While their friends have been soaking up the sunshine and catching their breath for the final push to the end of the school year, a dozen students from SD43 high schools spent the first half of their spring break learning the challenges of being a firefighter.
The pulled heavy hoses and rolled them up. They compressed the chest of a dummy while practising CPR. They cut open a car with high-power tools. They dangled from the end of ropes, rappelling from the four-storey training tower at the main Coquitlam fire hall.
The students were participating in Coquitlam Fire and Rescue’s first Junior Firefighting program that wrapped up Friday with a showcase for parents and family members of the skills they learned through the eight days prior.
And those weren’t inconsiderable, said deputy fire chief Rod Gill, who helped organize the program.
“They’re packing about eight weeks of the recruit program into eight straight days,” he said, adding the participants weren’t given a weekend break so they wouldn’t forget some of the things they were taught.
Gill said the program is a bit of a sampler of everything a firefighter might be expected to do, from routine tasks to adrenalin-pumping high-angle rescues.
“It’s about giving the students a chance to see what it’s like to be a firefighter.”
Gill said the students invited to participate had to first pass a rigorous application process that included letters of reference, a transcript of their school marks and volunteer activities, as well as an interview.
“We want to see they’re motivated,” he said.
And while one of the goals of the program is to help attract a more diverse population to a firefighting career, Gill said only time will tell if this inaugural cohort that included several young women, will follow through.
“It’s kind of a jumping-off point,” he said. “This is a perfect opportunity to see if this is something they want to do.”
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The junior firefighters get introduced to the harnesses and equipment they’ll wear during high angle rescue training.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The squad walks to the training tower where they’ll spend the afternoon learning how to tie special knots and set up safety and main lines so they can rappel back down to the ground.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Callum Borden, a 17-year-old student at Dr. Charles Best secondary school, gets help fitting his harness from instructor Scott Norrington.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Abbie Robinson, a student at Riverside secondary, struggles to get her helmet fitted just right.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Atop the tower, the students pay close attention to the details of tying knots that will secure safety lines for their descent.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The Junior Firefighters pay close attention because when descending from the four storey training tower, their lives depend on it.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS A properly tied knot can be the difference between life and death when rapelling from a perch during a high-angle rescue.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS For the high school students enrolled in the Junior Firefighters camp put on by the Coquitlam Fire and Rescue, that first step off the training tower is a doozy.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The safety crew works the ropes.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Zach Hamed, a 17-year-old student at Heritage Woods secondary school, begins his descent from the training tower.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Brendan McLaughlin, 17, keeps a close eye on the caribeners that keep him secured to the safety line as he begins his descent from the training tower.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS One of the junior firefighters prepares to rappel from the training tower.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Elliot Heath and Callum Borden, both students at Dr. Charles Best secondary school, celebrate their successful descent from the training tower.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Callum Borden gets debriefed after he reaches the ground.
I had the opportunity to cover a special traditional dedication ceremony for a canoe to be installed at the Kwikwetlem First Nation’s new Healing Spirit House on the Riverview Lands, a provincial mental health facility.
The Kwikwetlem First Nation, along with representatives from the provincial government, dedicated a canoe at the Healing Spirit House in Coquitlam’s Riverview lands on Tuesday. The hand-carved ocean-going canoe will be installed permanently in the facility’s gymnasium, as a symbol of reconciliation with the province.
“In our view, reconciliation goes two ways,” Kwikwetlem First Nations chief Ron Giesbrecht said. “The province has demonstrated a willingness to work with KFN to right the wrongs of the past and dedication of this KFN canoe for display at the Healing Spirit House is our way of showing appreciation for our new relationship with the province.”
The Healing Spirit House will have 38 beds available for First Nations’ youth experiencing mental health issues by providing a welcoming and positive environment to allow them to heal.
The local junior hockey team recently scheduled an afternoon game on a weekday to accommodate a promotion to attract school kids and seniors to the arena.
