Page 16, March 7, 1979 - North Shore News

by Jim Kearney

Mount Seymour. At the ripe old age of five he * took part in his first ‘Ski race, on Grouse Moun- tain.

Today, at 23, he is in

- fourth place. in the World.

‘But wherever he finishes, he'll still be one. of the best ski racers on the entire planet. Also proof that if you want to become proficient at this sort of thing, ‘you have to

Read is the son of a a doctor who just happened to. be interning in Vancouver when his tad. seemed. old

again to Calgary, where Ken grew up and went to school. Lake Louise is now his home base, but the entire world is CAN TAKE SECOND

This year he can’t make it up any higher than second, for first place was cinched a couple of weeks back by Peter Mueller of Swit-

Sunshine and little vers wanted in West Van

Optimisticaly assuming that the rain will not go on forever, West Van _ Little

League officials are claiming their baseball season will be underway in about cight weeks.

Registration for those who have not already registered will be held March 10 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the West Vancouver Community Centre.

Officials say that tryouts for all possible little leaguers from 10 to 12 who were not on major league teams last year are compulsory.

tryouts will be held on Saturday and Sunday March 17 and 18 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at Glenmore Little League Park.

For more information on the West Van Littl League program call Ed Anderson at 926-3305 or 926-3924.

verland. But second, if he

_ makes it; will be his best ever _ World Cup downhill windup.

problem, not only

-. The big

for Read but for all the world class into: Vancouver from Lake

who flew

Placid, N.Y¥., on Sunday, is the current weather. southwest comer of the

is in the grip of a series of Pacific storms, .one

immediately following the

other. _

“There's going to have to be a break, a couple of days without precipitation, | order to get the race off on the appointed day. If the weather doesn’t | rate, it can be pushed back to Saturday, even Sunday, for

_ this is the final event of the

tour for the downhillers. Most of them have ao pressing ski appointments until next season.

. Fhe main concern is that the race goes, for not only is there a $250,000 investment in. the event, but with Vancouver making noises about going after the 1988 Winter ‘Olympics, it would help to have blue skies and perfect snow conditions.

The public is invited to participate in the review ot the environmental! implications of the proposed reactivation of Boundary Bay Airport for use by fight aircraft.

An environmental impact statement has been completed for the project by Transport Canada. This statement will form the basis of a review by a federal Environmental As- sessment Panel specifically constituted for

this project.

‘Wo rid |cup-weather mtn

‘Ken Read learned to ski at the age of three on ©

This

in .

_ NEED CLEAR SKIES

bidder, then beating out -

applications’ from other places in the world, would | be rather difficult. if the people _ who. _make. the decisions are ‘convinced that . fog and rain are a permanent | _~part oft the skiscene here..

-have their Mfnnere crossed " for Whistler is the one. World . Cup stop in Canada this year .

~ and they really want to strut.

their stuff before the home folks.

Considering that this year’s group is concluding ‘the finest ever season by a Canadian men’s team in big league international skiing, it would be a shame if the weather were to ground them.

Read and Dave Murray of

Abbotsford were one-two in

the season’s World Cup downhill opener Schladming, Austria. Steve Podborski of Toronto was. the winner at Morziric, France. Dave Irwin of Thunder Bay, the hottest racer on the team until

injuries in 1976 and 1977

low.

Copies of the environmental impact state- ment are available from the Panel secret- ary, John Herity, at the address listed be-

Whitten comments on the statement are betng requested by May 1, hearings will be held by the Panel to com- plete the review. The times and location for these will be announced well in advance.

Faderal Environmental Assessment Review Office 1870 - 1050 Weet Pender Street, Vancouver, 8.C., V6GE 357 Teteptinve: (604) 666-2421

| “Slowed” him dowa, | is fast _,Tetuming to his old form.

" Currently - the: top: ‘guy 4s. “Mune a 25-year-old; red-"

é bearded -athlete* for whom’ .

Whistler’ holds “a - "special attraction. .. It's: mountain. He. owns a house

there and learned ski racing.

on the slopes above.

| _ OLYMPIC COURSE - Last Satunlay he finished

third . {he was the: top

Canadian) 4 in the World Cup

“Pincid. This was the fist tect \~of the course that will, be

used in ‘next year's Winter -

Olympics. . Canadian coach John

Ritchie describes the run.on_ Whiteface Mountain as

adequate, but not in the . same | as the one at — Whistler, which he rates

among. the top five in the world. That, of coarse, is ‘when the .weather co- operates, «|

Ski racing now is one of the most technically and financially demanding of alt- Sports. a has become so scientific, the electric timing

devices usually are required |

to measure victory in micro- seconds.

' At Lake Placid, Murray

was just, 11/100ths of a:

second behind the winner, Peter Wirnsberger of Austria, and 8/100ths of a second behind runnerup Mueller. Put your index finger and thumb together and snap them. That's the

margin by which Dave | missed finishing first :

—lo° . The annual budget for

Canada’s alpine ski ram -— downhill, slalom and giant slalom for both men and women -- runs around $600,000. That may sound like a lot of lolly, but

1979. Public

chis “home

" never.

event at. Lake”

a

compared with what the bie.» - _ European. ski powers spend,” “the

‘Canadians “ are ~going - " strictly economy.class. « .

‘BIG. PAYOFF Such traditional : alpine powers as_ Austria, . ‘Swit- zeriand, France, | ‘Italy. ‘and Germany spend four ‘times’ that much. But for them there is a payoff. Canada can to realize. To.the counts ski names goes’ the “the winter tourism aneaperg Quite literally, it’s ©

at multi-million dollar payoff.

- Just as stardom” in ‘the National Hockey League is

- the “road to wealth and - security for Canada’s best

hockey players, so is World

- Cup and Olympic success for . Buropean skiers.

Not even Guy Lafleur jus the celebrity stature in his

Not too much has been

heard of Herr Klammer this . “season, but then, say those

who follow the ski scene,

how does one stay motivated _

Your first ski lesson....and a chance to wear your new ski suit! (It seemed a bit

snug, “but the material will

stretch? you were told) One trip up the rope tow may have entertained your classmates, but it left

SHULINE

SPORTS

FOR THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

SKYLINE SPORTS 119 West 16th St,

North Vancouver, B.C.

(Just off Lonsdaie}

985-9161

Open until G9 m_ Thurs & Fri

ski --Canadian team ‘was:

“with the biggest —

after. one. has. become a

: " SKIING-NOT HOCKEY

Ritchie “was: saying “here the other. day that when the in "Switzerland for a January race, a visitor to the Canadian camp one day was Jacques Plante, the former _ Montreal . Canadiens: goaltending star. ose

Plante. explained he is is now ._ living in | Switzerland... and _ coaching “a . hockey... team there. It’s ‘not much of a ‘team he admitted, ' because ‘there’s just’no. way he can get his hands on the ‘best athletes. . ro

“They all want ‘to be ‘ski racers,” he told Ritchie, “because that’s where the money is... ;

'-There, in total reverse, Ritchie told ‘him, is. the

Read, Murray, Podborski and Irwin have had to be

something special to sur- mount it and make it into the_ ‘top rank of world: alpine. skiing

you humiliated. And chilly. Now you're off to Skyline Sports—for the best selec- tion of ski clothing around and the best advice. Sky- line's ski suits will stretch, too, but in all the right places.