What's Up Yukon, April 8, 2005

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April 8th, 2005 Issue #5 Behind the Sc

enes at

LS GUYS & DOL n w o r u With o Jude Wong

What’s Inside

All Northern. All Fun.

What’s Happening Hypnotist...................2 The Editor’s Page..........3 Dining Fine.................4 Recipe.......................5 Swan Season...............5 Next Stage..................6 Yukon Rainbow............6 Wild Gamer.................7 Attention Span.............8 Bar Listings.................8 Beer Buzz...................9 What’s Happening....... 10

Arts and Culture B-boying................... 11 Amanda Stott............ 11 Stage in Motion.......... 12 Reel Yukon............... 14 Jack Jackson............. 15 From the Arts............ 16 Youth Culutre............ 16 Audio Borealis............ 17

Sports and Rec Curtis Prosko............. 18 Play Makers............... 19 Sport Listing.............. 19

Bronwyn Jones shines in the role of Miss Adelaide in The Guild’s production of Guys & Dolls. The play runs until April 9 at the Yukon Arts Centre.

Photo: Mark Prins

Walkabout................ 20

Nick Robinson break dances during a press conference at the Wood Street Complex. The pess conference was to present, Robinson, Ryan Enns, Kara Alaric and Lauren Tuck who are the cultural representatives for the Yukon at the 2005 Canada Summer games in Regina.

Photo: Mark Prins

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What’s Up, YUKON!

2

April 8, 2005

Even Ethical Hypnotists Can Have Fun

“I

Superman and starlets will appear from among us

’m an ethical hypnotist,” says Gavin Hooper by telephone from his Vancouver home.

That’s too bad, because the Whitehorse audience at the Yukon Convention Centre April 9 would love to see their bosses on stage, clucking like chickens.

But it will be fun, says Hooper of his stage show. “You might see Superman or a starlet, but people will definitely keep their clothes on.”

And, since he is an ethical hypnotist, he won’t be asking anyone to rob a bank for him. Of course that might have more to do with him being a pragmatic hypnotist: “I can’t make people stop smoking unless they want to, it’s freedom of choice.

“One of the deepest forms of hypnosis is sex; they aren’t thinking about the phone bill.”

“As well, if you don’t want to be hypnotized, don’t come up on stage.”

But, those who do, will “let go of daily tensions and do what we, as people, are meant to do … play.”

So, what is hypnosis?

Hooper pauses and starts to speak a couple of times before trying, “It’s magnified concentration …” He stops and then tries

again: “If I can get … the more someone concentrates or focuses on something … hypnosis is a single focus …”

Then he tries an example: “It’s like you are watching a good movie and your spouse comes into the room and you can’t hear them talk.

“One of the deepest forms of hypnosis is sex; they aren’t thinking about the phone bill.”

t t o t S a d n Ama

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t t o t S a Am and

With Chase The Sky Star Canadaʼs Rising

It comes back to the strength of the mind to focus. In fact, it is a fallacy that only the weak-minded can be hypnotized.

When people come on stage and are lead through funny skits, it is not because they are being forced … it is because they genuinely want to have fun.

“Hypnosis is a mood, a state of mind, like being happy or sad, except when you’re in hypnosis you tap into the subconscious and become highly suggestible,” says Hooper.

Hypnosis is a skill that can be learned. Hooper says he has been a clinical hypnotist for 13 years and has added a stage performance eight years ago.

“How effective you are depends on your stage presence and, in a clinical setting, the rapport with the client.”

Hooper is at that point, now, where he can hypnotize up to 100 people at a time. There will be those who really don’t want to be hypnotized and they will take their seats again and then a couple of skips will draw out the “light sleepers” and he is left with those who will perform with him. “Then the fun stuff,” he says.

After he visits Whitehorse, Hooper will attend a string of “Dry Grads” where he will teach a message on drugs, drinking and driving.

Hooper: The Professional Hypnotist says hypnosis is “a powerful tool” but, the performance on April 9 will just be about fun.

“You don’t scare the kids because that doesn’t work. I teach them the power of youth and that is a powerful tool.”

He has also worked with teams to help them win more.

He builds up their self esteem and confidence and they go on to win more games than they had before. But, if the skill isn’t there, hypnosis won’t guarantee success.

Hooper’s performance is preceded by dinner at 6:30 p.m. on April 9. Information is available at www.yukonshows.com.

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EDITOR’S PAGE What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

I’m Just Saying...

L

Reporting on the FUN SIDE from the INSIDE

An editorial by Darrell Hookey

ast month, I was at Takhini Arena at 7 o’blessed clock in the morning to interview some figure skaters. I waited until I returned to the office before seeking sympathy because these figure skating folk do this a couple of times a week … the coaches, even more.

Each parent in the lobby either found a chair to sit in or, at the very least, a wall to lean against … but there was no complaining. It made me wonder whatever happened to the fabled, loud-mouthed parent who would shout at coaches and referees and other parents.

As the legend goes, there are parents out there who live vicariously through their children’s exploits on the field of sport. Any slight against them, is a slight against the memory of similar unchallenged slights they had endured.

Now, I have had lots of opportunity to meet such a creature. My children have, and are, involved in sports. But, never once, have I witnessed a belligerent parent. Heck, these people even applaud the other team’s goals.

Sitting along many a side line on soccer fields watching my son, I have overheard such soothing comments as, “If the referee didn’t see it, he didn’t see it,” and “The coach has a lot more on his mind than how many seconds you have played.”

My daughter is a synchronized swimmer, so I have to allow for the fact that audiences are so well behaved because it is extremely difficult to heckle a swim team when the girls spend half of the time underwater. So, never once have I heard someone shout out, “You call that a double tower lift?” or “Your propulsion technique sucks!”

I don’t think this is just a Yukon thing, either. I read in the newspaper of a parent who beat up the opposing coach. Yes, this does prove my point because it happened in Ontario. This is such a rare occurrence that it made the national news.

Keep in mind that just murdering somebody in Detroit won’t get your picture on the television anymore … you have to kill someone special or in some hideous way to warrant a mention.

I think this new age of civility (as if the old age was uncivil ... I’m having my doubts about these urban legends) owes to the “Cocooning of America” (a term coined by an American, but, well, it applies to us, too).

We North Americans are finding more and more solace in our families. Ask any furniture salesman how the last Midnight Madness Sale went. They will tell you it was dead all night, whereas 10 years ago the place would have been jammed by bargain hunters.

We are staying home within the bosom of our families.

We recognize the benefit of sports for our children and, so, we take them. But we make the best of it and we revel in the camaraderie of the experience. We recognize that the referees are either volunteers or being paid a token to help everyone enjoy the game. And we know the coaches have taken on larger loads of responsibility than we are willing to take on because, well, we like to cocoon.

And, so, we sit back and enjoy the game.

It is always a sad day for me when the last indoor soccer game is played. It’s an exciting, fast-paced game and enjoyed for the price of gas to and from the school gym.

And to see a synchronized pageant fills me with wonder.

My daughter is doing things I would never, nor have ever, been able to do.

I know I am not the only one who feels this way. Why else don’t you see loud-mouthed parents?

Clarification A story in the March 11 issue of What’s Up Yukon stated Soir de Semaine played French cover songs. It should be clarified that the band played French covers only at the beginning.

3

All Northern. All Fun.

What’s Up, Yukon? #5 210 Lambert St. Whitehorse, YT Y1A 1Z4 Ph: 667-2910 Fax: 667-2913 Publisher/Sales Tammy Beese sales@whatsupyukon.com

Published by Beese Entertainment Publishing Bi-weekly Free Distribution Editor Darrell Hookey editor@whatsupyukon.com

Design & Layout Dan Sokolowski

The Only Personality Test That Works

T

here are people out there who think they know everything they need to know about me just because: a) I’m a Scorpio. b) I’m a white male in his 40s. c) I drive an Explorer.

Nobody likes to be pigeon holed ... especially with seemingly arbitrary classification systems like these. At the very least take into account my rising sign and position of the moon and other planets.

If you really want to get to know somebody quickly, without actually engaging in too much conversation, you should try the following fool-proof method that I have come up with.

It is more complete than just a sun sign; it is less racially sensitive as my age and ethnicity (or lack thereof); and it isn’t skewed by the fact I bought an Explorer just because my kids were too uncomfortable in my little red Ranger pickup truck.

I call this personality test:

MY FAVOURITE BEATLE Our favourite Beatle tells others volumes about our personalities. And it is universal among people over 30 because most of us have a favourite Beatle. People under 30 seem to take delight in claiming they don’t know who the Beatles are just to make the rest of us feel old, so you may want to keep that in mind.

There are dynamics at work, too.

George Harrison was the quiet one, but that quality turned out to be a spiritual approach to life. John Lennon was socially minded, but who could have imagined how much good he would go on to accomplish ... and inspire?

So, here are the personality profiles of those who choose the following as their favourite Beatle:

George Harrison — You approach life with intelligence and heart. You may not believe in a god, but you are still spiritual. You have a wonderful sense of quiet and that, more than anything else, makes you the ideal leader. You have an appreciation for subtleties and dislike spoon-fed ideologies.

Ringo Starr — You were the class clown and you see no reason to stop now. There is a lot going on behind your glib expression, but a glib expression seems the ideal answer to anything thrown at you. You delight in surprising friends with the depth of your thought and you surprise yourself with how seldom you need to think.

John Lennon — You have a passion for all things organic in all definitions of the word. You believe sincerity is the only currency you need and you are often disappointed when you discover that isn’t true. You think outside of the box and cannot understand why few others do as well. You are a member of the mainstream and you don’t know it.

Paul McCartney — You think you are in the mainstream, but you are not. You know what you like and you like it a lot. You don’t want to make too much of an effort to entertain yourself and you do not demand more from those who want your allegiance.

There it is. Simple. But it needs to be proved, so I sent an email to my columnists — my control group — and found out who their favourite Beatles are.

Chris Wheeler, Wheeler’s Walkabout — “George, I loved the sincerity of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

The Beer Buzz Crew — “Ringo, his nose worked so well with his hair.”

Nicole Bauberger, From the Arts — “John, but I don’t like any particular Beatle.”

Justin Lemphers, Yukon Wild Gamer — “Ringo, his name has rhythm.”

Vanessa Willett, Yukon Rainbow — “George, seemed to be a thinker and much more spiritual than others.”

George Maratos, Play Makers — “John, for his easy-going, not-to-be-soldout demeanour.”

Rod Jacob, Reel Yukon — “John, he’s more popular than Christ.”

James Cackette, Yukon Night Lights — “George, he was a great guitar player, great writer, great singer.”

Jude Wong, Stage in Motion — “John, I like his look and the feel of his songs and the things his lyrics talk about.”

David Gillmor, Audio Borealis — “John, for his knack for malapropisms and dry, pointed humour.”

Chris McNutt, Attention Span — “John, even though I’ve always hated Yoko.”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor are welcome in this space. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel issues, grammar and spelling. We do not accept letters that do not concern the mandate of this magazine — arts, culture, entertainment, sports and recreation — and we will not accept a letter in lieu of a scrutinized press release. Please send your letters to editor@whatsupyukon.com or mail them to the address in our Masthead.

What’s Up, YUKON!

4

Grazing Around the World Try some of this and some of that at The Cellar

D

on’t you just hate it when you place your order for a dinner, after agonizing for 10 minutes, and then see something even better being carried past your table to someone else?

The Cellar Steakhouse and Wine Bar, at the Edgewater Hotel, finally has as a solution: They are called Tapas.

These mini-meals are miniature versions of the full meals, so you can try several at one sitting. The Cellar has even created a Tapas Bar that can be enjoyed by several people for something less formal.

with Darrell Hookey

The wine list was brought to us and we were impressed with the selection. It is not as extensive as you would find Outside, but many of the wines appeared to have been carefully chosen and, as I have been informed, available no where else in the Yukon.

I had done my homework already, so I had a lineup of Tapas

Tapas give these diners a chance to sample a lot more of what The Cellar Steakhouse & Wine Bar has to offer.

That is an old idea that Whitehorse’s oldest restaurant has brought back with last year’s renovations. The space is still formal, but a salmon and cream colour scheme has lightened up the restaurant and big-screen televisions on the bar side has given the place an “Elegant Sports Bar” feel.