I could have gone and just shot a period of action and been done with it. But this presented a rare opportunity to do a little more storytelling. So I arranged for all-access about an hour before game time so I could tell the story of what goes on in that hour leading up to the opening face-off.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Langley Rivermen forward Tanner Versluis gets checked into the Coquitlam Express bench by Chase Danol in the first period of their BC Hockey League game, Wednesday at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Coquitlam Express forward Chase Danol waits as the team’s trainer, Ross Maceluch, lays out some snacks prior to the team’s midday game against the Langley Rivermen on Wednesday.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The visiting Langley Rivermen are a blur of motion as they warm up at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex prior to their midday game against the Coquitlam Express on Wednesday.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Express forward Christian Sanda takes a quiet moment in the stands prior to the team’s midday game against the Langley Rivermen on Wednesday. He said he uses the time to visualize the game ahead before he gets dressed to play.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Hockey gloves dry in a rack.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Express starting goalie for the game, Kolby Matthews, takes a quiet moment prior to the team skating onto the ice.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Volunteer ticket seller Yvonne Kiraly counts tickets prior to the doors opening for Wednesday’s midday game against the Langley Rivermen. She said she’s been helping out since last year.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Coquitlam Express forward Dallas Farrell gets his stick ready for Wednesday’s game against the Langley Rivermen.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Coquitlam Express forward Danny Pearson and Langley Rivermen defenceman Alec Capstick collide as they battle for a loose puck in the first period of their BC Hockey League game, Wednesday at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Coquitlam Express trainer Ross Maceluch lays out uniforms and equipment for the players before their arrival for Wednesday’s midday game against the Langley Rivermen.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Concession attendant Sonya Folster begins loading up bags of popcorn in anticipation of a crowd of young people as students from several schools are expected to attend Wednesday’s midday game.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Even with a midday start, some fans showed up an hour early for Wednesday’s game between the Coquitlam Express and Langley Rivermen.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Team chiropractor Harrison Wagner and trainer Russ Maceluch deliver the players’ sticks to the bench.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Express head coach Jason Fortier heads out of his office to address the team prior to the start of their game on Wednesday against the Langley Rivermen.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Couqitlam Express trainer Russ Maceluch carefully stacks pucks the team’s players will use during their pre-game warmup.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Longtime Express broadcaster Eddie Gregory does some last-minute preparation in his booth at center ice. He’s been with the team since it’s first season.
The local high school football season ended Saturday.
What was supposed to be a titanic rematch between opponents from last year’s provincial championship game, that was decided on the last play of the game, turned into a bit of a dud, as the defending champions earned the opportunity to defend their title by defeating their challengers, 33-0, in the semi-final.
Here’s how the game looked.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS New Westminster Hyacks ball carrier Broxx Comia slips the grasp of Terry Fox Ravens tackler Cade Cote in their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Terry Fox Ravens full back Liam Cumarasamy leaps over a New Westminster Hyacks tackler in their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Terry Fox Ravens running back Cade Cote can’t escape the clutches of New Westminster Hyacks tackler Matthew Lalim in their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Terry Fox Ravens quarterback Key’Shaun Dorsey tries to escape from New Westminster Hyacks tacklers Kinsale Phillip and Evan Nolli in their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA semi-final, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS A tough night for the Terry Fox Ravens and their coaching staff after the team lost its BC Secondary School Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final to the New Westminster Hyacks on Saturday, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Terry Fox Ravens running back Cade Cote fumbles the football as he’s hit by New Westminster Hyacks tackler Greyson Planinsic late in their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Terry Fox Ravens running back Ethan Shuen tries to get away from New Westminster Hyacks tackler Greyson Planinsic in the second half of their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Terry Fox Ravens running back Ethan Shuen is caught by a New Westminster Hyacks tackler in their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Terry Fox Ravens Chaz Marshall watches his team’s season end as the Ravens loose Saturday’s BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final, 33-0, to the New Westminster Hyacks.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS New Westminster Hyacks wide receiver Matthew Lalim (#9) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Arjun Bal late in the team’s 33-0 win over the Terry Fox Ravens in Saturday’s BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final at BC Place Stadium.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS New Westminster Hyacks wide receiver Ajay Choi tries to break the tackler of Terry Fox Ravens safety Kyle Huish in their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The reaility of their 33-0 loss to the New Westminster Hyacks in Saturday’s Subway Bowl AAA semi-final sinks in for Liam Stewart, Joshua Morris and Jake McEwan of the Terry Fox Ravens.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS New Westminster Hyacks running back Greyson Planinsic heads for the end zone in their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final against the Terry Fox Ravens, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS New Westminster Hyacks quarterback Kinsale Phillip looks to throw the ball as he’s caught by Terry Fox Ravens tackler Steven Jiang early in their BC Secondary Schools Football Association AAA Subway Bowl semi-final, Saturday at BC Place Stadium. New Westminster won the game, 33-0.
