nll i ind ERE I News Staff ‘When it comes to building bikes, Dave Nitsche’s got what is commonly known in sports as wheels. He’s fast. In fact, he’s the fastest there is in Canada. Nitsche, 22, proved that in Vancouver-in September by winning a contest against 40 other bike technicians from across the country. His winning time in the event, in which bikes are as- sembled from a boxes just like they had arrive at shop from the manufacturer, was 10 minutes, two seconds. Nitsche said there’s a sim- Bike builder has wheels ple secret to building bikes fast. “The secret is taking your time and doing things right,” he said. Nitsche said that contes- tants were penalized time for every loose screw and bad brake found by the judges. Practice was another factor in his success. “T’ve been racing bikes and building bikes for over 10 years in different shops all over,” Nitsche said. Nitsche is a Winnipeg na- tive who lives in Rossland and works at Mallard’s Ski and Sport in Castlegar. test in Vancouver. News photo by Ed Mills Bike technician Dave Nitschie can claim the title as Canada’s fastest bike builder after winning a con- | Biathlon team trials on tap The Kootenay Region trials for spots on the B.C. Winter Games biathlon team will take place near Castlegar Jan. 5. The Winter Games are set for Vernon Feb. 27 to Mar. 1. This will be a Games first for the sport, which combines cross-country skiing and rifle shccti ooting. With Canada’s national team —which has two B.C. by on the threshold of Olympic medals in France in February, the timing could hardly have been better. . Unlike the Olympic event: «. the B.C. Games biathletes not carry their rifles. Instead, the athletes will be handed their rifles and a loaded clip only after they are in shooting position at the range. The biathlon event at the Winter Games is open to any- one 13 years old and over. =! Interested athletes should be able to cross-country ski (freestyle), own their own ri- fle (22 calibre, standard veloc- ity, long rifle; single load or five-shot clip), and have the necessary permits to carry the firearm (or parent if under ™/19). The registration deadline for the trials is Jan. 2, 9 p.m. further i the sport, or to register for the ~) trials, contact Gord Gibson at Selkirk College or at home in Castlegar. — Santa’s Trusted Helper Y oe have to be fast to be Santa’s helper. And, even more important, you have to be reliable! And this year we’ve got a special service even Santa doesn’t offer: DEPOT TO DEPOT SERVICE IN MANY B.C. COMMUNITIES! You'll save 30% when you drop your package off at our depot and the recipient picks it up from the depot at their end. Or you can save 15% when you drop off your package at our depot for delivery right to their chimney ... er .... door. For fast, reliable delivery this Christmas — or throughout the year — call your local Loomis Courier Service office. Season’s Greetings from all of us! 1365-8458 Nine toFIVE ASIAN INVASION WorkRPLACE automakers captured a near- record 30.3 per cent share of automobile sales in Canada in October INTO O/T Nearly 45 per cent of Japanese businessmen and women work more than SO hours a week BANKS ERODING Federal regulators in America say that as many as 400 banks and savings and loans are likely to fail in 1992 TIRED OF RESIN BF Goodrich Co. said it will phase out vinyl resin manufacturing at three plants over two years, cutting about 225 jobs in the Process It’s all in Perepolkins bring cards to Castlegar Jonathan Green NEWS REPORTER What was once a nifty addition to bicycle spokes, the sports card has become quite a com- modity. William Perepolkin, co-owner of Castlegar Sports Cards and Supplies with father George, says that the value of the little cardboard squares has come a long way. “It’s gone up so fast,” William said, “People are getting out of the stock market and getting into the card market.” In a region noted more for winter activities, the card-buyers preference isn't surprising. “Hockey is the number one seller”, William said, “followed by baseball and basketball.” Though interest in the CFL is growing and the NFL has a big following in the area, Pere- polkin says that football cards just don’t move. “People are just not into football,” he said. What they are into are hockey cards, and in a big way. Regardless of the weather, Pere- polkin says buyers come in primarily for Cana- da’s national pastime. “Hockey cards outsell the others 10- to 20-to- 1 William guessed, “It all depends on the sea- son. William said that sales of baseball cards in- crease in the summer, as do basketball cards in the winter, but those items pale in comparison with hockey. “Year-round, hockey is number one,” he said. Sports cards are no longer considered ‘child’s-play,’ as a growing number of adults dis- cover the hobby. William says the average age of card collectors is a wide one. the cards “Anywhere from the age of twouptotheage F& of 50,” he said. “It’s not just kids who collect anymore.” As for the older buyers, William adds that they aren't discovering the card market, rather “rediscovering” it. “I didn't think the older people would come in,” he said. ; “I guess they collected cards years ago and are slowly getting back into it.” In a hobby where a new manufacturer seems to surface every other day, the card mar- ket is becoming saturated. Insiders believe that it won't be long before the bottom drops out and George Perepolkin knows that. 3 don't know how long it will last,” George said. “There is so much coming out now, it’s going beyond limits.” % But George believes that after the dust has settled, the strong will survive, among them Canadian manufacturer O-Pee-Chee, which is in it’s fourth decade. “The main companies will stay in business,” News photo by Jonathan Green Castlegar Sports Cards and Supplies has been a fixture in the Castlegar Plaza since April, and is the city's only total sports-card store. said. Father and son team opened for business in late April, a time when George believes that non-card stores were charging too much for cards and supplies. “We brought the prices to within reason,” George said. . Interest in the card market rose sharply af- ter hockey great Wayne Gretzky and L.A. King the-arm. “It would probably boost everything up again,” George said. As the card business takes off in every cor- ner of Canada, it appears to be leaving its biggest fans behind: the children. Some manufacturers lose sight of that fact, and look instead at their profit margin. Because of this, small-time dealers like the owner Bruce McNall purchased a rare baseball card for several-hundred thousand dollars this year. George believes that when the market does sag, another Gretzky-McNall-like pur- chase would give collecting a needed _shot-in- Perepolkins have no choice but to charge more a certain cards, something George doesn't e. “To me, it’s no longer a sport,” George said. “Cards are for the kids.I feel sorry for them.”