Page A12 The Castlegar Sun , Wedn sday, December 6, 1995 (eo at “<> A oad % ae “The GAB Flie” Vi 2305 Columbia Ave 2 Castlegar * 365-5666 Presents You With A Complimentary 4Topping Small Pizza . 7 Rebel Name: CASEY GRANT #14 Position: CENTER Age: 18 Height: 5'7" Hometown: STANDARD AB Favourite Player: Theoren Fleury Favourite Team: Calgary Flames "When you win eight straight games and find yourself in first place overall it's about more than playing good hockey and scoring goals. The Rebels did it through team unity and leadership which is one reason why Casey Grant is the Rebel of choice this week. The other reason is he broke a scoring drought last weekend with four goals". PANAGOPOULOS, PIZZA PLACE ~ . . 4 FOR A BUCK = 7.00. t's right, FOUR SNICKERS” for a buck with any order over $10.00. Now that's a meal that really satisfies! JUST WING-IT Add paras bo) | a pasta order over $10.00 Pana’ Wing styles to choose from: HONEY GARLIC * HOT BUFFALO Al offers vaild trom Mow. 16, 1996 to Jan. 6, 1088 or Rewards and respect Castlegar coaches who make a difference SUN SPORTS STAFF etaaty To many it’s a thankless job with the aggravations far exceed- ing the rewards. And that's a rea- son there aren't many good ones. But to a few select others it is one of the most gratifying experi- ences of their lives. It is a gift they give that keeps on giving for the recipient and the sender. The job of hing isn’t at all easy but if you have the natural talent to teach and the intelli- gence of a sport at your disposal, it seems less and less like a job every team you coach. The four nominees for this year’s Castlegar Sun/3M Coach of the Year know all about coach- ing. They have over 50 years of coaching experience between them and have seen countless numbers of young athletes blos- som under their tutelage. Neil Jones, Jim Garrett, Verna Chernoff and Mo Barry have done exceptional work in their sports during their coaching careers and the ath- letes are the ones who recog- nized them by nominating them for this award. Neil Jones The sport of swimming has a long tradition in Castlegar and Neil Jones has grown up right through the middle of it. As a young boy, Jones joined the Castlegar Aquanauts Swim Club and soon established himself as one of the hardest working swim- mers the club has ever known. Last year his hard work and teaching skill paid off as he became head coach. The nomination letter described Jones as “always posi- tive and encouraging. non his team grow socially and emo- tionally as well as physically.” Jones is currently pursuing a degree at the University of British Columbia. Ur B.C. Chrysler Team Unleashes The Best of the West. THE 1996 DODGE RAM 4x4 CLUB CAB 23C Package includes: + 5.2 L V-8 Magnum Engine + The safety of driver's side air bag impact beams and side door Largest and quietest cab Over-sized foid-down centre storage console Rear anti-lock brakes Bright front and rear step type bumper and much more! $27,395... 1996 DODGE DAKOTA SPORT 4x4 CLUB CAB 238 Package Inciudes: + 3.9 L V-6 Magnum Engine * The safety of a driver's side air bag and side door impact beams OLE VOURE, C. CHRYSLER TEAM AT |umated tne offer Dakoto Sport Decor ond wheel pockage aot exactly es shown 870 Rom ond excludes cence * Rear anti-lock brakes + AM/FM stereo cassette + Premium door trim panels and body side sport “streak” striping Vehicle not exactly as shown Declér order may be necessory Decker mary sell or less. See dealer for details CHRYSLER Plymouth Jeep Eagle Anybody who thinks Slo-pitch isn’t a great sport hasn't met Jim Garrett. By coincidence those are probably also the same people who don't believe in Santa Claus. Garrett is the Santa Claus of slo- pitch. He's happy, he’s positive and he never fails to give the gift of fun to every player on his team. “I just love the game,” said Garrett, who is the player/coach for The Weiser Buds. “I hope I can play it for many years yet. I'm 53 now, and I don't feel like slowing down.” Garrett has been coaching slo- pitch for over 10 years and his cur- rent team, The Weiser Buds, finished third in the Castlegar Recreation Spring League. To Garrett, E eoacbing is just an extension of his personality. “The key to coaching is just making sure everybody is having fun,” said Garrett. “It’s a recre- ation league and it’s not competi- tive so we go out and have as much fun as possible.” | | | | | zs Verna Chernoff Verna Cheroff knows all about her field. She has fielded a com petitive team for over 30 years, she was the driving influence behind getting Castlegar a new field and she has just recently been honored! by the B.C. Women’s Field Hock- ey Association for her contribu- tions to