I love shooting cyclocross. Especially if the weather is bleak. That just makes the muck much more epic.
Leaden skies and rain might mean the end of summer. But for cyclocross racers, the fun is just beginning.
The Vancouver Cyclocross coalition kicked off its season of nine races in the Lower Mainland Saturday with the annual Donkey Cross at Castle Park in Port Coquitlam.
Cyclocross is where road riders go to wallow in the mud.
It was started in the early 1900s in northern Europe as a way for road racers to stay fit as their summer season wound down. The cyclists would challenge each other to race to the next town or village in Belgium, France or the Netherlands and they were allowed any route to achieve their destination. That often meant traversing muddy farmer’s fields, skittering along narrow dirt trails, hopping fences.
By 1924, cyclocross had become a recognized cycling discipline when the sport’s first international competition, Le Criterium International de Cross-Country Cyclo-Pédestre, was held in Paris. But the sport wasn’t officially sanctioned by cycling’s governing authority, the Union Cycliste Internationale until the 1940s and the first world championship was staged in Paris in 1950.
A cyclocross race is usually contested on a tight, twisty route that includes several obstacles and challenges that forces participants to carry their bikes, over a barrier or up a steep, slippery hill. Saturday’s event included races for kids, youth, novices, masters and elite men and women.
I’ve been a journalist for more than 34 years, a cyclist a little longer.
At some level, the two pursuits have always intertwined.
It was during summer break after my first year of journalism school I bought my first real road bike, a Raleigh.
After graduating and landing a job, I upgraded to a beautiful Italian roadster with Campagnolo components.
When I headed west and got another gig, I rewarded myself with another road bike customized with components I selected myself.
Over the years, I’ve done many cycling stories, from ride-alongs with the bike squads of various police departments and an outreach worker for a homeless shelter, to training with a peloton of first responders preparing for a week-long fundraising ride. I rode the track at the Burnaby Velodrome after doing a story about its fight for survival.
I’ve written and photographed stories about cyclists using their passion to try to change the world, cyclists who commute, cyclists who pedal to seemingly impossible destinations like the far North in the middle of winter.
I’ve covered stories about local pros and some who want to get there. I’ve covered bike races and trike races and even — for a time — a local bike festival that’s since morphed to a community street party.
I’d like to say i completely planned this photo from the PoCo Grand Prix, but the truth is it was a lucky frame I had no idea I had until I downloaded the memory card.
I’ve helped countless cyclists get the word out about their charitable efforts, riding to raise money for cancer research, Parkinson’s, a friend or group in need.
A local group of volunteers getting used sports equipment, including bikes, ready to sell to raise money for KidSport.
One afternoon, I got a call about an elderly gentleman whose bike was stolen from his garage, a bike he’d possessed for years and had actually ridden across the country to visit his daughter. Of course I’ll tell his story and maybe help get his bike back. He did.
Even when I’m not telling stories about cyclists, I like to think my own passion for cycling has aided and abetted my storytelling.
Knowing local roads as a cyclist has gotten me closer to newsworthy scenes than some of my media colleagues.
Knowing the local roads I’d ridden my bike on got me a parking spot closer to the scene of an anti-pipeline protest on Burnaby Mountain than most of my media colleagues.
And I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen something on a ride, like a new store, an unusual sign, or even a notice taped to light standard, that later became fodder for a story or a photo op, either by myself or passed on to a colleague.
When I needed to get a shot to illustrate the poor quality of air, I immediately thought of this spot along a popular riverfront bike trail that usually offers an expansive view of a nearby mountain range now obscured by smoke and haze. I’ve ridden this very trail many times.
Cycling forces you to look at the world at a slower pace. Riding with your head up allows you to notice things you might not otherwise see speeding past in a car or loping nearby with your head down looking at your feet.
Cycling enables your curiosity, allows you the luxury of thought. Many a lede — and sometimes the arc of whole stories — have been written in my head while on a bike.
