Saturday, July 18, 1992 @ It’s that time again, boys and girls, so gather round ‘cause Uncle Jonny on the Spot has a story for you. It’s not a very happy story, at least I don’t think it is because it deals with an awful lot of waste, something there is far too much of in this world. This story is about the Olympics. That’s right Bobby, what Barcelona will host starting next week. Once upon a time in Ancient Greece, the ancient Greeks sat around wondering what to do with all their spare time. : Life for them was not quite as in- volving as it is for us in the 90s. They didn’t have a 7-Eleven to hang out at, or movies to go to, or malls they could cruise for Greekettes at. : With this in mind, and being men of physical nature, they thought what better way to spend all that free time than by exercising and displaying the fruits of their labor, thus the creation ‘| of the Olympics. Now the Olympic Games we know today are much different than the ones the Greeks created so many moons ago. Back then, they had events like chariot races and wrestling. We also have wrestling, but the events really worth watching are equestrian, hand- ball and archery. Also, the Greeks thought it an hon- or to bestow olive wreaths on the heads of the champions. Today, even eae the world prices for gold, silver Nothing happy about this little and bronze, we still think it’s pretty special to give out medals. Well, time flew by and Greeks of an- other era thought it would be really something for those games to be res- urrected, and this all happened in Athens in 1896. Since then, most of the world has played host to the modern Olympics, from what-to-used to be the Soviet Union:to France to our friends over in Korea to our pals down under in Aus- tralia. - Yessir, kids, all those far-flung places that you can’t really get to by getting a lift from mom or taking a Greyhound. Nope, you have to fly, and that costs money when you have some 200 athletes making the trip. Over the years, the Olympics have changed somewhat, adding some new events and dropping some other ones. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that these games have been and always will be a complete waste of time and money. Now hold on little ones, before you start to think that maybe Uncle Jonny has been hitting the bottle or experi- menting with things you are told to ‘Just Say No’ to, let’s look at a few things. Sure, I'll admit that the idea behind the ancient games was a good one, be- cause international competition on the playing field in those days was non-existent. And yeah, that’s pretty much the JonathanGREEN story, kids case when those same Greeks discov- ered the games their forefathers had invented so long ago. But hey, look where we are today, living in a time where competiton is a lot greater and isn’t limited to every four years in some centralized world city. What I don't get, my young friends, is why we continue to do it. It’s not as if the competitors, or at least the bet- ter percentage of them, don’t do what they do on a regular basis. By that I mean someone like Ben Johnson doesn’t spend all his waking moments eating, drinking and living the Olympics. Nope, he competes here, there and everywt ere to the point that the Olympics ay probably just another race to him Granted, that racei: eeped in tra- dition and honor, but you'll excuse me if I choose to visit the little boys room when it comes on. Way back when, the thrill of com- petition was greater, because you may not have seen the person in the other lane for some time. - These days, international athletes probably see more of one another than their own families. Well, little ones, now that the waste of time part has been established, let’s get to the part about the Olympics be- ing a waste of money. In these days of financial restraint and tough economic times worldwide, it’s a mystery where countries contin- ue to find funds for their Olympic teams. What’s that? No, that’s very nice of you Jenny, but you hang on to your al- lowance. The government's going to get it from you anyway, 80 enjoy it while you can. Where was I? Oh yeah, waste of money. Now, there’s no one who would sooner root for his country than your old Uncle J, but when I sit back and think about how much it costs to feed, house, train, etc. these athletes, I'm a little hesitant, especially when I can think of a lot better places for that money to go. Well, my young friends, it’s nap time. No, not for you, for Uncle Jonny. All this talk about the Olympics pe given him a big headache. I'll tell you another story later. 7 GAME FACE . Professionally 16 YEARS Training Divers ADVANCE COURSES & RESCUE COURSES OFFER SCUBA DIVING ONLY$4 49 uy +GST For $125.00 EACH + Will Meet Competitors Price - Subject to Conditions « Group Rates Available - Everything Provided At NO ADDITIONAL cosT! + FULL SCUBA DIVING CERTIFICATION Complete Assoc. of Diving Water Diver Course’ CHOOSE YOUR MOST CONVENIENT TIME MORNINGS - AFTERNOONS OR EVENINGS Monday to Sunday August 31st to September 6th Registration: Castlegar Sports Centre 365-8288 SIGN UP NOW - Classes Are Limited! rice ¢ Guaranteed Lowest Price on 11th Avenue. photo Litlejohn’s face was a study in concentration Wednesday Derek Handley ignored the hot weather to play a News by Jonathan Green REPLACEMENT CARRIERS =208 quired for July 29 only. @ Saturday, July 18, 1992 155° Merchants rolling in recent CMCFL action @ Castlegar Merchants riding win streak as fastball playoffs approach NEWSSTAFF == aiti‘Sés The post-season is just around the corner in local men’s fastball, and the Castle- gar Merchants couldn’t have picked a better time to start winning again. A month ago, the Mer- chants were breathing down the necks of the first-place Nelson A's when they ran into, or rather were run over, by last-place Big O Tire. In the blink of an eye, Big O took two from the Merchants, and coach Kelly Keraiff said he thinks he knows how. “Because they’re in last, we might have taken them too lightly,” he said in a previous interview. ~ Things went from bad to worse for the Merchants after the pair with Big’O as they lost another three, bringing their losing streak up to five and dropping them further and further behind Nelson and Banjo’s Pub. But as quickly as they started losing, they started winning again. In the last week of June, they knocked off the Valley Royals, avenged the two losses to Big O and then won three of the next four, including wins over the Royals Monday and Nelson Tuesday. Wednesday, Keraiff said the difference between losing and winning has been injuries, or lack thereof. “We've got everyone pret well healthy now,” he Ae sd Keraiff said the losing streak was a combination of things like missing players and all round poor play. Since then, he said every- thing’s been turned around, especially the offense. Castlegar Men's Commercial Fastball League (As of July 15) Wb FP Nelson 14 7 Castlegar 12 11 Banjo’s 11 8 Valley TAY Big O 7 14 “Our sticks are really hot right now,” he said. With the playoffs less than two weeks away, the Mer- chants won't be able to catch the A’s but Keraiff said things look good anyway. “I think we should do al- right.” In other action this week, Big O dumped Banjo’s 8-6 Tuesday, then went on the road to beat the Royals 4-1 Wednesday. Thursday’s final score be- tween Banjo’s and Nelson was unavailable at press time. BE PART OF A MIRACLE ... 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