There is still a quiet side for those romantic, intimate dinners in front of a fireplace, so The Cellar is still the place for those special occasions.

My LDC and I chose the bar side and still felt pampered in a luxurious setting.

already planned. Our server, Erin Suggitt, started by bringing Crab Cakes and a plate of filo-wrapped, oven-baked Camembert and Garlic.

The Crab Cakes were amazing. I couldn’t understand how the chef made them so moist and delicate and yet they held together.

It came with a salad and a homemade Rémoulade.

And the cheese plate came with a wine-poached pear and red wine honey for dipping — a pairing that tantalized two areas of the mouth. “I love the combination of the cheese and pear,” said

my LDC. “I would serve this as dessert.”

Me? I wouldn’t serve it at all because it was presented so artistically and with such flair I would just sit back and admire it all evening. Each plate that came to our table was an individual work of art.

The plates were sat in the middle of our table and we served ourselves. Once we had done a good job on them, Suggitt cleared away the dishes and we started fresh with Salmon with Mango Chutney and a Mediterranean Salad and California Rolls ... very colourful and tasty.

Suggitt told us she served a table of 10 women recently and each ordered a Tapas and they were all placed in the centre of the table. There was more chatting than usual as they all tried a little of everything.

My LDC and I were grateful for the chance to try so many different meals that we would normally not order as we stick to the tried and tested meals.

And it was about this time that my LDC realized our meals were coming from all over the world: “It’s like we are going around the world without leaving the table.”

We had already been to Japan, Italy, the Mediterranean and Can-

Breakfast 7 am - 2:30 pm

Children welcome before 11 a.m.

Pampering Yukoners for 35 years 101 MAIN ST. • 667-2572 • Breakfast 7-11 Lunch 11-2:30 Dinner 2:30-10

LOCATED IN EDGEWATER HOTEL

This review is not meant to judge quality of food or service.

It only describes the experience offered by the reviewed restaurant. The owners were informed in advance of the review and the meals were provided at no cost.

3 Whats COOKING Mmm…Delicious… Restaurant Listings

Bocelli’s Pizzeria 667-4838 • Mama says,”Don’t sit around eating the greasy pizza, call Bocelli’s for authentic Italian cusine”. Bocelli’s features Skillfully prepared hand-tossed Pizza, baked pasta, awesome salads and much, much more. Call ahead for quick take out Open Tues–Sat 3-8pm

The Deli 667-7583 • Join us for lunch Monday thru Friday. Homemade

soups, daily specials, deli sandwiches, and homemade sausages. Grab it to go or meet with a friend.

The Cranberry Bistro 302 Wood Street• Ethnic food from around the world. Pannini sandwiches, whole wheat pizzas, Ethnic street food, vegetarian specials, delicious homemade pastries, organic gourmet coffees and teas. Open Mon-Fri 9am – 4pm

The Cellar Steakhouse and Wine Bar 667-2572 • Try our Tapas,

or stop by after the show and enjoy our decadent deserts and specialty coffees. Only the finest quality and service provided since 1967. Located in the Edgewater Hotel

The Gallery Edgewater Hotel • Whitehorse’s best kept secret.

Excellent food. Excellent service. Open holidays

Java Connection 668-2196 • Come & Enjoy the friendly atmosphere,

La Gourmandise Creperie & World Cuisine • Exquisite dinners and decadent desserts For Reservations call 456-4127 Corner of Steel and Fourth

Sanchez Cantina 668-5858 • Savour the flavours of Mexico at Yukon’s

Try Us!

Great Steaks & the BEST Sandwich & Soup Specials

only true Mexican restaurant. Ceviche, adobos, enchiladas, chile relleno, mole poblano, pollo en pipian, huauchinango a la Veracruzana pozole, and so much more. Call for reservations. Mon-Sat Lunch 11:30-3:30, Dinner 4:30-9:30

Pasta Palace 667-6888 • Specializing in pasta, Ask about Henry’s daily specials, dine in or take out, open Mon-Sat

Review What’s Up Yukon

S AT U R DAY S , S U N DAY S & H O L I DAY S

the simple pleasure of dipping my Easter Bunny’s ears into a jar of peanut butter) and the B-52 Cake that was light and cool and creamy.

As we were leaving, we were told that Friday night is usually busy because there are regulars who come in to try the various Tapas. Yeah, we can believe it.

and try our unique, made to order lunches, specialty coffees & snacks.

Good times, good food, good value. Located in the heart of downtown.

3125 3rd Ave.

“This is the Best Burger I’ve ever had!”

’s Best Ke itehorse pt Wh Secret

ada’s west coast. We were now on our way to Alberta with a serving of Filet Mignon that we could cut with our forks and to New Zealand with Lamb Rack arranged around a salad.

In a restaurant like this, you have to try the desserts. Fortunately, many of the desserts are light — featured cream pies, lemon meringue pie, assorted cheese cakes and Belgian chocolates — and easier to handle after such an ambitious meal.

We ordered the Peanut Butter Pie (that has spoiled me for

April 8, 2005

Breakfast ALL DAY! $3.99 Licensed Establishment

Tel. 393-3337 Behind TD Bank - 2112 2nd Avenue

Madtrapper Bistro 393-3337 • Best soup in town, breakfast all day, and now we serve steak and Ribs. Call about our daily specials.

Sam N’ Andy’s • Enjoy our warm friendly atmosphere. We’re more than just Mexican food try out our other great menu selections. Daily food and beverage specials. Kids always welcome. Open daily at 11am, Sundays at 4pm.

Sam’s Kitchen 668-4567 • Western and Chinese Food 7am-9pm Located in the 202

Deadline for April 21 issue Monday April 11 by 5pm

What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

S

5

Swans are an Easy Sell

ylvie Binette probably has the easiest job at the Department of Natural Resources.

As a wildlife viewing technician, it is her job to make the public aware of swan habitat and why it is important to preserve it.

It’s an easy job because Swan Haven, on Marsh Lake’s M’Clintock Bay, offers a marvellous view of these majestic birds that visit the Yukon once a year.

Spotting scopes are lined up and Jukka Jantunen – “An amazing ornithologist,” says Binette – is there daily to answer questions while he charts the numbers of swans.

In fact, Binette’s job is probably easier than any over at the Department of Tourism because it is easy to convince her “tourists” to stop: “This area is rich in nutrients because of the sediment,” she says.

“The water is shallow there so swans and other migratory birds can feed on invertebrates and vegetation from the bottom.”

On their long journey from the Vancouver-Washington areas and the Western Coast to the Old Crow Flats and points further north, the swans find that M’Clintock Bay is the first suitable body of water that opens up.

But it is difficult to convince them to spend another day when she doesn’t know how long they are staying now. But, this year, there are collar programs that are operational and will allow this data to be collected for the first time.

This is the kind of information that makes visits to Swan Haven so fulfilling. It is a real, educational experience. There is an interpreter that works exclusively with the busloads of Grade 2 to 6 students that come out each year.

Pampering Yukoners is what we do Britany, Bretonnes, crepes

And Swan Haven, the building itself, is a natural museum.

Swan Haven opened April 2 and will close May 1. But the Celebration of Swans is when things get exciting. There will be workshops on watercolour landscapes, photography, water bird identification and a film.

At the Boiler Room, there will be an open stage devoted to the returning swans. Definitely Not Your Swan Song will be April 19 at 7:30 p.m.

And there will be a Spring Birding Bus Tour and a campfire with Tagish First Nation elder Ida Calmegane on April 22 at the Tagish River Bridge Day Use Area.

“For many people it is a ritual, something they do every year,” says Binette. “I am fortunate to be part of that ritual.”

v Espresso v Pastries v Breads

v Soups

For Reservations Call 456-4127

v Salads

Your meeting and Eating place Come in and see us for a variety of lunch options

RICE 2 cups sushi rice, rinsed in cold water until clear 2 1/2 cups cold water 1 4-inch square of konbu (dried kelp) 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon salt FILLING smoked salmon english cucumber red and green pepper green onion spicy guacomole Nori sheets (for rolling) PREPARATION • Let the rinsed rice drain in a colander for one hour.

• Place the drained rice in a sauce pan with the cold water and the kombu and bring to a boil.

• Mix the vinegar, sugar and salt together.

Review What’s Up Yukon

Yukon Deli sandwiches just the way you like it.

From the kitchen of The Cellar Steakhouse & Wine Bar

• Remove from heat, remove the lid, place a dishtowel over the top of the pan, replace the lid and let sit for about 20 minutes.

v Torten

Too late you drooled

CALIFORNIA ROLLS

• When the water boils, remove the kombu, cover sauce pan, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the water is absorbed.

“The smells and colours are a delight. Our deserts are served and we just want to stare at them. They are works of art ”

Don’t Look, Don’t Look,

RECIPE

v Catering

v Sandwiches

633-6291 100 Main Street, Whitehorse Open Mon–Fri 7am–7pm Sat 9am–5pm Closed Sundays

• Empty the rice into a large bowl (preferably wooden).

• Stir the rice gently with a wooden spoon while sprinkling the vinegar mixture over it. Continue stirring until the rice is cool.

• Cover with a damp towel and use within four hours.

ASSEMBLY Lay out four sheets of nori, shiny side down. Divide the rice evenly, spreading to within one inch of the top edge, and even with the others. Lay two or three slices of salmon 1/3 of the way from the bottom edge and spread guacamole on top to taste. Place thin slices of cucumber, peppers, and green onions on top of that. Moisten the top edge of the nori. Carefully lift the bottom edge of the nori and roll up. This is easier if you have a bamboo rolling mat, but it can be done without. Using a very sharp, dampened knife, slice into six or eight pieces. Serve with small bowls of wasabi paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc.

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Registered trademarks of Boston Pizza Royalties Limited Partnership, used under license. © Boston Pizza International Inc. 2005

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What’s Up, YUKON!

6

April 8, 2005

Got knocked down, Got Back Up, Then Was Blown Away

T

here is a bit of Murphy’s Law happening when it comes to reviewing live acts.

Last weekend I was ready to let off some steam, when ole Murphy gave me a sharp poke in the back and declared, “You shall miss two big shows”.

All right, it wasn’t that dramatic but I did miss Fishead Stew and the return of Kim Beggs both at The Boiler Room. Inexcusable, yes, so, I’m looking for a gig to see and my old friend, the flapping poster downtown, grabs my attention. The evening was billed as Ivan Zenovitch and Cory Chouinard at The Backwater Lounge.

I found my favourite seat, right by the front door (the one that bangs when it closes), order a much-needed libation and looked up to see an unusual combo setting up.

The first thing I saw was a djembe. Last time I saw one of these African drums in action was in a circle of hippie types that had

2 more

with Bill Polonsky

invaded The Red Onion in Skagway, Alaska. A story for another day...

No kidding, a djembe, next to a Dobro slide guitar. This evening was starting to hold promise.

Chouinard sits behind his drum and begins to slowly stretch his arms and hands as Ivan Zenovitch checks his guitars. Each man it seems in tuning mode.

They quickly confer and head strait into a bluesy tune. I’m pulled into the music of these two men.

They do a version of The Youngbloods’ Get Together that they could call their own.

Zenovitch and Chouinard create some of the most listenable music I’ve heard in a while. Their versions of the blues, folk and rock classics they choose are all treated to a jam in the middle. This allows

we’ve added

ights this spring!

Flight #525 • Whitehorse Vancouver Flight #526 • Vancouver Whitehorse

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Tues/Thurs Dep YXY2:55pm Arr YVR 5:10pm

Flight 526

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Call your local travel agent or 867-668-2228 or 1-800-661-0407

Zenovitch to show off his tremendous talent on the guitar.

He confesses, “I’ve been playing these songs since I was 10, I like to take the old classics and mix them up a bit.”

And mix them up they do.

While playing a version of Bo

www.yairnorth.com

the pyrotechnics. “I use an older, stretched head on the drum and tune it down.” This cuts through the sound of the guitar and, “then I can play blues all night long.”

A graduating class of Japanese students was here tonight at The Backwater, dancing and laughing, spending a last night in Whitehorse before heading home. I have to wonder if they realize what a unique Yukon performance they witnessed. strangethingsdone@hotmail.com

Is She or Isn’t She?