But there is one thing cycling has not facilitated in my career as a journalist; lugging camera gear and the need to get to breaking news scenes quickly, or assignments on the far side of town efficiently, means I need a car for work.
BC Superweek is Canada’s largest, most prestigious series of pro bike races. Over the course of a week, riders from as far away as Germany and New Zealand converge in Metro Vancouver for nine races, most of them criteriums around tight, fast city courses.
This year’s PoCo Grand Prix was the first time the racers did their thing in the fading light of twilight and, for the men’s race, darkness.
The Friday-night party vibe around the course and the city’s central square was unrivaled, and the racers put on a great show, even if it was hard to see in the growing gloom.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The entertainment doesn’t stop even as the bike race begins at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS A replay of the women’s race plays on the monitor as the men await the start of their race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The pro men’s race speeds around the darkened streets of downtown Port Coquitlam at Friday’s Poco Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The women round a corner in fading daylight at Friday’s Poco Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Kendall Ryan, of Team TIBCO, pops the champagne bottle to celebrate her victory in the pro women’s race at Firday’s third annual PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Bikes can even create art.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The early laps of the pro men’s race at the PoCo Grand Prix are held in dwindling twilight.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS A commissaire keeps track of the laps at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The pro women’s race sets off in twilight.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The next generation of racers test their skills at the Kids Zone.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The women race past a photographer along the course.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Mitch Kettler, right, pips Florenz Knauer on the finish line to win the men’s professional race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix. The third annual race was the first in BC Superweek history to be held under the streetlights.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Canadian criterium champion Sara Bergen, right, chats with her Rally Cycling teammates before the start of the pro women’s race at Friday’s PoCo Grand Prix.
Apparently some people like wandering onto mudflats when the tide is out. It’s not a good idea. Here’s the story and photos I filed for The Tri-City News of rescue training on the mudflats of Port Moody Inlet by the Port Moody Fire Department.
It took just three steps for Rob Suzukovich to become hopelessly, and helplessly, stuck in the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet.
Fortunately, he’s a Port Moody fire captain who was taking part in a training exercise Thursday to give the city’s firefighters some practice extricating people who’ve wandered off the shoreline and into the heavy muck at low tide.
Port Moody fire chief Ron Coulson said that happens about twice a year.
He said the easy access to the flats from nearby trails, and the proximity of lots of residents and visitors to the city who may not be aware of the dangers of the mudflats make it imperative his crews keep their skills fresh.
He said the mudflats can be deceiving because when the tide is low they look no different than a soggy beach. But the mud is heavy with organic material and so saturated with water it creates an instant vacuum when unwary visitors step into it. That’s when the trouble starts.
“The harder you work to get out, you just sink deeper,” said Coulson of the process called liquefaction.
He said anyone who gets stuck in the ooze should stay calm until help arrives.
That help includes firefighters equipped with special plastic overshoes they strap onto their boots that allows them to walk on top of the muddy surface. They’ll also carry a spare pair of the overshoes for their victim, as well as a spinal board to provide a solid surface once that victim is extricated.
A high-power water pressure gun attached to 1.25-inch hoseline allows the firefighters to blast muck away from the victims legs, replacing it with water so they can be pulled out easier.
Suzokovich said the suction was immediate and overpowering.
“It’s very deceiving,” he said.
Coulson said visitors need to respect the signs warning them to stay off the mudflats at low tide.
“They don’t realize the danger,” he said. “And if the tide comes in, it can quickly turn tragic.”
