn’t sleep, not because of the impending tournaments, but simply that mney had Slept ; the day before whilst at work. ‘The ablutions were finished and as the proud ‘squash team headed for the squash courts, heads turned and the local townsfolk pointed fingers at the team as they marchi- ed two by two downtown. Reason being of course the kilt worn by Pat Maguire was slightly longer than It should have been, in fact it was swinging around his ankles just above his Adidas shoes! : Game No. 1 was Jim Gilpin, a dear and respected mem- ber of the 700 club. His opponent, a local lad, left Jim no choice but to play as only a top quality player should. Determination, endurance, and stamina were being given out that morning in the squash court. Jim asked the re- feree where he could buy some. The game ended, and the Prince Rupert man was helped to his feet by his fellow supporters as Canada’s answer to Babe Ruth stood in the corner, hands held high, a smile on his face, his lips curled, and the profile of a future champion could be seen by the spectators, as Jim left the court, swaggering with a touch of the Humphrey Bogart look. Game No. 2 was for Al Gondurak, a very dear and re- spected member of the Cafeteria Dining Room and an authority on the Bantu Tribes of Eastern Africa and their Gardening Habits. The game began as Albert, raced from one end of the court to the other, - backhand, forehand, and volley were demonstrated by Albert, a fine and noble player, as the onlookers cheered wildly. Then his opponent entered the court. Now it was for real. Nothing was spared as Mr. Gon- durak paced his adversary till, at last a breakthrough!!! The warmup period was over and the referee called on the two men to begin the game. Treacherous backhands by his opponent made our man look weak until a rally halfway thru the game brought Albert back, as-a force to be reck- oned with. A pool of energy, an accomplished player and an inspiration to all men-was Albert. Like his: pre- decessor, Albert lost by only two points, although just be- - fore the end of the game Albert looked as though his miner strength would pull him thru, but as he sidestepped his opponent, Al’s right arm was curved to make the shot .- of all lifetime, and then without any warning, he smashed his racquet into the wall, resulting in a bruised wall and a two. bit racquet. The noise of all this awoke the spectators and they clapped unabatedly as the players left the court. The morale of the team was not lifted as evidence of the results of the soccer players came filtering thru. Casualty Continued on Page 15. — Compers Have you lost your lighter? Perhaps it became a - part of Comper’s sculpture entitled “WHAT COLOR WAS IT?...never saw it’’, the first work on view as one entered the Aurora Art Centre during Comper’s Art Exhibit which began with a private showing February 11. This show then re- — _ mained open to the public from Feb. 12 to Feb. 19. The collection of 22 works included several well- - executed pencil drawings, mixed media, an oil painting, a carving and three pieces of sculpture. A realistic pencil drawing of a Portrait of the Art- ist as a Young Man contrasted in style to that of a triptych entitled “Batman Meets Spiderman (and loses)”, a powerful abstract composition of twists and turns, dark and light, with no begin- _ning and no end. There was also a feeling of infinity in the piece entitled “Sensual Mountains 1981”, in which the artist used an aerial photograph of the Cassiar Mountains, masking tape and pencil to subtly. shape a female form. And masking tape with pen- cil was employed in two other abstracts — “A Voice in the Wilderness” and “Escape With Eleg- ance’’ Comper, a versatile artist, showed power and: drama in his series of 4 Euclids entitled “Cassiar Decadence II’. done with felt pen, ink and a cre- ative use of fi ire; the same characteristics in me- dium and style was evident in a portrait of an old man.titled “Victoria At Night, 1980”. A sense of stillness and mystery could be felt as one viewed the painting “Alle Porte Del Sole, 1981”. a com- position of a single door at the end of a series of archways located in Italy. Squash Continued from previous page. ~ John Wong on. crutches didn't help and he complained bitterly at not being given bamboo canes by the hospital staff. Casualty Terry Farrell limped bravely on, looking like something out of Treasure Island, but as he didn’t have a parrot on his shoulder, he didn’t quite look the part. George Millar, bent almost double, muttered some- . thing about the game being fixed, and began telling the onlookers, who were comprised mostly of old age pension- ers and unemployed elephant trainers that from now on, he will only play for the New York Cosmos! But back to the squash courts where Pat Maquirene a dear and respected member of the Cassiar Stray Dog Society and part-time bagpipe repairman, entered the ~ court to encounter the opposition! The game started at a furious rate, with Pat wearing his opponent down through skilful maneouvers, crafty killer type shots and an exam- ple of undiluted stamina. Shouts from the Scottish contin-. gency high up in the viewing gallery, of “Git right in there” and other comments were appreciated by the Cas- _ siar player,who then found himself trailing behind by two points. Not even an extra helping of porridge, nor the two fingers of Scotch whiskey at the one minute interval help- ed revive this brave and undaunting player. The game appeared as though it would never end as the two players fought to the end, sweat dripping from their brows. mus- cles taut with the strain of it all. Pat decided it was time to finish and ina most: generous and most sportsmanlike ‘manner, gave his enemy the one point he so desperately ‘needed to win the game. Throughout all of the games,stood Guy Gregoire, wait: ing to show his talent; he didn’t have long to wait! Guy began his game with a mixture of blood curdling yells‘and screams.. Apparently, his Opponent had inadvertantly stood on his foot, but this act of violence did not deter Mr. Gregoire. He quickly made French Canadian Pea Soup of the man, and as the broken Prince Rupert man was led out, Guy stood in the middle of the court shout- ing, “Who eez zee next man?” Another figure entered the court and before you could sing “Oh Canada” in French, “the two of them were hard at it. Guy had the player baf- fled, he had most of the spectators baffied too, as he PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST ASA YOUNG MAN “THE EXHIBIT switched his racquet from left-to right, from right to left, and occasionally ,he even kicked the squash ball when his opponent wasn’t looking. Yes, this was Nirvana! No doubt about it, watching this squash game was about as enjoy- able as eating dinner in the cafeteria when the cook was in a good mood!