Program! Get your program here!

with Vanessa Willett

W

e all wear our identities in various ways to show the world what tribe we belong to.

Go to Toronto and you will see the Bay Street brokers in their slick-cut suits; go to Vancouver and you can tell the granolas by their hippie, back-to-the-land attire. Sexual-orientation-wise, it is usually just as easy to spot gay from straight. In any city, a woman wearing a plaid shirt, hiking boots with a short and spiky do is a good bet to be not so straight ... in the Yukon this is not necessarily so. It raises the question: Is it bush or is it butch?

One evening at the Boiler Room, while listening to the jazz stylings of Annie Avery, this question of Yukon gay identity came up. A woman at the table voiced the question of how a gay woman can spot another gay woman in Whitehorse. Afterall, wearing

plaid shirts with Carhartts and short hair is not necessarily a dyke-thing as it is a Yukon-thing.

This conversation was then picked up at a party several nights later. A happily married woman named B.J. (whom I have to credit with the bush/butch analogy) said she encountered this problem all the time. She is a plaid-wearing, big-booted, short-haired straight woman who is always being mistaken for a dyke. She moves in circles with a lot of gay women and it didn’t really bother her but it did show how much we rely on external clues and stereotypes to assess people around us.

Perhaps we need some sort of Yukon gay code ... such as wearing only lavender-coloured plaid shirts or accessorizing with rainbow coloured bandanas. We never really came to any sort of conclusion except that the gay community is different from Outside and

is not necessarily as visible as it might be in Toronto or Vancouver.

One thing is for certain, regardless of how you dress you can find the gay community alive and thriving at any of our planned functions. Speaking of which, G.A.L.A’s Spring Thaw dance is now going to be held at the Guild Hall on April 30. I will have more details about it in subsequent columns.

Ellen E. Brian Tarot Card Readings Astrological Charts

Call 667-6030 for an appointment

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Diddley’s, Who Do You Love?, a rock standard that in its raw form clocks in around three minutes, they break into an extended workout that becomes a gigantic fireworks spectacular that includes fuzz tone, echo, compression and expansion with a tease of The Beatles’s Within You, Without You added for good measure.

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What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

7

Mech Assault 2: Lone Wolf Has Come a Long Way New generation, new possibilities

with Justin Lemphers

Mech Assault used to be a turn-based strategy game.

Now it is a fast paced action/shooter.

T

his week I paid a trip to Gecko’z to have a look at the recent Xbox release, Mech Assault 2: Lone Wolf. I last played a Mech title years ago (at the risk of dating myself) on the C-64 and thought this game would be along the same lines: turnbased strategy. I was agreeably surprised to discover that the latest, and greatest, in this series is a fast paced action/shooter.

When I set out to review any game, I make it a point not to read any of the instructions to see how easy it is to pick up. With Mech Assault 2, this was a mistake, but not because the game

was too difficult to master. The single impediment to my learning curve was my unfamiliarity with the Xbox controller. Of all the gaming platforms, it is the Xbox I have had the least contact with, and it sorely limited my initial game play.

Ian Duncan, who works at Gecko’z, told me some gamers do have a hard time getting into Mech Assault 2, but once they reach a certain level of mastery, they are hooked. He kindly advised me to keep at it and try a few different tactics in battle. Before long, I was blasting away to my heart’s content.

Mech Assault 2: Lone Wolf offers players a fun, new and risky mode of exploring by allowing them to have the pilot exit the Mech and race around on foot. Navigating on foot is often required to satisfy mission objectives. It can also be used for tactical advantage by abandoning a severely damaged Mech and stealing an unmanned vehicle nearby.

I was initially surprised at what seemed to be low quality graphics in the opening sequence and cut scenes, until I realized the style was cartoon oriented. With so many developers creating games that have CGI cut scenes, I found the cartoon approach to be a welcome change.

The 3D-rendered game play graphics were great, and the environment had many interactive pieces. In between waves of attackers, I found myself blasting away at trees, rocks and buildings just to see how much destruction I could manage.

The only flaw I found with this title was the ability to cheat by taking advantage of frame clipping. The best example of this was encountered when I manoeu-

vred my pilot up to a large cluster of rocks. By moving slightly from side to side, I found I could see through the rocks at certain angles. Since I was only able to manage this on foot, I can not chastise the developer’s too severely as most of my game time was spent in the Mechs.

Sound is a huge part of Mech Assault 2; to properly enjoy it, I suggest gamers crank up the volume. The fire fights are intense as any Hollywood action sequence

and the explosions and gunfire all around complete the experience.

The last thing to mention is the fiction behind the action. From the amount I was able to play, it looked like an intriguing plot was being developed. I played for a few hours to see how much more I could discover of the story, right up until Duncan told me I had to go home since he was closing up for the night.

All in all, I have to say Mech Assault 2: Lone Wolf is a winner in my books.

Games and computer time were generously provided by Gecko’z.

Fun Side from the inside

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What’s Up, YUKON!

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What’s Up, TONIGHT!

Capital Hotel Sundays — Wednesdays Live Music Apr. 10–13 Chris Moir & Friends

Apr. 17–20 Bull Moose from Montreal Thursdays — 3JDJ spins Top Forty and Your Requests Fridays — DJ’s House Arrest and Synapse spin East and West Coast Hip-Hop with MC Dedicado Saturdays — DJKJ Brings you the best dance music period Student Specials 7–11 Every Night

98 Hotel We’ve got character. We’ve got the second oldest Liquor license in Canada.

We’ve got Fiddle Night with Joe Loutchan & company every Thursday.

Mama’s Pub & Grill Wednesday Wing Night Thursday Pint Night Friday Free “Happy Hour” Appies “Sexy Saturday” Slippery shooter Specials

202 Hotel April 7, 8, 9 and April 14, 15, 16 Loose Enz: Chris & Kevin

I

April 8, 2005

My Name is Chris. I Am An Ontarian.

t’s not easy being a member of a minority group in the Yukon.

I suffer regular incidents of discrimination where jokes and insults are made at my expense. I am denied jobs, wealth, prestige and power all due to my ethnic heritage.

Many others who share my race suffer the same fate, but we persevere. We understand that we are different.

We are from Ontario.

The Yukon boasts a large population of ethnic Ontarians, though it is often difficult to distinguish them from the Common Yukoner.

By being able to properly identify People from Ontario, you will learn more about our proud an ancient culture and grow to appreciate our unique contributions to humanity.

People from Ontario do not drive pick-up trucks. We prefer sedans or SUVs which work very well for us seeing as we do not hunt or gather our own firewood.

Often we have oblong roof-racks

with Chris McNutt on our vehicles and you can sometimes see us parked in groups by the gym where we gather to ride stationary bicycles and drink protein beverages.

Our national sport is the Stairmaster.

During rush hour we slow traffic down on purpose to cause congestion. Often we will drive extremely close to the person in front of us because we feel safer in vehicle gridlock. It was People from Ontario who lobbied the City of Whitehorse to install the new traffic circles.

People from Ontario avoid Tim Hortons. Many of us remember the days when all you could buy at Tim Hortons was coffee, donuts

and cigarettes. The multi-grain bagels and 5 choices of soup often confuse us and we become disoriented. If this happens we go to the Olive Bar in Superstore to feel grounded.

People from Ontario don’t understand curling though we can relate somewhat to the notion of a sport that requires a bar as mandatory equipment — such as lawn bowling. The moment we discover enough lawn, we will start a club and have our own version of bonspiels where we go crazy and sometimes bowl as late as 10 p.m.

Then there is the Ontario Accent. The fact that People from Ontario talk differently is based more on vocabulary than actual

BY STEVE SLADE

T

he sun is shining, the flag snaps proudly in the southeast wind as the “MV Queen of Prince Rupert” pulls out of Bella Bella this morning. It’s another stunningly beautiful day out on the northwest coast and Inland Passage.

We’re about halfway on our ferry ride from Prince Rupert — at the top of BC’s northwest coast — to Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. We’ll be arriving a bit late — we made two mid-coast stops — so it’s straight to the gig in Port McNeill for us.

Country and Rock Music Nightly Specials

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This ferry trip marks the one quarter mark in my 10-week, 47-gig tour of BC and AB. I find a kinship on the coast with the lifestyle we have up north.

Folks are pretty laid back and no one seems in too much of a hurry.

In some ways, the island folks here are even more isolated than us Yukoners.

Islanders like to remind us (with a proud voice) that when the wind gets howling, they are cut off completely — no air or ferry service — until it blows over.

The gigs have also been going well. No “bad” ones. One sold out, one standing room only and a

couple of ovations. The workshops have been fun, too. I enjoy the teaching aspect as much as the performance.

One of the things I’m trying to do is build up a circuit that enables musical folks, like me, to travel and actually make money or at least pay expenses. So, I’m trying to “open” new venues on the highways (like Fort St John and Fort Nelson) where there really isn’t anything for an “acoustic folk/roots” performer right now. I’d like to see more “acts” coming north (and vice versa) than what we see right now through formal institutions like the festivals,

The Sue & Shelly Band

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Ed. Note: What’s Up Yukon is an equal opportunity employer.

Yukon Troubadour Blazing the Way

Moir, Tim Naylor, Neil Byblow

Happy Hours Mon–Fri 5–7 April 8 & 9 Yukon Jack in JR’s Pub April 15&16 Yukon Jack in JR’s Pub

accent. We say “you” instead of “youse guys” and “c’mon” instead of “give ‘er”. People from Ontario also use unique grammatical phrases such as “I shall” which means the same as “I’m gunna”.

The current Yukon Party government is trying to limit the number of People from Ontario who immigrate to the Yukon every year. As many People from Ontario are too self-absorbed to reproduce, we rely on this influx of newcomers every year to maintain our breeding stocks. Without fresh immigrants every year, our population will decrease to dangerous levels thereby raising gym membership fees for other Yukoners.

Please help protect People from Ontario. We are your friends, your neighbours, the people who complain about waterfront development. All we ask is for understanding.

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arts centre, etc.

I believe that if we can create a viable circuit up and down the highway, we’ll see more interesting and creative performers coming north. Plus we can offer our up-and-coming Yukon artists a road south to the more lucrative and densely populated markets.

They can go out, ply their trade, make some money and then come home.

It’s not all fun and games on the road. I enjoy the shows: performing for and interacting with the audience. However, there is an equal amount of time — if not more — that is spent on logistics, following up on emails and phone calls, practising both technique and repertoire, planning lessons for workshops, staying in touch with family and friends and all the other mundane and germane things that go into making a tour work. There’s even some rudimentary bookkeeping to do (it’s easier to catalogue receipts as you go, than try and remember everything afterwards).

But, in the end, it’s all worth it.

For me, anyways. I am a performing artist. And, as I always say: “If you’re going to be a performing artist, you have to perform.”

I’ll write you again in a few weeks. Take care of each other.

Steve Slade will be sending notes from the road.

See them here, or visit his website at www.steveslade.com.

What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

D

9

Words Aren’t What They Used To Be

o you find that words somehow start cropping up all over the place? Words that you never really ever heard before ... at least not in the normal way? It seems that suddenly, for whatever reason, a word becomes the flavour of the week/month/year and everywhere you turn it has found its way into conversation, or news reports, or political speeches.

“Dialogue,” is one of those, we think. For a while, nobody had a talk, or a chat, or a conversation ... they had a dialogue. I think that the conversation mattered more when it was a dialogue, like somehow words you used actually meant something.

Another is, “mandate”. My Lord, try to get someone to do something, no matter how sensible or practical or necessary, and then find out that “It isn’t part of my mandate”. Well. You might as well pack up your tent and move along, because it’s not going to happen now.

And, “impact”. If I hear about how something is going to impact

something else just one more time, it will be one time too many.

We aren’t even sure that this is a verb, although that seems to be how it is used all the time.

Finally, though it is one that seems kind of useful, is “engage”. We hear that one all the time, and think it is a bit different. Dialogue and mandate and impact all sound like words that can make the ordinary a bit more than they actually are. But engaged, that seems different.

While there are several definitions and uses for engaged (some of which may have a very direct connection to beer, by the way), the one we like best has to do with gears. When gears become engaged, one gear will make the other one turn. And so on for the next gear, and so on, and so on.