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Muddy but otherwise unhurt, Ron Suzukovich heads for solid ground after serving as the “victim” in a training exercise to help Port Moody firefighters rescue people trapped in the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Wearing special overshoes that allow them to walk on the mud, Port Moody firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster head out to rescue their trapped colleague.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS After hiking across the mudflat in their special overshoes, Port Moody firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster arrive at their stuck colleague, Rob Suzukovich.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Wearing special overshoes that allow them to walk on the mud, Port Moody firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster head out to rescue their trapped colleague.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Port Moody fire caption Rob Suzukovich gets some help back on his feet from his “rescuers,” firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster, during a training exercise to extricate people trapped in the mudflats at the east end of Port Moody Inlet.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Port Moody firefighters use a high-pressure spray gun to loosen the mud around their “victim” so he can be pulled to a spinal board to strap on special overshoes that will allow him to walk back to firmer terrain.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS The designated “victim” for the exercise, Port Moody fire captain Ron Suzukovich, walks toward his doom in the mudflats off the Old Mill site on the north shore of Port Moody Inlet. Fire chief Ron Coulson says the easy access to the flats from shoreline trails and the proximity of many residents means his crews usually get called out twice a year to pluck people from the heavy muck.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Wearing special overshoes that allow them to walk on the mud, Port Moody firefighters Darren Penner and Jason Webster head out to rescue their trapped colleague.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Port Moody firefighters strap on special plastic overshoes that allow them to walk on the surface of the mudflats to rescue people stuck in the muck.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS A Port Moody firefighter deploys a 1.25-inch hose attached to a high-pressure spray gun that can be used to loosen the mud around a victim trapped in the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS It’s a dirty job getting people out of the mudflats if they become stuck.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Firefighters wearing backpacks containing specialized equipment walk towards the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet to practise rescuing a colleague who’s been sucked into the thick, heavy muck at low tide. Port Moody fire chief Ron Coulson says the easy access to the flats from nearby trails makes them alluring to visitors who may not know what they’re getting themselves into.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Port Moody fire chief Ron Coulson says his department can expect to rescue a couple of people a year who don’t heed the warning signs and get stuck in the mudflats at the eastern end of Port Moody Inlet.
Photographing a championship game at any level is like covering a 90-minute trailer leading up to the fleeting feature. It’s all about the “jubo.”
With so much at stake in a winner-take-all finale, the action is bound to be intense. So is the emotion.
Capturing the former is a given. Shooting the latter is usually the product of intuition, positioning and having the players turn your way.
At the BC High School AAA senior girls soccer championship on Friday, the local team I was there to cover dominated the run of player over a younger, upstart underdog. But they couldn’t score.
The match went into overtime, scoreless.
I knew I had some good action in the camera, so with a few minutes left before the match would go to penalty kicks, I moved from my usual position behind the end touch line to a spot along the sideline near midfield.
One goal by either team would be decisive, releasing a season’s worth of emotion, on the pitch as well as the bench, and being on the sideline near the team benches put me in a better position to capture that. (Plus I wouldn’t have to walk as far if the match went to a penalty kick shootout, which usually happens at one end of the field or the other.)
And sure enough, when a player from the team I was covering squeaked a shot through the legs of the opposing goalkeeper in the last two minutes of the second overtime half, she turned back towards her teammates running towards her, all their faces alight with joy, excitement and exultation. The despairing opponent in the background was just a lucky coincidence.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Fleetwood Park Dragons’ Christa Wright wins a corner kick in the first half of their BC High School AAA senior girls soccer championship against the Centennial Centaurs, Friday at the Unversity of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Stadium.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs forward Raegan Mackenzie works her way around Fleetwood Park Dragons defender Priya Uppal late in the second overtime half of their BC High School AAA senior girls soccer championship, Friday at the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Stadium. Centennial won the match, 1-0.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs midfielder Danae Robillard clashes with Fleetwood Park Dragons defender Sarah Tortora.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs goalkeeper Kelsey Eckert and Matisse Jones embrace as they celebrate their team’s dramatic 1-0 overtime win over Fleetwood Park secondary school in the BC High School AAA senior girls soccer championship, Friday at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs midfielder Danae Robillard clashes with Fleetwood Park Dragons defender Sarah Tortora.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs forward Jessica Carravatta tries to gain an advantage of Fleetwood Park Dragons defender Niki Virk.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs forward Sophia Ferreira is knocked off the ball by Fleetwood Park Dragons defender Parveen Braich.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Players on Centennial’s bench react as time winds down in their 1-0 overtime win over Fleetwood Park secondary school at the BC High School AAA senior girls soccer championship, Friday at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs forward Sophia Ferreira wins a header from Fleetwood Park Dragons’ Mackenzie Fox.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs’ Jessa Vance battles Fleetwood Park Dragons’ Sarah Tortora for control of a header.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs forward Sophia Ferreira, centre, is hugged by teammates after she scored the winning goal in their 1-0 win over the Fleetwood Park Dragons in Friday’s BC High School AAA senior girls soccer championship at the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Stadium.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs midfielder Danae Robillard works her way around Fleetwood Park Dragons defender Harjot Uppal.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs forward Sophia Ferreira celebrates her overtime game-winning goal as Fleetwood Park Dragons defender Jenieva Musico protests in disbelief in Friday’s BC High School AAA senior girls soccer championship at the Univeristy of British Columbia’s Thunderbird Stadium.
