Over the Edge + February 22, 2006 Sports and Clubs 11 Prince George- Style Ice Racing TYLER CLARKE SPORTS AND CLUBS EDITOR In early February the CN Centre played host to the Ice Racing World Championships. The event consisted of motorcycles, quads, and rocked bar- stools (funny-looking racing devices where the racers are literally sitting on a tall barstool). There were several wipe-outs, re~ sulting in one player being sent to the hospital, damaging an already injured ankle. To be fair, these wipe-outs made sense, as they were racing on ice that was constantly being slicked with a zamboni. The most humorous wipe-out was when “The Big Dog” from the radio station 94X FM was blindsided by a fellow DJ on a rocked barstool, smush- ing him against a wall. The audience, primarily younger children and couples (generally with significantly happier-looking males than females), did not seem to particu- larly care about who won this event, as evident by the severe lack of people attending the awards ceremony; they just went to see some good racing, and some good wipe-outs. They were not disappointed. Ice Racing seemed very much like a new experience, as not many people seem to have heard of it, but surpris~: TYLER CLARKE ingly it has been around since 1923, originating in Wales and Australia. It wasnt until 1975 that it was brought indoors, with hybrid-racing machines, making it the sport Prince George resi- dents witnessed at the CN Centre. The sport is significantly more popu- lar in the United States, with all but one of the racers living there. Although Prince George must not be large enough to get the full event, with us lacking Outlaw Quads (wider, lower quads), X-Treme Karts (fast go-karts), and the Nitro-Ice Speedway Motor- cycle Division (longer bikes than in at- tendance), just about everyone seemed. to enjoy it regardless. The Olympics: The George W. Bush of Sporting Events DEVIN KING CONTRIBUTOR You might be aware that the 2006 Winter Olympics have begun in Tu- rin, Italy, The Olympics are a way for nations of the world to unite in broth- erly camaraderie and enjoy the love of sports. At least, this is what the Olym- pics should strive to be. If they should strive to be at all. There are a lot of people telling us that the world is in trouble. Bono tells us about African poverty, George Bush tells us about a war on terror. There are a lot of bad things going on, But there are still the Olympics, bringing every-. one together for the sake of love. Well, love and gold medals. Maybe not love at all, come to think of it. In fact, the whole Olympic thing seems more like a selfish, nationalistic endeavor to prove to the other nations of the world how much better you are than everyone else. ‘The cost of these games is currently sit- CHRISTOPHER PIKE / CANADIAN UNIVERSITY PRESS ting at about 3.6 billion dollars. 3.6 billion, That could go a long way to helping poverty, couldn't it? It couldnt end the problem, no. Still, every bit helps. 3.6 billion, that’s a good bit of money. As it stands, the Olympics don't serve much of a real purpose at all. We spend all this money, and for what? A few weeks of television coverage, between com- ~ metcials for McDonald's? Ah yes, the Olympic spirit truly is alive and thriv- ing. ‘These costs are important to remem- bet, considering the Olympics are com- ing to Vancouver in a few years. Addi- tional spending is allotted to the city, meant to be spread across the city in an attempt to beautify it and prepare for the coming of tourists. As citizens, we must question how this money is to be spent. It seems likely that this influx of money to Vancouver wont be spent to improve the city’s degraded areas, but. will instead be extended to the affluent parts of the city. So when you watch the Olympics this year, when you sit down with a cold beverage and some popcorn, question what the function of these games are. Question what this money could have done to make the world a better place. Also, question why you haven't done any better yourself. The Apprentice, UNBC-Style TYLER CLARKE SPORTS AND CLUBS EDITOR “Money money money money, MONEY?’ If the week before reading week you heard this song continually played to the point of creating a brain hemorrhage, in the Wintergarden, NUGSS was to blame, for it was time for the annual UNBC Apprentice. There were four teams, who after each task got “fired” by Mr. Donald Trump. The first task involved promoting a department at the Hudson's Bay. The second task involved pushing the Spruce Credit Union upon stu- dents, The Orange team was fired, the Trump citing a lack of overall creativity, thanks to unprofessional out-of-focus pictures taken. They got UNBC beer glasses as a consolation prize. The Blue team, who called their ap- proach “Gangster,” kept on to the next round, along with the Pink team, who won this round “by a long shot,’ according to Trump, because they UNBC Pre-med Club Presents a “ripped it and ripped it.’ Their third task was to push a new Pepsi product, the Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry drink. The Pepsi representa- tives advice was to “always have fun and sell lots.” Whichever team came back with the biggest profit was to win. “Electrify the school,’ said Trump, who would grade this upcoming task creativity, and applying to the target market. The Blue team won this event, gain- ing $1.63 a can, with the Pink getting $1.43 a can, and subsequently fired. The next round was played between members of the Blue team, who com- peted to create the best commercial for Advantage Wireless. Brianna Epp won this task, winning two Via Rail round trip tickets from Prince George . to Jaspet, with paid accommodations. This is the ‘second consecutive year this event has been held in Prince George, both times hosted by NUGSS. Medical Information Conference March 4th, 2006 Doors Open 12:30pm - Northern Health Sciences Building, Room 9-200 For more information or itinerary email ah alse baa al com UBC Diplomain _ Accounting Program if-you are a university graduate seeking a professional accounting designation, you can fast-track your education-through the UBC Diploma in Accounting Progam (DAP); UBC DAP's curriculum is recognized by the Chartered Accountants School of Business (CASB) and satisfies most of the CMA and CGA program requirements: APPLICATION DEADLINES FOR 2006 Courses starting-in. May? “ March 1, 2006 (international applicants): ® March 31, 2006 (Canadian applicants) Courses starting in September: « June 5, 2006 (international applicants) » July 7.2006 (Canadian applicants) To jearn more call 604 822 8412 or'visit wwwisauderubc.ca/dap SAUDER School of Business Opening Worlds THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLLIMBIA Counselors: Combined childcare/teaching. Must be able to teach or lead one or more of the following activities: gymnastics, tennis, swim (WS!’s), safl, canoe, water ski, arts | {including stained glass, sewing, jewelry, wood, photo), dance, music, theatre, archery, wilderness trips, field sports, equestrian, crab wall. iService Workers: including openings for kitchen, laundry, housekeeping, secretaries, maintenance & grounds, and kitchen supervisor, jNon-smokers only. June 18 to August 20, Attractive salary (US) plus travel allowance. 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