- Guy. was ferocious at times, as he stampeded around the court growling at his partner, growling at the specta- tors, and even growling at himself!! As time dragged 6n, the spectators were Become im- _patient ‘for the game to end, and as empty milk cartons and empty Galoise cigarette-packets were tossed down in- to the court to hurry the game on a bit, Guy Gregoire turned utterly nasty! His racquet in one hand and a street map of Montreal in the other, he gave everything to the game, all he could muster. Alas, our last team had very lit- . tle to give, and as the seconds ticked by Guy conceded to the Prince Rupert man. All the above makes interesting, if perhaps somewhat sad, reading. Interesting, in that all of our squash team,- individually demonstrated the kind of play they exercise at the Cassiar Squash Club. They showed all of us, the _ brave men they were, the resolute men they were, and above all they. showed us — THEY WERE MEN! The saddest part to the story is that each and everyone of them lost by only a maximum of two points. The court they played in at Prince Rupert was not like our own here ‘in Cassiar, thereby possibly confusing their judgement and - ‘their play. Also sad, was that the bars and the Prince Ru- ‘pert ladies were simply too much for them to handle. , As a postscript, | may mention that all of the squash players who came from all over the Province, remarked on the playing abilities of our squash players, namely, their sheer aggression, their unyielding determination and their tenacity when the going got tough. Our congratulations were sent to all the players, along with a personal letter from Bete Trudea, who wished them “better luck next year’. THE ABOVE REPORT WAS TRANSMITTED BY SATELLITE TO OUR EDITING OFFICES IN TOWN. ADMIN., OUR REPORTER WAS PAT EDREAMES MAGUIRE i D1) Foal 5 oN Kyo one et Cassiar Courier March 1981, Page 15 | Art Exhibit 6y Vivian Gousins Photography, silver print and pencil were com- bined to create unique and interesting compos-— itions — “1318 Ivy Palace Revisited (using a por- trait of the artist’s sister) 1981” and “Person Sit- ‘ting in an Empty Chair 1981” Comper also showed his artistic expertise and ver- satility in his delicately carved soapstone entitled “The Ravens had a Feast, 1981” and in his use of bones and skulls to creat humorous but provoc- ative sculptures. ‘‘Ceremocial Masks 1981” con- sisted of a set of five masks which were molded, shaped and painted from a mixed media of poul- try bones, paint, beads, wool and leather — accom- panied by a legend from the artists’s archives. Space does not permit a description of all the works of art in the Exhibition, but Comper shows , artistry and skill in his treatment of all his ideas and subjects. Walter Comper was born and raised in Cassiar, at- tended the Cassiar” School to Grade 10 and Van- couver College for Grades 11 and 12. Walter furthered his education at the University of Vic- . toria, majoring in Fine Arts. He is presently em- ployed at Cassiar Resources, but spends most of his free time at the Centre producing more draw- ings, paintings and sculpture. If you missed this Exhibit, be sure to attend . “Fools in Paradise II” at the Aurora Art Centre, — -beginning April 1, 1981. ; oe Review by Dan Davidson, Faro, Yukon BULLET FOR ASTAR, H. B. Jove Books, 144 Pages $1.50, MURDER ON THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD, Pen- guin, 197 Pages $1.95, YOU BET YOUR LIFE, Charter Books, 213 pages $2.25, by Stuart Kaminsky. Kaminsky has come up with an interesting revival of the 1940’s style hard-boiled detective. Toby Peters is his name. He used to be a security agent and a bunch of other things. but in the year Losohe is a slightly used private detective. 2 “My face was in my Bare. | badly needed a haircut, but sometimes the slightly wild look was just what a client wanted in a bodyguard. My nose had been broken three times ... a valuable asset. It announced that | had known violaceus Toby specializes in cases that involve celebrities. This gives Kaminsky, a film historian and critic, a chance to play all sorts of cute games with some of the bigger stars of the 1940's. This is the hook that this series sets for the nostaligia buff. It is bait worth taking since the stories are invariably interesting. ? f BULLET FOR A STAR involves Toby with a plot against the person of Errol Flynn; a case he solves with the assistance of folks like Bogart, Peter Lorre and Ed- ward G. Robinson. ~ MURDER ON THE “YELLOW BRICK ROAD in- volves our hero with-- you guessed it- Judy Garland, then _a “child star” and still fresh from making the Wizard of Oz. When a dwarf in a munchkin costume is found on the yellow brick road. set and Judy is threatened, Toby Peters is called in. ~YOU BET YOUR LIFE was the most fun, so far. Toby’s clients are the Marx Brothers. To save Chicko from — a gambling frame-up, Peters has to interview a senile Al -. Capone and deal with. some left-over bigwigs in chicsaa’s underworld: So far, each of these books has followed on ihe heels of the previous one with hardly a break. Something hap- pens at the end 01 che case to alert us as to what is coming next. Book four in the series will be called The Howard - Hughes Affair. It is due out shortly. I’m looking forward to it.