#0 - Sunday, June 27, 1999 — North Shore News

Trails’ |

Dear Editor:

Re: the Friday June 18
article “Mountain bikers draft
code of conduct.”

The so-called “circuit”
referred to in the article was
destroyed, not dismantled. A
crew of workers was sent up on
June 8 to The Pre-Reap and
The Reaper with chainsaws
and hacked down all the beau-
tifu] man-made and_ natural
structures on the trail.

They left all the hundreds,
if not thousands, of picces
lying beside the trail.

West Vancouver Director of
Parks and Recreation Kevin
Pike said action was taken for
cgai liabilicy and environmen-

damage.

The Reaper’s structures
that were cut into many small
pieces and left scattered
around minimized ground
crosion (while maximizing
fun). The Pre-Reap and
Reaper had far less damage to
the forest floor than any other
aril on the North Shore. The
half dozen or so small trees
(most of them already dead)
cut down on these trails pales

in comparison with a golf
course or the housing develop-
ment that is going in under the
first lookout at Cypress.

If the reporter had done a
little research he would have
found out that the teenage
mountain biker needing the
agmergency spleen operation”

id not fall on The Pre-Reap
di Reaper, but crashed on
another trail on Cypress
mountain.

The “structure” on which
the teen injured himself still
stands, and people are riding it
every day. In addition, the
British Properties first look-out
trail (a hiking trai] on Cypress)
has sections in which one
wrong step would mean death
or very scrious injury.

If West Vancouver District
is concerned about liability it
seems strange to me that it
would destroy a perfectly good
mountain bike trail yet leave a
far more dangerous hiking trail
which is in grave need of
repair.

The North Shore
Mountain Biking Association
(NSMBA) claims that it did

north shore news

MAIL Box
More sports programs needed

not approve the Reaper and
Pre-Reap, yet these trails exist-
ed five years before the
NSMBA and many members
of the NSMBA enjoyed them.
North Shore mountain bik-
ing has become famous world-
wide because of clite trails like
The Reaper and Pre-Reap.
With the recent dismantling of
The Swollen Uvula and now
the destruction of the The Pre-
Reap and Reaper, the North
Shcre has lost ewo cutting:
edge mountain bike trails.
These trails pushed the lim-
its of the riders and the sport
and enabled good riders to get
better. I believe that I speak for
many mountain bikers when
saying that these trails, espe-
cially the Pre-Reap and Reaper
will be missed immensely. I am
disturbed how West Vancouver
District could so easily decide
to destroy, without any consul-
tation with riders of these
trails, a creation so beautifully
inspiring and fun.
Daniel “The
Cowan
North Vancouver
dancowan@ultranet.ca

Renegade”

Boart’s letter failed te answer
key crossing-guart question

Dear Editor:

The June 20 “Crossing
Guard Issue Explained” letter
from the North Vancouver
District 44 Schoo! Board chair-
man explained nothing.

Tt was a partial history of
costly steps taken by concerned
citizens to correct a problem
created by the school board
itself.

watt needed explanation

as wh the board entered into
ement with its

union to yprohubit the continua-
tion of volunteer adults and

students to be school crossing: .

guards; and how to get out of
this union\North Vancouver
School Bozrd betrayal of stu-
dent safety,» 2°

Asingle sentence addressed.

the subject: “There is much yet
to do as some collective agree-

ment issues require ‘resolu-
n

Will taxpayers piece off the
union with more 4x dollars for

jobs that would never have
been unionized if the school
board was competeni :
Removing the board’s right
to sign a collective agreement
without public debate and

approval would be a prudent
preventive against future stu-
pidity. ve

J. Edwards

North Vancouver
edwards@direct.ca

Dear Editor:

Why aren’t there more
high schools on the North
Shore offering a sports pro-
gram for competitive high-
level athletes?

I am an equestrian who
believes horseback riding is a
sport. Most people consider
a truce sport any game or
physical = exertion — that
includes a ball. Riding might
not involve a ball (except
polo), however, it is physical-
ly demanding and the emo-
tional side offi riding surpasses
a mere ball game by includ-
ing the mood swings of
human and animal.

Considering that the lat-
ter can have bad days, unlike
a tennis ball, riders must
occasionally deal with a
1,000-pound animal in a bad
mood. After months of train-
ing, moncy and time, disap-
pointments tend to arise,
although they are heavily
outweighed by the positive,
gratifying side of a relation-
ship between a horse and
rider. How often can you sec
your soccer ball gleaming in
the sun as it happily munch-
¢s on some grass?

At my stable we must put
in at least 30 hours a weck of
training, which makes me
wonder why only certain

igh schools on da North
Shore provide a sufficient
sports program. A sports
program allows serious ath-

tes to drop physical educa-
tion and certain other clec-
tives in order to leave school
earlier in the day to get more
practice in a sport. This pro-
gram was designed for young

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peuple deeply committed to
a time-consuming athletic
activity. These teenage ath-
letes must be in a high level
of competition.

I compete in “A” level
shows, and yet when my
mother asked my school if an
athletic program was offered
she was told it was only if the
student is at an Olympic
level. How are you supposed
to become Olympic level
with so little after-school

time?

I realize that this program
could be abused, but F also
know that this arrangement
could also be beneficial to
the dedicated athletes such as
myself. Please, if we could
just get the message out that
we need this program the
serious, athletic students in
all high schools could profit
from the arrangement.
Tiffany Foster
North Vancouver

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