Se rn eee Calcu SEEMS everyone I know is complaining about how much money they have to pay to keep their kids an sports these days. As [anticipate buying ver another pair of hoe skates for a kid who is to asummer hockey camp (and whose feet have refused to stop growing). im sniv- elling too. Buta quick survey of my friends last week showed me that ho s cheap com- pared with some of the other sports kids are into today. Take horseback riding, for example. A friend of mine gave me a real eve opener about that patrician sport. Her teenaged daugh- ter is an equestrian, aud takes riding lessons here on the North Shore three times a week. She figu and her husband sp almost $10,000 a year to cover the of the horse going shows. re currently debating g the girl a horse, (anywhere from $5,000 10 $25,000) which will almost Baglin ox Friday, July 24, 1998 — North ore News - 7 ing the cost of the sporting life double their annual costs, given stable, vet, and inter est charges. Needless to say, the of horseback riding is not tor those of light pocket- book. Hockey, on the other hand, costs about S400 a car for registration, and $600 to cquip ana 12-year-old wirh new gear, including skates. Untortunately used ho: equipment really stinks (like a combination of vomit and to sport gear from kid to tamily to save a little money. In comparison ta some oF the other popalar sporis of today, like gymnastics 3¢ $300 a month, the $1,000 for a whole season of hockey looks cheap. Then there are the figure skaters: Not long ago } fool ishly remarked to a triend that she was fucky her daughter chose to figure skate. Bow, Jid To get an earful fram her! She informed nie that when skaters start vcri ously compenny, their skates Mone can cost up to $1500, Sequined performance leotards cost as much as $300, bur, like the hoarse back riding, the greatest expense in this sport is coaching tees. My friend, whose daughter is 13, ny ures they spend over $350 a month in coaching fees for just one skater. Hf vour skater is really serious, that figure can balloon to as much as $1,500 a month, Even snowboarding fooks cheap compared with thar, To outtit vour boarder these davs, be prepared to pay $1,000 tor the hardware (board, ats, bindings), $500 for cloth: re the kid is equipped, a junior season's pass at Cypress Bow costs about $375, Total sea: sonal cost for a snowboard: cr, after Factoring in trans: portation on the shutuke, funches, and lose gloves, comes close to $2,900, Blasting concerns raised Dear Editor: Re “Cypress blasting con- cerns,” (NS News, June 12). At the June 8 West Vancouver Council meeting, Councillor Bill Soprovich asked some serious questions about con- struction work to be under- taken for ski development in the Montizambert Creck community watershed on Mount Strachan in Cypress Provincial Park. This summer, Cypress Bowl Recreations (not the province, as reported) ) plans to do blasting for ski run upgrades near the headwaters oF “Montizambert Creek, and later to cut new ski runs, involving substantial logging, through a previously untouched old-growth forest on Mount Strachan in what is clearly marked “community watershed on B.C. Parks’ Laws need reviewing Dear Editor: In response to the July 10 letter from Hans A. Kummer, as well as to Leo Knight’s July 8 column, i'd like to ask a question. Is there not some- uns wrong with our judicial em (and by extension the that permits accused murders not to be thrown in jail until otherwise proved innocent, but rather allows them free movement in public? Is this not a case of being blind to the deterioration of the basic social values we have benetit- ted from in the past? If not that, what then is the reason for the lack of clamor and the need of serious review for this state of affairs? E.R. Bizir West Vancouver Montizamibert Creek sup- plics water for certain dow stream) = commuunitics past Horseshoe Bay on Highway 99. The creck is already known to have both a low summer flow and a moderate ly high probability of debris torrent occurrence. What effect will blasting and logging have on downstream water users? Last August, West Vancouver Council adopted a set of conditions which coun- cil said must be mer by the province and Cypress Bowl Recreations befure council will agree to the construction of water and sewer links through the municipality to the expanded ski area. veral of these conditions indicated concern about potential detrimental impacts on West Vancouver creeks and water supplies. Council tas had no formal response from the province on these condi- tions, yet work is going ahead that may have a negative impact on West Vancouver. It would be beneficial for Cypress Bow! Recreations and B.C. Parks to make a presenta- tion to West Vancouver Council on these matters, with opportunity far questions from all concerned, before it’s too late. Katharine Steig, Co-Chair Friends of Cypress Park Provincial Park Society West Vancouver Imagine..Shopping at Home Draperies « Bedding Valances ¢ Upholstery ¢ Blinds Only the look is expensive! JABOT Creative Window Coverings & Home Decorating ideas 2413 Marine Dr., West Yan 922-4668 (Fortunstely most boarders dow t need more than cre lessen.) Golf is another night mare. Clubs, which young swingers qaickly outro, can cost $200 used. Then you have to have a golf bag. balls. golt shoes and proper drew for s golf course. A round, even at the junior rate. is usually 230, and lessons cost ut the same. If vou are hacky enough to geta membership at a private club, which here on the North Shore costs trom $30,000 to $50,000 depending op the course, vour children may have play- ing privileges (vour wite, however, won't). Soccer gives the best bang ior vour buck when it comes 10. kids” sports. My daughter has been playing this sport since she was five. We pay S80 to reg: ister ber (includes her uni- form, even the socks!}, wird about a hundred bucks tor cleats. The season lasts from September to April in most ases, Ef it weren't for the fact that parents have to stand G3 a soggy field in inclement weather to watch the sport, soccer would be pertecr. T know, by new you're thinking that we baby boomers are completely out of our minds to be spending this kind of money on cur children’s recreation. And most of us would agree with Bur we start out with darling sittle babies and dreams to be perteet par- ents, And, thinking we are doing the right thing. we introduce them to as many learning experiences as pos: sible. A sport is just one exar- ple of this. As the kids get cider ther vet more serious about their play and the cost of their play gets higher. Stull, we rationalize, hav- ing idren involved in sport. keeps them busy and outvcr trouble, “Better than having them hang out ar 7 Eleven” you'll hear from guilt-ridden parents when vou question the astronon.i- i. I (oh peonces i cal amount of money they spend on their kids p rm just as bad as every: one else is. E have three kids, two hockey plavers, one soc- cer player, three snowboard- ers, and three golfers. We pass a lor of equip- ment around to ssve money, bar it stil costs us a small fortune to keep everyone in the game. If my kids were to take just one vear off sports and hang out at 7-Eleven, I would save enough money to pay for my new vay, oF better vet. buy some big, titanium golf clubs. Now there's a sporting expense that makes sporting sense to me! a9 Oll, Lube & Fitter ew 21 ot Safety check. 15 mnutes - FAST! inctuces Up to 3 titres of 1Ow30 Quakerstate 1362 Marine Drive 980-9115 Mon-Sat 8:00amn-6:00pm, Sun 200arn-5.cOpm Expires July 31, (ol MLETY Oke VTS TROT LE SSTON 4 Vastt ga I ISS TARE BE SHOW Rea Lb doy ss “AN INE UR wy ALERTS “O87. 1293 Tae se Cetiace nh woutinnesseg life chee La ee ewe sedan asasseecesececccacersrassseuesscceseccssencecs Rated Best.Service Shop in ‘th Lower Neiniand DEEP COVE BIKE SHOP. _ “IN BEAUTIFUL DOWNTOWN DEEP COVE WHERE AASTRONOMICALLY LOW PRICES ARE THE LAW WORLD'S LARGEST KONA > Se 929-1918 ° 4310 Galtant Ave., North Van www, covebike.c me konets Samy fpr