Without being engaged, gears are pretty much useless. And, if a machine needs to do work, even one gear that is not engaged will prevent the desired outcome.

We think that the Yukon would be a better place if there was just a bit more engagement going on.

Look at this paper, as a good example. It helps to engage you with your community by informing you, and that is good, but it goes beyond that. It lets various individuals spout off about what is on their mind, generally tying back into the Yukon, all in an effort to make the gears turn. If you weren’t engaged in what goes on around you, let’s face it ... you wouldn’t be reading this article, would you?

Yukon Brewing Company certainly tries to get engaged in our community as a business within it.

We get involved in a lot of events, sponsorships and promotions, but what really captures our interest are the opportunities to get engaged. One gear, spinning on its own, will accomplish nothing.

But engage those gears with other gears, and you can start to make something happen. And the cool thing about gears is, it doesn’t matter how big or small they are.

Big gears will engage with little ones, then back to big ones, no problem. As long as they engage, because it doesn’t matter a lick

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how big any gear is, if it is not engaged, it does nothing.

We also hope to get people engaged about beer. Just a commodity to some, I suppose, but much more to others. Some want to know where it comes from, what is in it, how should it best be treated, how can it most be damaged and all that jazz. But that is material for another column or three.

For now, just get out there and get engaged. See what is going on around you, see what you can do with your time, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, your money and turn it into a gear. Then, find

somebody and/or something to mesh with and see what you can make happen.

Actually, that is maybe the best thing about being in the Yukon.

Beer Buzz is coming to you from the road this week, and people in the Yukon sure do seem to be a lot more engaged than those we find out here. Makes the Yukon a pretty cool place to be.

A mutually exclusive synergy with Yukon Brewing Company is a catalyst that enables this communication to interface with the consumers of this informational platform.

Indian Food for a Cause

S

itting down to a genuine Indian meal will help two local nurses finish an important quest.

Emily Woodruffe and Antonia Manolis worked for two months at Mission Hospital in Uttar Pradesh, one of India’s poorest states. The medical equipment they worked with had been donated many years before and often in poor shape. So the two have gathered fresh supplies that are badly needed ... but it is too expensive to ship.

So, April 19 at 6:00 p.m., volunteers will be serving an Indian meal in the United Church’s basement.

There will also be belly dancing for entertainment and a silent auction to raise even more money.

The cost of the meal is $20 and information is available at 667-2159.

Best of Banff Comes Home

A

Whitehorse filmmaker will see his film roll into town with the prestigious Banff Mountain Film Festival.

Marten Berkman’s Yukon Quest is a nine-minute film that followed the “toughest dog sled race in the world” and won a spot among the Best of Banff.

As film festivals all over the world will look over the catalogue that was compiled from 330 films, from 45 countries, Yukon Quest could be seen by as many as 120,000 people on one of 285 screenings in 185 cities.

These are heady numbers and are possible only by the massive Banff Mountain franchise that begins with an annual November film festival that lovingly depicts the serenity and excitement of mountain life. Cultural and educational institutions have sprung up as well as forums and competitions.

Local organizers, supported by Coast Mountain Sports and the Yukon News, chose five award winners for the festival that will be held at the Yukon Arts Centre April 14 and 15.

Tickets are available at Coast Mountain Sports. One evening of shows is $15 and for two it is $25.

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What’s Up, YUKON!

10

WHITEHORSE Understanding the Super sized Generation April 27, at 7 p.m. at Westmark Hotel. Free RPAY presentation by Dr. Mark Tremblay that investigates the current childhood obesity epidemic in Canada. Info: 668-3010.

? What ’s HAPPENING

Digital Video Camera: An Introduction is a four-hour basic course on camera care, exposure, focus and composition. Info: 393-3456 or yukonfilmsociety@yknet.ca.

Lifted Research Tour April 8, 8 p.m. at the Yukon Convention Centre. Features DL Incognito and DJ Dopey.

Info: www.yukonshows.com .

Direct. Shoot. Cut. starts April 27. It is a basic filmmaking course presented by the Yukon Film Society. Learn to shoot and edit your own short film. Info: 393-3456 or yukonfilmsociety@yknet.ca.

Hooper: The Professional Hypnotist April 9, dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the Yukon Convention Centre. Info: www.yukonshows.com .

Final Cut Express for Beginners starts May 3. It is a course that teaches Apple’s video editing software. Info: 393-3456 or yukonfilmsociety@yknet.ca.

Amanda Stott performs April 13 8 p.m. at Yukon Arts Centre.

Yoga with Lillian Mondays and Fridays from 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. at Alpine Bakery. All levels, beginners welcome. Info: 334-1026.

Learner of the Year Award nominations to be accepted until May 31 at Yukon Learn Society.

Info: 668-6280 or 1-888-668-6280.

Banff Mountain Film Festival April 14 and 15, 8 p.m., at Yukon Arts Centre.

Celebration of Swans April 16 to 24 at Swan Haven on Marsh Lake’s M’Clintock Bay.

Life Drawings Monday nights, 7 to 10 p.m. at the Wood Street Annex. Call before you show up at 633-2417.

Yukon Transportation Museum AGM April 27 7 p.m. at the museum.

Bingo Saturdays starting at 9 a.m. at the Elk’s Hall.

Pinetree Quilters meet first and third Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. at United Church basement.

Healing Circle every Wednesday evening 7 to 9 p.m. at Sport Yukon. Info at 393-2750.

Bridge Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at Golden Age Centre, Sport Yukon Complex.

Purebred Dog Walk Sundays at 2 p.m. at Shipyards Park if weather allows.

Scottish Country Dancing Wednesdays 7-9:30 p.m. at Elijah Smith School gymnasium. No experience or partner necessary. Info: Michele at 633-6081.

Spaghetti Dinner April 8 5–7 p.m. at CYO Hall at 4th and Steele. Benefits Braeburn Christian Camp.

Yukon Artists at Work Gallery Friday to Sunday noon to 5 p.m. in McCrae subdivision.

2005 Sports Celebrities Festival April 9 at 6 p.m. at Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre for the benefit of Special Olympics in the Yukon.

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La Leche League Canada meets every second Saturday of the month at 11 a.m. at Yukon Family Services to offer breastfeeding information and support. Phone Suzanne at 668-5949 or Angela at 668-2262 for information.

Gentle Yoga. Tuesdays 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Above Alpine Bakery. No experience necessary.

Ashtanga Yoga. Tuesdays 7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Above Alpine Bakery. Experience necessary.

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FARO Annual Crane & Sheep Viewing Weekend May 6–8.

TAGISH Tagish Treasures Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 to 4:30 p.m.

Seniors Stay Fit Classes Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon.

Stay Fit Thursdays at 7 p.m.

Coffee and Chat Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m.

DAWSON CITY Casino April 7 at Diamond Tooth Gerties. Hosted by the Yukon Quest.

Good Friday Easter April 9–12. Bingo, Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Bunny Bowling.

HAINES JUNCTION Counteracting the Obesity Epidemic: Healthy Living Yukon-Style, RPAY’s annual conference April 28-29. Info and to register: 668-3010.

Live Words and Music April 30, 7 p.m., is the second annual writers’ festival featuring readings by five authors and music by Haines Junction’s singer/songwriter Brenda Berezan. It is presented by the Society for Education and Culture. Info: 634-2726.

The Irish Descendants May 1, 8 p.m., This group has two gold albums, one Juno Award and an East Coast Music Award.

Admission is $18.00, seniors, 12 and under free. Presented

by The Society for Education and Culture. Info 634-2726.

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ARTS & CULTURE It’s a Dance, It’s a Culture What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

“I

roll out of bed and,” Mariano Abarca pauses as if he is not accustomed to being so honest. “And I know this sounds corny, but I just want to dance.”

His choice of dance, B-boying, is actually a culture ... albeit a culture with a stunningly visual and impressively athletic form of dance.

B-boying boasts such moves as popping, locking and freezes. And there are new ones that Abarca has only heard about. B-boying requires the discipline of a ballet dancer, the speed of a figure skater, the balance of a gymnast, the creativity of a choreographer and the devotion of a monk.

Abarca is one of those young people you instinctively like. He is clear-eyed, confident, well-spoken and passionate.

He is passionate about B-boying.

Most people would call him a break dancer, but they don’t understand that B-boying is the pure and positive foundation to much of what youth culture is perceived to be all about ... a perception that can frustrate Abarca when images of rough and ready hoods flaunt wealth and vacuous dancing women shaking their collective “thang”.

“We are the ones trying to make Hip-Hop positive,” he says.

“Images of Rolls Royces and mansions and, and the women.” Abarca is frustrated even more now.

“I only need one,” he says, showing one index finger in defiance.

“They talk of how they shot this guy and they shot that guy.

That’s not what it is all about.

“In videos, the best way to put it, is B-boys are getting pimped ... they don’t get paid.

“B-boying has separated itself from Hip Hop ... real Hip Hop has a positive message. It tries to stay pure. Yet other people come in and say, ‘I can do something with this,’ and it fits in.

“It accepts everyone.”

If B-boying is accepting of others’ contributions, what is pure about it?

It is the positive message and the intelligence.

“The Internet allows us to communicate and it is so much easier to educate ourselves. It’s amazing how limitless it is. ”I know people who don’t just travel; they travel to another country to join a team.

“I can go to any city and find somebody and, if you play a certain type of song, someone will hit the floor and get dirty.

“Their lifestyle is very similar to mine: Chinese, German, whatever, we all have moves, names for the moves and people who are legends. We know where it started and we know the history of it.”

The “B” in “B-boy” is for “break”. In the formative years, these dancers would only dance at the break of a trick DJ’s songs.

These B-boys – and B-girls – carried with them a sense of culture.

It was not like a fad that would be abandoned for another. Abarca says his own brother has gone from skateboarding to rollerblading to BMXing.

“You still do that?” Abarca is asked

by old friends when they hear he is still B-boying. “You still do that?”

“This is a living,” he tells them.

“I love it, but it’s not a game.”

Abarca is in the Yukon with Roshan Amendra and Troy Feldman to teach youth how to dance. They came from Toronto to teach “technique and basic, basic moves”, but every move has a story and the

11

positive messages of this culture slowly sink in.

“Once they ask one question, 1,000 more come,” says Abarca.

Students learn how B-boys are appreciative of the music and are friends to the graffiti artists.

There is not much he or any of the B-boys can do when the style of dance is co-opted to sell hateful

Photo: Mark Prins music, except, perhaps, to remain true to the positive aspirations of this culture.

“It’s not an obsession,” says Abarca. “That’s not what it is. It’s a passion.

“It’s like a loved one: You respect it, you have trust in it and, when everything is wrong in your life, it is still there for you.

The New Amanda Stott Brings Her New Voice

F

ive years ago, Amanda Stott was that young, farm girl with the powerful voice.

Today, her voice is just as powerful, but it now has more texture and taken new directions as musical influences have reached her beyond the farm.

Yukoners will get a chance to hear how her voice has developed April 13 at the Yukon Arts Centre.

“Growing up on the farm, I knew there was a band called, The Beatles, but I never heard them much,” she says over her cell phone from the middle of a crowded food court in Toronto.

She is there to prepare for a performance at Massey Hall.

“I’m so excited,” she says. “A lot of people say it is the best venue for performing.

“And I’ve never even seen it before.”

As the “Amanda Stott Story” goes, she awoke at 5:30 each morning and milked Annie, the cow. And, when it was time for her nap, she would fall asleep in front of her parent’s speakers that constantly carried songs from

a country station. At the age of three, she was already singing at the community church.

“I’m proud of growing up on the farm,” she says today. “When you grow up on the farm all you want to do is live in the city, but I learned a lot from the farm.

“Farmers put a lot of work into the land and have no guarantees of getting anything out of it. I learned to take chances.

“And it’s the Prairies ... there is a lot of breathing space.”

It has made her the person she is, today, “and I’m comfortable where I am. I always want to make sure I’m comfortable with who I am.”

Her latest CD, Chasing The Sun, has six songs on it that she

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co-wrote. It is an ability she has cultivated that allows her to say what she wants to say.

She says it feels odd to have the CD out because she worked on it for three years.

The CD introduces a new chapter in her life: “I went from being a kid living at home to a kid living on her own.”

