212 Saturday, August 29, 1992 m@ It was a quiet Saturday afternoon when the telephone rang. “Millsie, how the hell are ya,” the other end said. “Nope, no Millsies here. Just Jon- nys,” I replied. “Jonnys? Have I got the right num- ber,” said the other voice. “Oh yeah,” I said. “But Millsie shipped out close to three months ago, and now he’s living it up in Prince George.” “Oh, OK,” the other voice said. “Well, Jonny, the next time you see him tell him that Brack Racquet- squash says hello and howdy-do.” Now, being a man who kept one eye on the sports page while Mills ruled squash was, as Ed referred to him as ‘Castlegar’s oldest and most revered sports-minded citizen.’ With that in mind, I thought it might be a good idea to have some light shed on a certain issue by some- one held in such esteem. “Excuse me for one second, Mr. Jacket, er Packet, um,” I stammered. “That’s Racquetsquash, my boy,” he said. “Just like it sounds.” “'m sorry,” I said. “It’s just that its quite an honor to be talking to you, and I'd just like to ask a few ques- tions.” & “Go ahead,” he said. “It was always a treat to talk with your predecessor.” I could just tell this was going to be a winner interview, one that was going the roost, I knew who Mr. Racquet-' It’s yakety-yak with the Brack to be remembered and talked about for years to come. After all, I think the last time I heard someone use the word prede- cessor properly in a sentence was when I accidentally turned on Mas- terpiece Theatre. Anyway, after getting my thoughts together, I asked Mr. Racquetsquash what he thought of the new anti-vio- lence campaign being launched by the National Hockey League. “That’s a good question, Jonny,” he said. “I’m glad you asked.” Why did I all of a sudden think I was back in first year Advertising? “You see, the entire notion of ban- ning pugilism in the NHL appears to be contrary to the complete ideology of the American populous.” Huh? Tm sorry,” Brack said. “I’ve been upgrading my English at night school.” Oh. “What I mean is that Americans love to fight. If you don’t believe me, take a good look at all the wars they can’t wait to be a part of.” He had a good point. “And if you look at it in a sports sense,” he continued, “rough and tough is what it’s all about.” Racquetsquash said the folks south of the 49th are the ones who place box- ers on a podium. They spend big dollars to attend the fights, a lot of them over even before Jonny on the Spot JonathanGREEN they’ve finished parking the car. “And there’s the people who do this pay-per-view thing,” he said. “They sit at home and pay their dough to watch something that lasts about as long as an NDP promise.” Just about then I could hear the wheels in Brack’s mind turning. “If the new Ziegler thinks this will put American butts in the seats, then he’s loopy,” he said, “Thinking hockey will work inthe U.S. with less violence would be like believing Mulroney will win the next election. “It won’t happen.” Just then, Racquetsquash said something about having to take an- other call, and the next thing I know I was getting “The Love Boat” theme on hold. “Sorry about that,” he said seconds time again later, “but Murray Pezim was on the other line wanting to know ifI wanted to buy his football team. “You know, I could have sworn I heard him laughing when I said I'd give him $1 for those losers.” Now that talk of the Pez was over with, Racquetsquash turned his at- tention back to the topic at hand. “You might think that someone who is paid to look after the affairs ofa ma- jor professional sports league might know more about all this than I do,” Brack introduced, “but I disagree. “Mr. Stein’s thinking is that fight- ing is the one thing that separates his NHL from a lucrative TV contract in the States, but that’s wishful think- “What do you mean?,” I asked. “Although it seems pretty straight- forward, I don’t think that telling the league’s bad boys to stop beating the snot out of each other will convince the American networks to open up the proverbial vault. “I think the league has to go a lot further before that happens, and end- ing up with two American teams in the final the last two seasons has cer- tainly steered them in the right direc- tion. “But reducing violence? Uh uh.” Before I could go any further I was back on hold, and when Brack re- turned, he said Pezim was back want- ing to know if he was serious about that offer of $1. Seattle Thunderbirds make annual migration to Castlegar NEWS STAFF it Some birds native to Seattle will be calling Castlegar home for the next few days. Since Thursday, the West- ern Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds have been hold- ing their training camp at the Community Complex, the sec- ond year in 4 row they've done ‘‘Shopping List’’ For Child Safety! A> The latest in Survival Fashion! - an approved Personal Floatation First-year head coach Walt Kyle said the team brings the annual camp to‘town for sev- eral reasons. He said things like the prox- imity of the team’s hotel, the Sandman, to the Complex and the co-operation received from the community make coming ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Todd Archambault and partner Wayne Cox Winners of the 1992 Junior-Senior Open By CASTLEGAR SPORTS CENTRE Sporting Goods fia to Castlegar worthwhile. “(The team) comes here be- cause they’ve been treated so well,” he said. “They’re able to get everything they need to hold a first-class training camp.” Also the coach of the U.S. Junior Team, Kyle said some 60-65 Thunderbird hopefuls will be in town until Tuesday 2555 Fax SHAVE YOU DRIVE looking to earn a spot on the team. “We'll