the sport and the community of Castlegar. And through it all she has maintained a level playing field for girls in the West Kootenay competing against those in other Parts of the province. She has done that through ammonia coaching skills, spor and hard \ work. Chernoff’s teams have always played hard, but it is the sport’s development in the West Koote- nay area of which she is most proud. When she moved to Castlegar 28 years ago, there wasn't much of a program to speak of. Slowly she helped develop a junior program which is now strong in both Kinnaird Middle School and SHSS. “Our field hockey program is very good with the junior pro- grams at KMS and good commu- nity coaches at the high school,” said Chernoff. “There are very good athletes involved now, so the future, for the first time I’ve been involved, is very bright.” Mo Barry | Mo Barry is a big man in a lit-/ tle League which is exactly § where he wants to be. Barry is a coach in the Castle- i | gar Minor Baseball Associaton and what sets him apart from all) others is his philosophy. He® believes in trying hard, doing™ your best and haVing fun It's what baseball is all about andl it's what Barry is all about too. He’s! always consistent with praise and directions for improvment. he also! instilled respect for officials and others. “Our son has been involved in many sports and Mo was the first coach that he had who did these things,” said Barry's nomination letter, | fh eA WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, FIce 1995 Christ In Christmas? Story & photos by: Trent Bancarz Is Christ still any part of Christmas? Or is it now X-mas? Castlegar Sun editor Trent Bancarz interviewed three local members of the clergy to get their thoughts of modern- day Christmas. ev. Ann Pollock of Castlegar United Church, Lieut. Ian Gillingham of the Salvation Army and Pastor Stuart Laurie of Living Waters Faith Fellowship all say the spiritual side of Christmas is less prevalent. However, all three remain hopeful people will rediscover the spiritual side of Christmas and in their everyday lives. “I don’t see society as not giving,” says Lieut. Gillingham. “The spirit of giving is‘stitl very present. There are a lot in the community who give. We're very appreciative of the community’s efforts during our Christmas campaigns. People are very generous. “But I think we increasingly lose the reason why we celebrate Christmas and forget exactly why this season is so important.” Gillingham adds it’s easy to get caught up with the tush of activities during the season and “put Christ on the back burner.” “It’s an ongoing battle for me personally,” he says. “Christmas is a busy time for the Salvation Amny. I think we all get in a self-conscious Tush because we’re prone to procrastinate. “We seek to emphasize the need to prepare for the coming of Christ. It should be a quiet time where we know He’s in the world and is coming again. It’s a time to build relationships with him and with each other.” Rev. Pollock says there are two definite sides to Christmas. She says people who regularly do not worship seem to be seeking “something spiritual.” “It's a very important time,” she explains. “It’s a time where people want something spiritual. Christmas Eve is the big service of the year and you see a lot of people that evening you don’t normally see. I think people are looking for a special feeling “But Christmas has been commercialized and blown out of proportion. I think Christ would be amazed.” Pollock adds there is a “ritual and a mystery” to Christmas. And worship is needed to “deal with that mystery” for many people. Pollock also agrees Christmas can get too rushed and people can get too busy to enjoy the season, including ministers. “It can get a little chaotic,” she says. “There’s a bit of a high to it and a lot of excitement around it. There’s a tension between fulfilling expectations and not saying anything new or different.” Pollock will spend most of Christmas day aboard an airplane for Ontario. “I’ve spent a lot of Christmas Days that way,” she says Pastor Laurie also says the spiritual side of the holidays has fallen by the wayside over the years. “Christmas has become materialistic,” he says. “I’m not against gifts, but I think when it takes precedence, we lose the essence of why we celebrate Christmas. “The Christian aspect is decreasing because our culture is more diverse. I’ve heard of events which avoid carols regarding Christian subjects. There seems to be a move to secularize the holiday.” Laurie further suggests secularizing Christmas makes it more “sellable” for commerical interests. ‘Christmas has become I'm not against gifts, but | think when it — PASTOR STUART LAURIE Living Waters Faith Fellowship “There’s a reluctance on the part of people to identify Christmas with Christianity or to acknowledge our heritage,” he says. “Santa Claus is more acceptable and neutral than Jesus Christ and His birth. That’s just too narrow for a lot of people. “Maybe talk of Jesus doesn’t -sell Christmas presents. Santa or Rudolph (the Red-nosed Reindeer) does it better. There’s more emphasis on the secular trappings of Christmas because that’s what sells, doesn’t it? The real message is the atonement for sjn..A savior Was born. Bur that doesn’t go over so big.” The “de-Christianizing” of ‘Christmas is a microcosm of society in general, says By The Cross - Lieutenant lan Gillingham of the Salvation Army says churches have to do a better job of promoting the spiritual significance of Christmas. Lieut. Gillingham. He explains the church is an increasingly smaller part of Canadians’ lives which explains why the spiritual side of Christmas is less important. “Society is increasingly less aware of God,” he said. “Whether it’s a lack of teaching or willful ignorance, people are less ‘churched’ than in the past. As a nation, we are no longer a Christian nation. “We've fallen short of God’s expectations. We’re more worldly, we glorify ourselves and we’re more self- centred and self- orientated. One of my fears is the spirit of giving may start to diminish as well.” Rev. Pollock agrees and says Christmas has been altered to fit into “mainstream” society. “It’s like any other part of society in terms of the whole economic, financial picture,” she explains. “Whatever makes money is important. Money makes society go around. “If it makes money, it’s okay. And we don’t want something like faith to interfere with that.” Pastor Laurie explains Christmas is more secular because people simply aren’t aware of its religious meaning. “A lot of families and people have not been raised within the framework of Christianity,” he says. “Public institutions have separated themselves from it. So a child doesn’t hear about it at home or at school. Where can people encounter it now? If Christ is not part of one’s daily life, then how can one day per year do it? A couple generations of this means a lot of Christmas’s meaning has been lost. It’s a gradual de-Christianizing effect. “So the commerical message gets a lot more air time. It’s unfortunate because that message is short-lived and won’t change people. It’s the message of Christ which brings a long term effect.”” And churches themselves have to bear some blame for a “de-Christianized” society, says Lieut. Gillingham. He says churches have given up or become too inward looking. He adds reaching out and spreading the gospel of Christ is where the hope lies. “The Church (meaning all, not any in particular) has become self-centred,” he explains. “If it becomes Christ-centred, then it also becomes more community- centred, We've built little fortresses. Jesus came for all people, not just for church people. We've almost taken the attitude that if people won’t listen to the message, then we’ll keep it to ourselves. “I believe there’s no greater time than now. The world needs to hear the liberating gospel of Jesus, not just at Christmas time, but people need to know there’s hope throughout the year. ‘Christmas has been commercialized and blown out of proportion. | think Christ would be amazed.’ — REV. ANN POLLOCK Castlegar United Church “When we stop playing church and start living like Jesus did, our world will change. I believe people will come back to God and things will be restored.” Practically, the Church can om more involved with, the ry, says Gilling] Visiting the lonely, the prisons and the marginalized or providing a meal when needed is a start, he says. “We have to walk the talk, Not just give it lip service,” explains Gillingham. Pastor Laurie agrees and says the Church has to be more vocal and visible presenting the real message of Christmas. “We have to be vocal and visible with the simple Christian message of what the reason is for celebrating Christmas,” he says. “We have to get that message out there. Without an understanding of the spiritual significance, it becomes another secular holiday or a reason to party.” Rev. Pollock says the Church has lost its relevance for many people and has been swept aside by rapid social change. “The best brains are talking about a transition and getting rid of the old ways without knowing what the new ways are,” “People have been hurt and disillusioned by the Church and have found it rigid and joyless. The Church itself has been in somewhat of a survival mode she says “IT wish I knew all the answers.”