Her next CD may include images of the Yukon. She says she will bring a pen and paper because she never knows what will inspire her.

At the very least, she will be writing lots for her blog on her website, www.amandastott.com.

“Every week, I find a computer and tell people what I’ve been up to,” she says. “It’s how I stay in contact with the fans.”

Although this is her first trip to Whitehorse, she says she knows we don’t live in igloos: “People think that even we live in igloos in Manitoba,” she says.

Information on her performance is available at www.yukonartscentre.org.

Amanda Stott will be performing at the Yukon Arts Centre April 13.

What’s Up, YUKON!

12

April 8, 2005

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t’s an era of lady-like manners and the finest of gentlemen: Guys in suits, hats and shiny shoes, cleanly shaven with slicked hair and moustaches; ladies in skirts and dresses, wrap sweaters, pantyhose and high heel shoes.

In the nightclubs, these fine gentlemen leer and cheer at giggly, air-headed and scantily-clad dancers shakin’ their daisies.

Tasteless and trashy? Not if you’re performing in Guys and Dolls ... as I am. Female and male roles in this show are stereotypical and over the top.

On the one hand, I’m sure my granny would be proud; on the other, I might hesitate to invite my mother.

Behind the scenes, the G&D cast has joked about a restricted version, starring Stephen Dunbar as Miss Adelaide ... not that Bronwyn Jones isn’t absolutely made for the part, of course, but “any female role that’s so completely over-the-top simply must have been made for a drag queen,” said Stephen. “All the more funnier then, when played by an actual woman,” I responded.

Playing a guy, I get to leer at the young girls and prostitutes; when playing a woman in several scenes, I get to shake my bootie at the guys in a variety of fashions and settings. More than I ever could have imagined, it’s been a real gas to take these roles to the max.

In our marathon three-day tech last weekend, us dolls sat in the house of the theatre with our long, bare legs draped over the seats.

We ogled and hollered at the gents in their suits and shiny shoes as they gave manly dance improvisations on stage in between scenes.

In the midst of 12 and 14-hour days at the theatre, we could have been popping our buttons. But instead, our sense of humour became enlarged and magnified. Watching the cast from a distance, one may have been reminded of a group of five-year-olds on too much sugar and not enough sleep.

The theatre is a timeless zone — what feels like eight in the evening turns out to be midnight. It’s a strange high of boredom, excitement, nervousness and exhaustion that one could only understand having experienced it for his or herself.

What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

13

s of Guys & Dolls

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4

5 At the foot of the stage, Mr. Nicely-Nicely Johnson (James McCullough) lay sleeping — in costume — on his inflatable foamy and pillow. This was an improvement in sleeping arrangements. Back at our rehearsals in the Guild Hall, we were rehearsing a Broadway Street scene and there was James, draped over a series of stacked chairs — newspaper on his belly, hat over his face — takin’ a snooze. He wasn’t the only one caught napping, just the one with the most character.

Naps are necessary in these times. The consequence of sleep deprivation can lead to very dire circumstances in the course of a show. Take our first preview night, for example. Two actors and a musician thoughtlessly closed the door to the performers’ entrance while smoking outside in between appearances on stage. They had failed to see the sign inside the door stating that all doors would be locked during performances, cautioning performers against getting locked out.

I happened to be one of these thoughtless and illiterate actors.

Unfortunately, I also happened to be wearing a long, red dress (with hip-length slit in the side), high heel shoes, and a bright red bathrobe over top. In this eccentric attire, I hobbled frantically and precariously over ice patches and up rock banks, banging profusely on both stage doors (to no avail) and finally all-out sprinted around the theatre to the lobby entrance. I got back stage, blew my nose, touched up my makeup and made my entrance.

So, sleep or no sleep, the show really must go on. I don’t know about all you fellow Guys and Dolls out there, but doing a run of 11 shows feels like some kind of unstoppable train you can’t get off of once you get on. I come home at eleven, unwind by two in the morning, wake up, start the whole thing all over again ... and love every minute of it.

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PHOTOS 1. The Sewer Scene during the tech run.

2. Phillip Tidd, a set designer from Vancouver, hard at work.

3. Anthony Trombetta and Kita Loeks in Havana.

4. K yle MacDonald, Brigitte Parker and Mike Ellis recuperating between scenes during rehearsal.

5. Practising Bushel and a Peck at the Guild Hall.

All Photos : Doug Neill

What’s Up, YUKON!

14

April 8, 2005

A MITY Good Long Weekend of Cinema DAWSON CITY t’s a Sunday night in March in Dawson City. Outside, the snow falls lightly in the crisp calm air. But inside the Odd Hall it’s hot. The bulb on the video projector is still cooling while David Curtis, clad in a robin-egg blue suit jacket and a crisp new white dress shirt, still sporting its package folds, heads to the front of the Odd Hall. He’s handing out some of the Dawson City International Film Festival’s MITY Awards.

“MITY” stands for Made in the Yukon,” says Curtis, the founder and volunteer director of North America’s most northerly film festival. When I first came to Dawson in the in summer of 1998, people joked with me that the whole territory was held together with duct tape and haywire.”

The MITY Award is a roll of duct tape suspended in gold-painted haywire and mounted in a half-round stove-wood base. Curtis sketched out the design and he had a friend build it. “Filmmaking here tends to be very do-it-yourself,” he says, “and the MITY Award was intended to reflect that.”

Every Easter weekend for the past six years, short films from the Yukon and around the world (this year countries such as Japan, Russia, Poland and Estonia, and others were represented). Curtis emphasizes the community input — both from filmmakers and local volunteers who sit on screening committees — which he says is crucial to the spirit of the festival. “I mean we’ve had as many as 15 people come out for a selections committee meeting,” he says. “The mandate of this film festival is to reflect the values and perspectives of the community,” Curtis says. “The perspectives

I

of the community are diverse and so we have a diverse mix of films.”

The festival’s opening screening on Friday night, for example, presented Two Winters: Tales from above the Earth, a film by veteran Yukon filmmaker Carol Geddes. Geddes, who has predominantly been known as a documentarist, has branched into First Nations mythology and animation in this 27-minute film. Set in the early 1980s, Two Winters follows a north-

Mark.” It was an opportunity for filmmakers to screen their work in front of the audience, and then to hear directly from the audience “what works and what doesn’t work in their film” as the festival program puts it. Curtis says he was nervous that the typically polite Yukon audiences may “hold back” their criticism of the films. Instead, he said Hitting the Mark was the highlight of the festival this year: “I think the audience gave great feedback, and

with Rod Jacob

ern Aboriginal family as they attempt to survive after a volcano throws the North into an extended winter.

Other films among the 70-or so that screened in the three-day festival include: The Dawson Flood of 1979, by Dawson resident Jay Armitage; FUD, a one-minute effort by eight-year-old (when it was made, but now nine) Cooper Moss Hart of Whitehorse; Mother’s Day, by Whitehorse filmmaker Richard Lawrence; Random Acts of Silence, by Yukon animator Jay White; Where There’s Smoke — A Summer of Fire in the Klondike, by forest firefighter brothers Doug and Greg Cote; Dogs in Concert, by Yukoner Werner Walcher; I’d Rather Be Snow Shovelling, by Valerie Salez and Hannah Jickling; and Yukon Morning, by Mark Hill of Whitehorse.

This year’s DCISFF (Note to self: Find a way to shorten that acronym) also tried a new workshop format the organizers have dubbed “Hitting the

Franka Cordua-von Specht did a great job of moderating the workshops.” Jay Armitage (The Dawson Flood of 1979) and musician/filmmaker Matthew Lien (Malkolm the Birder Boy: Quest for the Blue Throat) were the mensches who volunteered to “lead the charge out of the trenches” for the sake of their art. (And to give credit where credit is due, the director and cinematographer of Malkolm the Birder Boy is Ken Madsen, who did some beautiful scenic and wildlife videography in the film, and also directed it.)

Also going on (it was a very busy weekend) were presentations and workshops by the likes of Canadian writing/directing dynamo Andrea Dorfman (features Parsley Days and Love That Boy) and editor Michael Vernon.

Dorfman presented a workshop on her inspiration (fears, and other personal angst) for her short films, including titles such as I Love You This Much, Swerve and Nine.

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Vernon, who is the cinematic equivalent of a huge undiscovered seam of very rich precious metal, is a British-born and educated filmmaker who came to Canada and later edited Dorfman’s excellent Love that Boy. Vernon works with Northern Native Broadcast Yukon in Whitehorse.

My favourite festival moments:

“Filmmaking as Storymaking” Moment: Geddes, an articulate storyteller in person as well as on celluloid, telling an enraptured audience about her tribulations and satisfactions in the time she’s produced and directed about 25 films. She also described her latest project, which I dearly hope to see on television soon (more to come on this project in a future column, I hope).

Cringe Factor Moment: when Dorfman, for no apparent reason, turned beet red in front of the audience at her short film workshop and then mentioned the fact she was blushing (which anyone who’s ever suffered this fate knows makes you turn even redder. God, don’t you hate it when that happens.) Andrea, we feel your pain.

Favourite Prequel to an Award Acceptance Speech: When Greg (exceptionally tall and lanky) and Doug (short and stocky) Cote came to the front to accept their MITY award for Where There’s Smoke, Greg said “Yeah...we’re brothers,” as though he’d answered the questions 1,000 times, and was just circumventing the inevitable.

Favourite Entertainment Biz Awards Moment: When Curtis, the hardest–working man in Dawson show business, strode up to the front of the festival he started six years ago, looking like with a million bucks in the blue suit he could quite plausibly have borrowed from colourful festival producer Lulu Keating, to hand out MITY Awards.

“This festival is all about people coming from the community and from around the Yukon and seeing new things,” Curtis told me later. Seeing new things like excellent blue suit jackets.

For more information on the Dawson City International Short Film Festival, www.kiac.org/filmfest/

What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

Old Colours Shepherded Into a New World

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n the shadow of the mountain, there is the village of Klukshu where a boy of seven summers watched his grandfather carve.

Born in a time of transition, Jack Fred Jackson was strongly influenced by time spent with his grandfather, both on the land and in the home.

It was that summer of his seventh year that Jackson started to draw the world around him, finding form in the animals and creatures of the bush. As Jackson grew up and moved through life, the sketch book was always there, bringing comfort and the ability to produce an income, something any teenager wrestles with as he grows up. Jackson never stopped drawing and, at the age of 16, branched out into other mediums and styles.

Through different courses at Yukon College, Jackson was exposed to many forms and styles.

Finding a love in etching, Jackson became involved in many commercial projects and found he could make a living with the skills he had developed and enjoyed. Like so many youth, Jackson moved out of art at 18 and tried his hand at many different occupations, but none of them seemed to fit him or make him happy. Jackson

Jackson has the ability to dream within his passion.

Jack Fred Jackson brings an aboriginal influence to the art he creates for corporate customers. was 22 when he heeded his heart and returned to the world of both aboriginal and commercial art.

When pressed about his aboriginal heritage, Jackson identifies himself as Southern Tutchone but admits he is still uncomfortable with that label, but he is uncomfortable with any label. Flipping through his portfolio, one can see the youthful styles mature as he began to explore his abilities. Most of the work presented were commissions that range stylistically from a northern-western type theme to strong clan symbols that

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display heritage with their strong primary colours and symbols.

Traditional art may be all fine, but Jackson’s current passion is commercial graphic arts.

Employed by a local graphics company, Jackson has designed and built many of the visual aids used by some of Whitehorse’s corporate clients. The glow reflected in Jackson’s eyes comes from the computer screen these days — not the campfire — but the same skills learned so long ago in the shadow of the mountains can been seen in the banners and symbols in today’s world. The aboriginal influence is a strength Jackson brings to the images he produces.

Life has never been easy for Jackson and he gives back to the youth of today by working at the Blue Feather Youth Society as an employee of the Youth of Today Centre and teaching and working in the graphics shop.

The ability to earn a living within his passion of art has given a life to Jackson that he never expected and now Jackson has the ability to dream within his passion.

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What’s Up, YUKON!

