First Mother’s Day run a hit in Nakusp
May 13 There was sun for the run on Mother’s Day.
The first ever Mother’s Day benefit 5k run held in Nakusp attracted family members of all ages from around the Kootenays Sunday.
“Thank God the sun’s shining … this is our first one, and it’s a lot of work,” said Nakusp Mayor Karen Hamling as the runners rallied at the cenotaph.
Rosann Brunton said her twin daughters Amy and Paige were anxious to see their mom race.
“They just wanted to see their mum race. They wanted to see me win. I told them Mum would not win, but she will cross the finish line,” she said.
“This is a culmination of 10 weeks of training – this is our ‘Yes, we can do it,’” she said.
Margot Dorgelo of Nelson came to the event to run with her son, a Nakusp firefighter. She tore her MCL, but that didn’t stop her from walking the more relaxed fun walk while her son jogged by in the run.
“It’s for a good cause. And hopefully he’ll be back soon so he can carry me,” she said with a grin.
One bystander waited for his girlfriend with a bouquet of flowers.
“It’s Mother’s Day,” he said.
“It’s Mother’s Day and this is something to do as a family – it’s good for our son to get him out and see everyone walking,” said Alicia Gueret.
The event benefited the newly-formed Arrow Lakes Medical Aid Society, a charity that will raise funds to help families facing financial stress as they travel to receive medical care in larger city centers.
Founder Avery Palmer, 16, said the event was encouraging.
“It’s just bringing our community together – we have people from all over,” she said as she prepared to run.
Representing a sister run, the Kaslo Runners Club wore shirts promoting the upcoming Kaslo Suffer Fest 2011 set for October.
The group of Kaslo runners, male and female alike, donned acid green skirts over their running gear as a show of solidarity for their sister running organization.
“It’s all part of the fun, because it’s Mother’s Day,” said Shon Neufeld.
“We wanted to support the run – we just started a running club a year ago, and we wanted to form a relationship with our sister club,” said Kaslo coach Janis Lampimaki.
Can you canoe?
August 22 Last week I headed out in a canoe equipped only with a paddle and enthusiasm to accompany the Nakusp Paddling Club on one of their Wednesday paddles.
It had been years since I’d been canoeing, and the hot, sunny weather was promising.
My four co-voyageurs, Barb, Trish, Kathleen and Gerhardt, and myself wheeled the canoe into the marina’s waters and nimbly climbed aboard.
Straight and short strokes, using the core of the body to do most of the work: those had been the instructions, but I found my shoulders starting to ache. And my fingers as I pinched them between the canoe and my paddle.
“How long do you guys normally stay out here for?” I asked, thinking I could probably hold out for another half an hour or so.
“We usually go for about two hours,” said Barb Towle, “until six.”
Right then, I knew I was in trouble.
We headed out of the marina, and caught sight of a bald eagle battling an osprey mid-air above the water. What caused the dramatic aeronautics wasn’t clear, but quickly played itself out.
On the horizon, the weather was looking to break its promise as dark clouds pushed in and the wind picked up across the lake. Soon we were stabbing our paddles into dark swells that rocked our canoe.
Even without whitecaps, this was a little challenging, and Barb gave voice to the very good idea of heading back to sheltered waters.
Relief flooded my body, particularly my arms, as we pulled up to the launch and heaved the canoe back on to her single-wheeled carrier.
Nakusp hockey teens learning on and off the ice in Trail
November 7 At age 15, both Colton Dachwitz and Greyson Reitmeier have embarked on a journey that has taken them out of Nakusp and into the world of midget hockey. This year, both are juniors on the Kootenay Ice Midgets team and are learning both on the ice and off in the Kootenay town of Trail.
Moving to Trail from Nakusp means everything has been taken up a notch in terms of size and pace. Trail’s population is three times the size of Nakusp, just one of the many changes the two faced when they moved. Still, the transition appears to have been taken in stride.
When I asked the two hockey players if they missed their hometown, I could almost hear a shrug over the phone.
“I definitely do, a little bit,” Reitmeier contributed, which was echoed by Dachwitz who added, “friends, and family.”
At this point, the focus is on their life in Trail.
“There’s hockey, school and that’s it. There’s not much time for free time,” said Reitmeier, “It’s definitely a commitment.”
“We’re playing against some of the best kids in B.C., so that really helps as well,” Reitmeier remarked.
“Some of them are talented,” he said, and “some [games] we didn’t play well.”
“On Sundays we do really bad for some reason,” he revealed.
“It’s weird,” Reitmeier agreed, “We definitely play better as a team on Saturday nights.
Both guys will be finishing off the year at Nakusp Secondary School, returning to town some time in March after the hockey season has ended. Until then, they’re too busy having a good time learning to miss their hometown too much.