MARIO BARTEL/THE TRI-CITY NEWS Centennial Centaurs forward Sophia Ferreira wins a header from Fleetwood Park Dragons’ Mackenzie Fox.
It was a bit of a bittersweet experience attending my first BCYNA Awards banquet in years on Saturday. I used to eschew these kinds of events because, well, they’re mostly about management patting itself on the back and handing a few tchotchkes to the peons.
But having returned to the biz almost exactly a year ago, I thought it might be fun to throw a little shade at some of those managers who’d tried to excise me a few years back and here I was, getting a Silver Quill certificate for having survived 25 years in community newspapers (actually, I started full time in 1985, but they haven’t figured out a precious metal for 33 years yet). Plus I was also nominated for a couple of awards for photos I’d shot in my resurrection year.
Alas, most of the cohort of reporters and photographers I’d worked alongside and against for so many years have moved on, mostly not by their choice. Familiar faces are becoming fewer and fewer and suddenly I felt like the outlier. There was nobody to share war stories with or mutually rail against the injustices of an industry that’s lost its way.
So as I sat chewing my giant piece of goulash that was presented as our $150 per plate meal, I reflected on being back in the biz, how I got here, and some of the people who helped me get to that table on Saturday night. Like:
Ron Kuzyk, a former steelworker in Hamilton and the one-time weekend photographer at the Burlington Post, who showed me what it takes to get a good sports photo, where to find the human element in a story, how to get across town in five minutes.
Walter Passarella, the chief photographer at Oshawa This Week, who took a chance on a skinny kid just a year out of journalism school with an even skinnier portfolio.
Craig Hodge, who dangled the prospect of work in the lively and competitive community newspaper scene of Metro Vancouver when the economy tanked in Southern Ontario and took a lot of newspaper jobs with it.
Celebrating my Silver Quill award with another 25-year survivor, and newsroom colleague, Diane Strandberg at Saturday’s BCYNA Awards gala. The photo was taken by my former boss who brought me out to BC in the first place. Shame about the focus 😉
The publisher of the Cape Breton Post, whose boastful story during my job interview with him of how he saved money by acceding an important local story to the wire service sent up a red flag and sent me about as far away from his paper I could get .
All the photographers I worked alongside and against when I got here — Simone Ponne, Doug Shanks, Brian Giebelhaus, Evan Seal, Arlen Redekop, Paul VanPeenan, Greg Kinch, Ward Perin, Marcus Oleniuk, Dave Buzzard, Chung Chow, Chuck Russell, Craig Sleik, Rick Collins, John Gordon, Brian Langdeau, John Van Putten, Steve Ray, Steve Kidd, Rebecca Blissett, Dan Toulgoet, Larry Wright, Colleen Flanagan, Jennifer Gauthier, Mark Patrick. Whenever our assignments crossed we kibbitzed and kvetched, but more importantly we pushed each other to make our papers look great, to create images and tell stories that invited readers to pick our papers up with the assurance their time was being spent with a quality product that could delight, enthrall or challenge them with every turn of the page.
I can’t not mention Richard Dal Monte, my current editor at the Tri-City News, who a year ago figured I’d done enough damage producing digital content for a realtor and brought me back into the newspaper world, for however much longer it lasts. Plus, I could be his instrument of subterfuge to fulfill his evil scheme to bring more cycling stories to the masses (so far so good; am fulfilling my monthly quota).
And, of course, my wife, Katie, a former partner in storytelling who’s had the good sense to get out of this racket because goodness knows, a bank is going to look sideways at a mortgage application when both paycheques are coming from the newspaper industry. For nearly 13 years now, she’s been my sounding board, allowing me to vent my many frustrations, sharing my occasional triumphs and pushing me to stay true to my talents, however difficult it can sometimes be to convince others of their value.