16

E

April 8, 2005

Feast at the Yukon Arts Centre

at in peace. Michelle Moreau and her potter partner Patrick Royle want to assure purchasers of local pottery that no glaze used on Royle’s or any other local potter’s dinnerware contains lead. It’s bad for the potter working with it, too ..... Phyllis Fiendell’s wheelthrown, handmade stoneware is on display in the plexiglass boxes in the Yukon Arts Centre. Directions: stroll around to the right of the stage doors past the bar, pop machines and bathrooms towards the door to the dressing rooms.

Don’t go through and harass the performers. Yukon Art Society and Dawson City Art Society often have displays set up there.

Fiendell’s pottery includes naturally occurring Yukon and Northern BC minerals, and she has a bowl and cork-stoppered jar on display beside Karen Rhebergen’s Sunshine, a tender batik portrait of her child ..... You may be wondering what’s become of Janet Moore, painter and gracious hostess of so many parties after Arts Centre openings. I heard from Ken

Anderson that she’s been working day and night on commissions and that she was recently in Italy for two weeks. She’s the next artist out here at the Ted Harrison Artists Retreat on Crag Lake. I’ll be handing over the keys soon.

More details then ..... Speaking of carver Anderson, he’s been working non-stop on commissions as well. He took half an hour off to come to the opening on the 17th at the Yukon Arts Centre ..... Yukon Arts Centre’s Mary Bradshaw has moved from “intern” to “associate” curator. At the end of February, she travelled to New York City for one week. She visited two sisters and her nephew, calling it a “sisterfest.” She saw Christo and Jeanne Claude’s wrapped gates to Central Park, www. christojeanneclaude.net, which she called “staggering.” ..... The opening at the Yukon Arts Centre, http://www.yukonartscentre.org/ exhibit.htm, on March 17 laid out a feast. Mary El Kerr’s artistic and adventurous catering offered a rich selection. Giving My People a Face is a retrospective of work by

Mark Porter, a young Yukon artist who died tragically in a fire in 1999. Elder Sam Johnston led an opening prayer. Jimmy Johnston also spoke. Ann Smith, of SYANA, thanked Robin Armour, Linda Polluck and Ruth MucCullough for their support of Porter’s work.

Forrest, of Halifax, a sculptor in metal; Jean-Pierre Gauthier of Montreal and Althea Thauberger, whose entry is a room with a video projection. Gauthier was the grand prize winner of $50,000.

His piece The Race, tethers five measuring tapes to the wall with

with Nicole Bauberger

The Teslin Tlingit Dancers, Sam Johnston, his children, Peter, Sarah, Rachel and Rachel’s onemonth-old daughter, Madison, performed songs taught to them by their grandparents. The richtoned drum and voices filled the space between the speeches.

They all wore fine button blankets and other regalia. Even Madison had a cape. Keith Wolfe-Smarch invited us all to partake in the happiness he felt in Porter’s work.

Brian Walker, a friend of Porter’s, also spoke. That would have been an evening in itself. But this is just the beginning ..... Then three of the finalists in the biannual Sobey’s Art Award spoke. Greg

screws and elastic cords. Motors and motion detectors pull the tape up and out along the wall. Sticks of graphite, affixed to the tapes, are making five different drawings on the wall as they go up and down. This kinetic installation, described in its information panel as “chaotic and unsightly”, is disturbing and beautiful. You simply must see it. Michel Dzama’s ink, watercolour and root beer drawings of treepeople, sex and guns are also featured in the show as well as a piece by Germaine Koh ..... The third gallery houses Barbara Astman’s Clementine Part 1, an installation about orphans and people displaced by vio-

lence. White Christmas lights fill a wall. Suspended flashlights facing downwards occupy the space, their lenses a few inches from the floor. Both of these light installations project historical images of orphans’ faces and are noticeable only on close examination .... In the Community Grotto, Ukjese Van Kampen has installed his photographic portraits. The Grotto walls are painted with buildings with fences in front of them and left in negative space. The photographs mounted on foam core create fanciful windows to the buildings. On the fence it’s noted which images have been made into paintings ..... There’s more in the Kids’ Gallery, but that will be for next time ..... March 19th’s first anniversary of the gorgeous Yukon Artists @ Work Gallery space at McCrae rocked. The crowds of artbuying guests from all over Canada ate delicious food prepared by members of the co-op — the only way to rival Kerr’s work, I think, is to turn loose a team of 40 artists ..... The deadline to apply for the Great Northern Arts Festival has been extended to April 15th ......

That’s all for me for now. Send me your news: nbauberger@yahoo. com. Till soon, Nicole.

Job’s Big, New Digs, Week of Gigs

BY CHRISTINE SPINDER

It’s a Tough Job, But ... :

New Digs:

ts probably not easy being a youth today... you figure? Youth are portrayed almost exclusively in movies, television and magazines as undirected and prone to no good inside a consumerdriven society that equates human value with material goods. Kids are told over and over again they have limited futures.

With schools squeezed and access to fun distractions — from sports to art to games that are played with people rather than machines — being scarce or expensive. They get busy anyway.

Youth are major drivers of change.

Their lives are about change. They have the creativity, curiosity, ingenuity, gall and energy to instigate change. As outsiders to the adult world, they also can share critical insight and idealism to remind us of our own expectations for a better world.

Youth culture is always different from times before it. And yet sweatshirts and runners, music and slang have been the markers of youth since ... the 60’s? 50’s?

40’s?

Whitehorse’s youth centres work with youth because we see the potential that can flourish on solid ground with some prodding and consistency and nonjudgmental camaraderie. Youth energize our culture.

Both the Whitehorse Youth Centre /Boys and Girls Club of Canada (WYC/BGC) and Bringing Youth Towards Equality (BYTE) moved into new digs in February and are gearing up for busy springs.

Whitehorse Youth Centre renovated a warehouse at 6209 6th Avenue, with a full kitchen, pool table, TV, computers for youth access, a lounge, and, soon to open, outdoor area with barbeque and basketball hoop. With a focus on teens aged 12 to 18, WYC offers a drop-in centre, cool activities and meals from 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays.

BYTE, meanwhile, is around the corner at 2–407 Ogilvie Street, with library of ‘zines and resources, lounge to hang and have meetings. There is also an art space offering Yukon-wide events, youth conferences and advocacy. BYTE is open 9 to 4:30 Monday to Friday.

I

Our Own CD: Coming out soon is MegaBYTE vol 2, an enhanced CD of music, art, writings, comics and interactivity by youth from across the Yukon. Watch for the MegaBYTE CD launch concert during Youth Week, May 1 to 7.

Youth Week: Youth Week, May 1 to 7, will be an extravaganza of youth culture and the

youth world. It will include concerts and performances, film nights, a kick-off party, open houses, fairs and group art that celebrates the wide scope of amazing achievements by Yukon youth. Watch for the calendar of events from organizations all over Whitehorse, and come see what youth culture is all about.

Check it. Yukon’s youth organizations: Whitehorse Youth Centre Whitehorse; drop-in centre with meals and programs 6209 6th Avenue, Whitehorse 393-2824

BYTE Yukon-wide; events and advocacy 2 – 401 Ogilvie Street, Whitehorse 667-7975 www.yukonyouth.com

Blue Feather, Youth of Today Society Whitehorse; drop-in and activation programs for youth at risk 2157 – 2nd Avenue, Whitehorse Open for drop in 633-9687 www.youthoftodaysociety.com This column is provided by BYTE.

What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

17

Southern Tutchone Lives In Song

T

he Southern Tutchone language CD, entitled Dakwanje naats u al, has a purpose: The English translation is “Let’s Pick Up Our Language Again”.

Wise people say, “Language is culture.” That is one reason why Dakwanje naats u al (and I apologize here for owning a computer that doesn’t have the proper accents for the correct spelling) is an important recording. Another is the inclusion of a large swath of age groups. Those involved are from six to 60 or thereabouts. This shows it is not just the young who can learn the lesson of language.

The CD starts with the Canadian national anthem sung in Southern Tutchone. There is a unique beauty of hearing such a familiar melody done in a language other

than English or French. This is followed by a Welcoming Song that is a standard practice at gatherings of note in aboriginal cultures.

Many of the songs are given a brief spoken introduction to clarify its significance and place in the aboriginal world. These are helpful in giving information as well as drawing the listener in.

Following the Welcome Song is the Elijah Smith Elementary School Song sung by no less than 52 students. After this heartfelt rendition comes two songs from Elder Polly Fraser. One, entitled simply Polly’s Song, had me wishing I could understand the language, which of course is the general idea behind this project.

The next song was titled, The Green Song and this time I wished

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there was just a little more info given about its content.

After hearing from the old it was time for the young.

Six nursery rhymes are used and, while the words may not be familiar, the melodies are immediately recognizable.

Mary Had a Little Lamb, Row, Row, Row your Boat and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star ring out with a whole new sound.

Next is Elder Bessie Allen with her rendition of a traditional song called, Fox Singing to the Wind.

Just the title had me transported to a place in the wild where the purity of nature gives a rebirth to the spirit.

The Dakwakada Dancers then work there magic with four tunes. One is homage to Elder Annie Ned, while the other three are traditional tunes with simple titles: The Owl Song, the Crow Song and the Lista Hanky Song are accompanied by hand drum percussion and, while brief, convey a sense of a culture that goes very far back in time.

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Fraser then returns, this time with a legend about a spider and a net. This story is told in both Southern Tutchone and English.

Finishing the CD is a song written by Jim Vatour and performed by the Silver Ravens.

Titled, Two Thousand Drums, this song is performed in Southern Tutchone and English. This song is also the only song that uses the full complement of instruments that we normally associate with radio and television music.

All of the tunes, except Two Thousand Drums, are either acappella, underscored with hand drums or, in the case of the nursery rhymes, use a single acoustic guitar. While each song gave a slightly different feel, it was the tempo alone that brought out various reactions in me.

Not being of aboriginal descent and not able to speak Southern Tutchone, I found the voice became another instrument.

It was the tempos that inspired certain reactions in me. A faster song gave me hope and energy while the slower tempo would often create a bittersweet reaction. With no lyrics that I could understand, each song would conjure up a mood, and I did find that unusual. How many pop tunes would fly if their lyrics were in a language other than our own? Hard to say. However, it does show one that a song needs more than just catchy lyrics to truly stay in the head. One indication that these songs have an impact is that I would wake up in the morning and have the melody of one running through my head. I have always taken that as an indication of worth.

This project was the result of a host of contributors and participants and one can only hope that is has the desired impact of sparking renewed interest in young and old both to embrace their language.

While there are too many to mention by name, a few should be acknowledged: Gary Lachance was the executive producer, Rob Hunter, the musical coordinator and Tim Naylor was the musical consultant.

Along with these three are many aboriginal and Yukon government departments.

While the production is by no means perfect, it need not be anyway. The whole idea was to have real people showing their spirit and enjoyment of their culture and on that level it sings and speaks to the heart.

SPORTS & RECREATION What’s Up, YUKON!

18

April 8, 2005

He Paved the Road to Sporting Success

T

Curtis Prosko is leaving us

he sports world is losing a good friend: Curtis Prosko is leaving the Yukon in July.

And curling, in particular, is losing one of its most loyal and passionate members. Even though he has only travelled to the Briar once, as the fifth player, and never won in league play, Prosko found a second home at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre.

“The curling rink is a great place to hang around; but not all memories should be about winning.

“I’m the king of second place,” says Prosko. “In no other sport can you be a marginal player and still dream of the Briar.”

And not all sporting achievements are about victories. Prosko has managed a company that has contributed greatly to the infrastructure of sport in the Yukon ... literally.

Skookum Asphalt donated the road that leads to the Mountainview Golf Club and, every year afterward, paves a gravel path.

It donated $100,000 to the Millenium Trail and has paved every outdoor rink in Whitehorse at, or below, cost.

Helping curling went beyond money or services. Prosko has sat on the board of both the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre and the Whitehorse Curling Club, never

Curtis Prosko considers the curling rink his second home.

In June, he will be leaving for a new job in Edmonton. as president, but he has always been in the background.

“Curling is my passion, so anything I can do to help out, I’ll do it.”

The books in his office, in the picturesque log cabin just off Robert Service Way, contain such titles as International Business, Introduction to Information Services and Quantitative Methods for Management. But none say it

My greatest sports moment … ... would have been when I was selected as the Flag Bearer for Team Yukon at the 1999 Canada Winter Games in Newfoundland. Even better was the fact I got to share the moment with my brother and sister who were also competing for Team Yukon.