be picking our team from this camp here,” he said. And though Seattle is known tosome as a pretty qui- et place, Kyle said Thunder- bird fans are just the opposite. “The people there are hock- ey crazed,” he said. “It’s an event in Seattle.” DENNIS BEDIN RES. 367-7187 Member @ Saturday, August 29, 1992 Nine to FIVE Your business Is. our business Neil Rachynski 365-7266 - NO BABY TALK AT TABLE Members of BCGEU at West Kootenay Family and Childcare Services Society voted Aug.25 to accept a proposed settlement at the negotiating table. This first collective agreement includes a wage increase, sick leave, job security and employee rights. Union negotiator, Jeff Fox, says the improvements “represent important changes.” SURVEY SAYS: According to the B.C. Science and Technology Fund, more than half of new jobs created in the next decade will require 17 or more years of education. Of new jobs recently created in B.C., 86% require 12 or more years of education. Also, more Canadians work in the computer industry than in the automobile, steel, mining, petroleum and natural gas industries combined. REVENGE OF THE EMPLOYEES Sixty per cent of American executives polled think that they should come under the scrutiny of their employees. The poll, conducted WorkPLAC Wi Castlegar's business community is showing plenty of signs of life these days. In addition to the new mall under construction next to Safeway, there are several other symptoms of growth Things are 100 said. “We made several trips out here and we love it,” Kris said. “It’s so much diferent than the Okanagan. (Castlegar) seems to be a very progressive community.” Another supermarket has lured more customers by adding a deli and bakery. “It’s going well and it’s increasing traffic,” SuperValu’s head Neil Rachynski.” NEWS STAFF “Castlegar seems to be cashier, Laurie Anselmo, said. “People are happy to You might just call it a the place to go. We think %°¢ it. Actually, it’s eaten mini-boom. A number of franchises and businesses are setting up shop in Castlegar, while others are é this town is going to flourish.” up very little floor space. We've gotten a positive reaction from customers.” Subway’s arrival seems Dave Strand to have created some hype. expanding. ° Kris and Dave Strand have just opened a new IGA supermarket, Leona and John Rizzotti are ready to roll with a Subway restaurant, and even Mallard’s Ski and Sport Ltd. is growing bigger. “Castlegar seems to be the place to go,” Dave Strand said. “We think this town is going to flourish.” The Strands closed their IGA store in Oliver and took over Central Foods last weekend. Kris says it took only three weeks to close the deal. “Basically, Oliver is a much smaller town. They have three supermarkets, and the town just couldn’t support three,” Dave Owner Leona Rizzotti says she was caught off guard by the interest her franchise has stirred up. “People have been saying things like ‘It’s about time we got one’ or ‘It’s about time there’s more competition,” Rizzotti said. “It’s encouraging. People want another choice,” Rizzotti added. “We really had no idea people would take to it like this. But time will tell.” Even established local businesses are showing signs of growth. Mallard’s owner Dale Donaldson is relocating to the old Robinson’s store in the Castleaird Plaza to create some extra space. “It allows me to bring my warehousing on site,” Donaldson said. “I'll have more retail space and just more space in general. “It will allow us to expand more on our ‘source for sports’ idea.” Frank Lucarelli (top, left) and Giovanni Rizzotti (top, right) talk shop at Subway. Workers at IGA Foods (above) prepare the final touches for the supermarket. Chamber members plan to scramble at AGM Start thinking about getting in- to the swing of things. The Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce is taking registration for its annual gener- al meeting. This year, it’s at the Castlegar Evans Lake. chamber’s office. The deadline for registration for the AGM is September 11 at the The golfing will be a four person best ball scramble. It’s your choice runs through the area, will elimi- nate confusion caused by the sim- ilarity to Arrow Lakes Drive on the other side of the river. A spokesperson with the Min- istry of Transportation and High- whether or not you make up a__ways says the residents in the sub- team or have one made for you. division petitioned the govern- ooo ment for the . Arrow Road is about to be re- Abh, how simple. A quick peti- born as Allandale Crescent. tion off to our leaders about what If you’re wondering where Ar- we want changed and it’s done — row Road is, it’s right between the no questions asked, ~ two marinas up by Syringa. / Now why can't they deal with us The new moniker, which comes so straightforward on every other from the name of a creek which issue? by independent research firm Robert Half International Inc., surveyed 200 executives of the U.S.’s 1,000 largest companies. & Fishing Tackle * Fly tying + Rod building + Local fishing info. + Athletic wear 365-8288 2177 Columbia Ave., Castlegar Device, but remember a floatation device must never replace adult supervision. The Canadian Red Cross Society 2649 Fourth Avenue Castlegar, B.C. Vint, and District Golf Club on Septem- 3563 ber 20. ° Tickets are $40 for members and $50 for non-members. What do you get? : tion. Well, 18 holes of golf, of course. But wait. (Get it? ‘of course’) Also.a barbe- If you act now you'll also get cued steak dinner, installation of your name thrown into the hat to officers, prizes and a silent auc- win a fly-in fishing trip for four to NeilRACHYNSKI