Nathan Doering, Whitehorse

is good business to give away hundreds of thousands of dollars of profit.

“I feel that it is part of the private sector’s responsibility to make a community a better place to live,” Prosko explains.

“For a number of years, my son partook in hockey and I like to curl.”

If Prosko really needs to convince head office, he could try this other explanation: “If you make the community a better place to live, more people will move here and you make more money.”

Darrell Stone, a Yukoner of one year, will be replacing Prosko as manager of Skookum Asphalt.

“He’s a curler, but I don’t think he’s as passionate.” Even so, Prosko suspects he will maintain the same level of support.

When Prosko leaves to manage a sister company to Skookum, Lafrentz Road Marking in Edmonton, Stone will take over an office

that now has most of one wall filled with appreciation awards — “It’s my favourite wall” — and there is a clock that was awarded

to Prosko for being the Yukon Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year.

He is leaving the Yukon to allow his wife, Sandra, to be closer to horse activities. She is an accountant with Skookum, but horses are her passion.

Nathan, their youngest son, is going with them while Trevor, the oldest, is staying for a year before heading to Edmonton to attend college.

“We’ve been here 20 years,” says Prosko. “It’s time to try something different.”

He came to the Yukon in 1983 for just one job and, “One thing led to another.

“It was quite a treat when I got here with the beautiful scenery and mild weather.”

But Prosko says he will be back often. For one thing, he is a major proponent to bring a cluster of National Research Centre facilities to the Yukon.

“Most people who know me know I spend most of my time on airplanes.”

Ski Loppet in Inuvik April 9

Connor McLeod competed in the 5-K race in last year’s Top of the World Ski Loppet in Inuvik, NWT. Seven-year-old Karly King Simpson raced in the 2.2-K event. This year, the loppet will be held April 9.

Photos: Rita Kors-Olthof

What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

A Brother’s Bond

H

What’s

HAPPENING IN SPORTS

with George Maratos

HAINES JUNCTION Peewee/Bantam Practices are now Tuesdays, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Fridays, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m.

Peewees/Bantams vs.

Females every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Phone Lee Drummond for info at 634-2192.

Yukon Novice Invitational Championships March 11 to What’s Up, Arena.

Yukon!

13 at Bill Brewster

21

Club is halfway to 7 Canada Games

WHITEHORSE Table Tennis Umpire Clinic April 16-17 at F.H. Collins Secondary School. Info: Dave Stockdale 668-3358.

Table Tennis Tournament April 17 at noon at Whitehorse Elementary School. Info: “So that’s668-3358. three of us.” als doom.

Dave Stockdale The Tennis club has beenTourtrying to nd Table School nament April 24 at noon at pickmoney through garbage in raise Whitehorse Elementary School.

Info: Dave Stockdale 668-3358.

Table Tennis Yukon Championships May 1 at noon at Whitehorse Elementary School. Info: Dave Stockdale.

Canada Winter Games 2007 Identification and Development Camp for hockey April 22-24 at Stan McCowan Arena. Info: 668-4236.

VeloNorth Cycling Club rec event April 21 at 7 p.m.

Info: www.velonorth.ca .

VeloNorth Cycling Club Road Event April 27 at 7 p.m. starting at Carcross Cutoff.

Info: www.velonorth.ca.

VeloNorth Cycling Club rec event April 28 at 7 p.m.

Info: www.velonorth.ca.

Law Day 5-KM Run/Walk April 22 at Law Courts.

Info: Tom Ullyett 668-5844.

YMHA General Meeting AprilSaunders 23 7–9 p.m. atthrows Amber High Country Inn.

elaney Prysnuk, both green FARO ts, to the matt while Coach Youth Curling Club every Penny Prysnuk watches.

Thursday, 3:30 p.m.

5:00

he n, als

in of

p.m., at Rec Centre Curlups the of6Whitehorse and ing for Rink forCity ages to 12.

Adult Curling League every providing security at the arenas.

Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 One a bingo to p.m.,member for agesworked 13 and up. bring some more money in. It all INUVIK helps when added to the funding Topclub of the the getsWorld from Ski Sport Yukon.

Loppet April 9.

There is also one more goal the club has imposed on itself: It

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What’s Up in Sports

wants to host a major tournament.

Other sports are required to host a tournament to prove they can do it awlessly for The Games.

But there are not enough trained Haines Junction referees so most of the ofcials will be coming from Outside Peewee/Bantam Practices are now Tuesdays, 6:30help to 7:30 anyway.

Garry Chaplin (seated) is an Olympian with the ofpm his & Fridays, 6:45 to 7:45 pm “We have three who are working brother, Clint. toward certication, but …Photo: “ George Maratos Peewees/Bantams vs. Females All that is left is for the athletes s cross-country skier Garry Clint every Wednesday 6:30pm jumped at theatopportunity to work on is walked their conditioning.

Drummond 634-2192 Chaplin through the to Info: help Lee his sibling prepare for the Prysnuk says.gates “They’ll be lifting World Games. arrival at Whitehorse Yukon Novice Invitational weights and working aerobics.

International Airport on last month, The training would Championships Marchbe11vigorous to 13 “As we get closer, the techniques gold, silver and bronze medals and demanding as Clint was faced at Bill Brewster Arena. should be in place and and thenbagwe with trying to encourage Garry to hanging around his neck will work on quickness.” pipes playing, it was hard to deter- want to go Watson Lake to the gym regularly.

Thewho athletes haveproud: either Garry their mine was more “Prior to us training together, Yukon Cup Alpine Ski Race green ororblue beltsbrother. now. They all Garry himself his older rarely, if 10-20 ever, went to the Series March at Watson should havenine their months blue to qualify It was earlier gym,” said Clint. “My main motiLake Ski Club. Info: Jenny for the Canada This is vation was to get him to want to that Garry and Games. his 23-year-old Skelton, 536-7488, jskelton@yt. done through combination brother, Clint, firsta began training workout.” sympatico.ca of participation at practice, together.

The two would be at Peak Fit2nd Annual Sno-Pitch Tournament tournament results Garry, and thea ness Their goal: prepare three to four times a week, March 26-27. Live band Sat. demonstration of techniques. lone Yukon athlete selected, for working out two to three hours night. Info: 536-2246 for the mind, Tracey Bilsky, who per session. theAs2005 Special Olympics World has been trained in such things, Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. is In addition, Garry would be on Whitehorse building the relaxation techniques Clint onbegan coaching Garry the bicycle three times a week.

Yukon Badminton Association and methods of dealing with anxiety after the executive director of the Clint soon became to Garry March 13 for that Prysnuk hasOlympics started. Chapter, whatTournament Yukon Special Apollo Creed was to Rocky. males & females born 1986Prysnuk expects a lively Serge Michaud, approached Clint 88 at Takhini Elementary. competition thewould Canada and asked ifathe beGames. interRegistration: 8 to 8:30am She says Judo sells outdry-land at the ested in being Garry’s Games start 8:30am Bring Olympics faster than any other coach. lunch. sport, except for track eld.

A frequent visitor to and the gym Thunder On Snow March 18-20.

And having it is second soccer in and alwaysonly had atoclose rela500-mile enduro, snow dogs & popularity around the world. tionship with his younger brother, kids races. Info: Tracy 633-4967.

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19

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Dawson City

While training Garry, Clint juggled two jobs and as a result saw the bulk of his free time taken up.

Although frustrating at times, it was in the summer Clint first began to notice his hard work paying off, as Garry made the decision to stay at Clint’s house for a few weeks to continue training, rather than going on summer holidays with his parents.

“When we first began training, Garry literally couldn’t even do a push up,” said Clint. “At the end of the summer he was doing 10!”

By the time their training was complete in February, Clint’s biggest challenge was getting Garry, now 17 pounds lighter, to stop working out.

“Garry is excellent,” beams Clint. “He wouldn’t quit. I had to stop him on weights when he was getting too tired. He trained like crazy and he always told me I won’t give up, I won’t give up.”

It was through that motto and dedication to train with his brother that Garry was able to shed an amazing eight minutes off his personal best time and, in doing so, reach the pinnacle of Special Olympics success: the gold medal.

Shocking, unbelievable and unreal is how Clint describes his reaction to learning, via the Internet, that his brother had won three medals in Nagano: Gold in the three-kilometre sprint, silver in the 4x1-kilometre relay and bronze in the one-kilometre event.

“I always knew Garry had the heart of a champion,” said Clint.

“Now I guess I can say he’s got the heart of an Olympic champ.”

Since Garry arrived home from Japan Clint admits to going a bit overboard in bragging about his brother’s success.

“I’m just so proud of him,”

said Clint. “He did better than I ever could have expected. We all dreamed he would do that well and we all hoped he would, but realistically none of us had any idea what he was getting into down there ... and he did it.”

“Yes I did,” adds Garry, smiling at his brother. “Yes I did.”

To My Brother, for the Champion in All of Us: A poem by Clint Chaplin it’s hard enough to believe that you’re in Japan I’ve watched you grow from a baby to a boy, to a man I’ve given influences some of which I probably shouldn’t but saying “No” to training you Garry, I just couldn’t I knew you had it in you I pushed you really hard you never ever gave up and now look at where you are the only Chaplin to grace Japan the only Yukoner to compete on that Olympic Medal stand you’re the perfect athlete I’ve been getting a lot of credit but all credit is due to you I pushed you to achieve but achievement was up to you I helped you understand the science of who you are you helped me understand just how special you really are you’re an inspiration to me a hero’s heart to go on even on your worst of days the training still went on you seldom would complain you never would let me down and on days I was exhausted you would train while I laid down you have the heart of a champion you earned every shade of medal defeating other countries Canada’s own “Good Fellow” you left for Japan the only one without a bother now you’re bringing home gold I’m so proud that you’re my brother

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What’s Up, YUKON!

20

April 8, 2005

Northern Alligators and High Heeled Shoes

A

ccording to people who know about such things, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere is the day that the sun, moving north, crosses the celestial equator. Personally, I love spring. The trouble is, spring means change and that makes it hard to write an outdoors article that’s printed two weeks later. Today, for example, it’s one of those not-so-great spring days when the winter comes back with a cold wind and just enough humidity to make it truly uncomfortable. A week from now, it might be quite warm and the snow all but gone. Two days ago, however, it was just right. The sun was shining and you could almost hear the birds singing.

We bundled everyone into the pickup and headed down to Schwatka Lake. The forest trail beside the lake was covered in something that was part snow, part ice, very uneven and very slippery; so we walked on the lake where the ice was still thick, solid and flat. Not only was the walking easier but, being out of the trees, we were able to enjoy the full benefit of a bright afternoon sun. The adults and dogs among us thought

with Chris Wheeler

this just great. The kids weren’t quite as impressed. Spring, you see, also means “Spring Break”, and kids sometimes think that Spring Break means watching TV and playing video games.

“Can we turn back at the next point?” asked my daughter.

“No,” I replied. “It’s a beautiful day and we need to enjoy this sunshine.”

“How far are we going?” asked my son.

“We’ll see,” I said. “Isn’t that a beautiful sky?”

Of course, it really was a beautiful sky. There was hardly a cloud to be seen and the sun, reflecting off the ice, gave the impression that everything had been polished just for us.

We walked past a couple of those “points”, each of which caused my daughter to ask if it was the last one. Then, with the dock in sight, we climbed the hill that surrounds the bay. At that point, we’d passed that magical

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threshold where children forget that they’re not supposed to be enjoying themselves and actually do. “Look at that dad. What does that part of the lake look like?”

“Hmmm. I think it looks like an alligator.”

“It’s not an alligator. It’s a high heeled shoe. See, there’s the heel part.”

Not sure how I missed that.

Anyway, we reached the hill overlooking the Schwatka Dock Road and turned around for the walk back. Mom and son took the same route back, while Dad and daughter, both of whom abhor backtracking, took the road.

In the end, we all had a great hike that, thanks to the option of the forest trail, can be repeated whether the lake is frozen or not.

Let’s face it, given the uncertainty of spring, two weeks from now all the snow may be gone, or we might be digging out the driveways. Either way, there are a couple of things that I’m sure about: Schwatka Lake offers some great hiking possibilities and there will still be a big old alligator, err, high heeled shoe, waiting to be discovered not far from town. chris@wheeler.ca

Map by Chris Wheeler

www.sportsweb.yk.ca

Yukon Amateur Hockey 2007 Canada Winter Games Identification and Development Camp For Hockey – April 22,23,24 2005 Registration Information: Male Division Group 1 (Under 17) – Whitehorse players born in 1990 & 1991 (Includes Bantam Rep Community players) Male Division Group 2 (Under 17) – Whitehorse players born in 1992 Community Players born 1990,1991,1992 Female Division (Under 18) – Players born 1989 through 1995

Camp Location: Stan McCowan Arena Registration Fee: $20 payable to Yukon Amateur Hockey Registration Deadline: April 15 Completed registration forms can be dropped off at Sport Yukon, 4061 4th Ave. Whitehorse or faxed to Sport Yukon at 667-4237

FREE HOSTING FOR SPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

(Whitehorse players please register at Sport Yukon.)

Ice Times identified in registration package Community players can pay fee at the camp Players must be members in good standing with Minor Hockey and have BCAHA insurance.

Saturday April 23 4pm-5pm Goalie Clinic

call: 668-2546 Ext. 555

What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

S

21

This Ain’t Your Grandpa’s Table Tennis

omething has happened to the beer-in-one-hand sport of table tennis.

When it leaves the rec rooms of North America and is played in sanctioned tournaments, it becomes an extreme sport where ping pong balls can travel at over 100 km/h and must be played off an impossibly small surface.

“You have to be pretty fit,” says Dave Stockdale, president of the Yukon Table Tennis Association. “You have to be agile, quick and have a good eye.”

As much as he enjoys the sport and is committed to a good show-

ing at the upcoming Canada Winter Games in 2007, Stockdale knows table tennis will be the sport of last resort for athletes who want to attend the Canada Games but don’t qualify in the glory sports of hockey, figure skating and volleyball.

There is still time to become prepared for the Canada Games.

But there has to be a natural ability and the willingness to train extremely hard.

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A tournament at Whitehorse Elementary School April 17 will be the ideal time to be discovered by Stockdale.

Although the boys’ Under 15 and Under 18 already have potential competitors, and the girls Under 18 does as well, he says the girls Under 15 category is wide open.

Even so, it would be better to have a dozen competing for the two spots in each of the categories than the two or three who are there now.

There have already been attempts at recruiting new members. Letters were sent to each of the schools to include table tennis in extra-curricular activities and Holy Family Elementary School responded with enthusiasm and an informal, recreational club that is attended by 16 or so players.

Stockdale knows he can visit more schools and build a bigger pool of talent, but there just isn’t enough time left.

A core of athletes will be established to vie for positions with the Canada Games team. They will have to step up their training and attend the extra evening of table tennis laid on for Thursday nights.

And there are plans for a summer camp.

There will also be out-oftown tournaments to compete in — Western Open Tennis Table Championship in Saskatoon in late

s in Canada Game 98 weeks

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Zara Bachli practising her table tennis skills with Coach Kevin Murphy.

May and National Championship in Richmond, BC in late July — to sharpen their skills.

Stockdale says the players will likely lose, but the lessons to be learned will be invaluable. He has seen the vast improvement such experience can make in a young player.

But that is only part of the workload to get ready for the Canada Games. Coach Kevin Murphy will be taking a video camera to Richmond to get the layout of a big-time tournament. It will also be his first chance to see the 16 tables, scoreboards and surrounds that will be purchased from the National Table Tennis Association

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once Richmond is finished with them. Stockdale says it is a deal that has cut the club’s costs in half in preparation for the games.

The club will find out how much more has to be done after technical staff visit April 23. Porter Creek Secondary School will likely be the site and Stockdale suspects the lighting will have to be improved.

And a ventilated room will need to be found so that the rubbers from the paddles can be changed: “I’m boggled at the technicality of it,” says Stockdale. “I’ve been using the same rubber for 15 years and some of these guys change in the middle of a tournament.”

This just leaves one more area of concern: The Yukon is required to supply 10 officials to match the 10 who will come from Outside.

Then there are the 10 to 30 minor officials for such tasks as flipping the score cards.

There will be a clinic April 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for officials. A tournament, the next day, will give them a chance to practise.

Stockdale says he hopes to identify those who are willing to stick with it and help with the Canada Games. These new officials will be offered a Level 2 Clinic in February and will practise at an even higher level in the Western Canada Open in 2006.

It is proposed that this be a test event for the Canada Games and, so, Saskatoon has stepped aside for the Yukon club. A final decision is expected in May. Meanwhile, drop-ins are encouraged to try their hand at table tennis on Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The cost is $2.

What’s Up, YUKON!

22

A

April 8, 2005

RideYukon ’05 is Getting Closer

fter two years of planning, RideYukon ‘05 has just two more months to prepare to host up to 1,000 motorcycle enthusiasts.

From the 100 who have registered already, event co-ordinators Dick Watts and Shanna Epp, can tell they are coming from all over: “Switzerland, England, the States and Alaska is a big one,” says Epp. Some will ride their motorcycles both ways while others will ship the bikes one way via a trucking company or flying them up.

Watts says he has heard it costs $1,000 to ship a motorcycle by air.

And, from the chatter on the website’s forum, at www.rideyukon.com, he knows there are motorcyclists arranging to ride up with others.

Still others will be renting motorcycles when they get here.

Seeing 1,000 motorcyclists in town may be a concern to some, but Watts says the typical motorcyclist at an event like this is 45 to 60 years in age, a busi-

Dick Watts and Shanna Epp are co-ordinators of Photo: RideYukon ’05Mark to Prins begin June 23. One thousand motorcycle enthusiasts are expected. nessperson and either retired or semi-retired.

“There are a lot more women riders, too,” Epp adds.

And they have lots of disposable income, which is something Yukon businesses will be advised to keep in mind.

A Motorcycle Friendly Program is being implemented that helps identify those businesses that will make that little extra effort to accommodate motorcyclists.

“We’ll leave it up to them to identify what they can do to

extend themselves,” says Watts.

One hotel, for instance, will offer rags and a place to wash bikes.

There is one evening that concerns Watts and Epp: June 24 will see most of the motorcyclists leave Whitehorse at 11:00 p.m.

“There’s going to be a lot of noise that evening,” says Watts, cringing just a little. “And they return at 3:00 a.m.”

The idea is to ride to Braeburn Lodge for a cinnamon bun and a chance to see the sun set and the sun rise within two hours. It

is called the Midnight Sun Bun Run and will be a highlight.

Earlier that day, there will be a Poker Run to Carcross, followed by dinner at Caribou Crossing.

Carcross is getting into the spirit of things by offering a day of entertainment and a welcoming.

White Pass and Yukon Rail Route is partnering with RideYukon ’05 by giving the first 500 registrants a ride on the inaugural trip of the refurbished #69 steam engine.

On Saturday afternoon, there will be motorcycle games at Takhini Arena.

And there will be a parade downtown and a mini “Show and Shine” where Yukoners can meet the visitors.

Publicity for the event began with an advertisement in HarleyDavidson’s magazine, Thunder Press. Then there was a 30-minute feature on Wings Over Canada of a trip through the Yukon.

And, last August, a boatload of Harley-Davidson dealers and company executives landed in

The Celebrate Canada Committee for Yukon invites you to apply for a Pin Design Contest for the Canada Day Youth Award The Celebrate Canada Committee for Yukon in partnership with the Office of the Yukon Commissioner is requesting design submissions from artists of the Yukon for aYouth Award Pin. Pin Design • Designs submitted must be reducible to a finished pin size of a maximum of 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm (1 inch by 1 inch) • Designs may contain a maximum of three colours • Designs must be submitted with no identification on the front.

Artist identification should appear on the back.

Copyright • Copyright of the selected design will become the sole property of the Celebrate Canada Committee for Yukon for which the designer will receive $ 300.

Submission deadline • Design submissions must be mailed or delivered by 5:00 pm, Wednesday April 20, 2005 to: Celebrate Canada Committee for the Yukon c/o Canadian Heritage Room 205, 300 Main StreetWhitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 2B5 Need more information?

• Call Monika Broeckx at Canadian Heritage (867) 667-3925 (call collect) or e-mail CelebrateCanada_Yukon@pch.gc.ca

Skagway. Watts and his crew were there for a meet and greet.

Each of the 300 dealers got a CD and brochure advertising RideYukon ’05.

“We were just looking for an excuse to come to the Yukon,” he was told by many.

As for the timing, it is just before the peak tourist season, so attractions and services won’t be overwhelmed and it follows the Fairbanks HOG Rally that usually draws 300 to 500 Harley-Davidson riders.

With the remaining time left, Epp says they have to arrange for dinners, entertainment and a trade show.

Watts adds finding volunteers, security and billets for some of the riders to the list.

“It’s hard to say if the Yukon is ready,” says Epp. And Watts adds, “Once we’ve done it, hopefully people will feel a lot more comfortable with it.”

That will be handy, since there are plans to make this an annual event.

Le Comité du Canada en fête du Yukon vous invite à participer au Concours de dessin de l’épinglette pour le Prix jeunesse de la fête du Canada le

Le comité du Canada en fête, en partenariat avec

bureau du Commissaire du Yukon invite les artistes du Yukon à la soumission de dessins pour une Épinglette Prix jeunesse.

Dessin de l’épinglette • Les dessins soumis doivent pouvoir être réduits à la taille finale maximale de 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm (1 pouce par 1 pouce) • Les dessins doivent comporter un maximum de trois couleurs • Les dessins doivent être soumis sans identification au devant. L’identification de l’artiste doit apparaître au dos.

Droits d’auteur • Les droits d’auteur du dessin choisi deviendront la propriété exclusive du Comité du Canada en fête du Yukon en contrepartie de quoi le dessinateur recevra $ 300.

Date limite de soumission • Les soumissions de dessins doivent être postées ou livrées avant 17 h 00 le mercredi 20 avril 2005 à : Comité du Canada en fête du Yukon c/o Patrimoine canadien, Bureau 205, 300 rue Main, Whitehorse (Yukon) Y1A 2B5 Besoin de plus d’informations ?

• SVP entrer en contact avec Monika Broeckx à Patrimoine canadien (867) 667-3925 (frais virés) ou CelebrateCanada_Yukon@pch.gc.ca

What’s Up, YUKON!

April 8, 2005

23

Here is How to Turbo Charge Your Entry-Level Telescope

O

kay, so you just got a new entry-level department store telescope, it may have been a present or it is all you can afford. Either way you just cannot seem to make it work. All the images seem to be fuzzy and it looks like tunnel vision.

Do not go and put that poor little telescope away in a closet.

There are things you can do on the cheap and easy to get yourself going and to get your telescope in smooth and easy-to-use operation.

Most entry-level telescopes come with an extremely unstable mount. The more stable the mount the more stable the view.

First, find the ideal height for the telescope and keep in mind that the closer to the ground the more stable the telescope.

out point (my favourite viewing point) and had it drop on me at about 3:00 in the morning. Yes, I was lucky and caught it in time, but if I had been doing anything else or reaching for a coffee I would have lost it for sure.

To further your objective of making your telescope super stable, take a 2-gallon plastic milk jug and fill it about three quarters of the way with sand. Then hang it from the middle of the tripods legs. In this way your telescope will not be swaying or moving in the wind. It is also real dandy at dampening out ground vibrations from vehicles or other people moving around.

If your telescope has slow motion controls, make sure that the little thumbscrew is tight and that it moves with ease.

The next thing that we need to know is the practical power per inch of the telescope, which is about 40 times per inch. Example: A three-inch telescope would have a maximum power of 120 (threeinch aperture times 40 power per inch equals 120 power.) So, to achieve maximum power, you would use an 8.3mm eyepiece.

This is a very small eyepiece and I would recommend you use a Barlow and an 18-mm eyepiece. This will double the power

and maintain a much more comfortable view with much less strain on the eye. Also, try to use 1.25inch eyepieces as well as they are much easier to use and see.

These little tricks are very effective in turning your basic entry-level scope into an effective tool for hunting deep sky objects and planets.

So, put your scope out to cool, set up your gear and get ready for an awesome night of deep-sky viewing. After all, it is hard to get a better view of the night sky in the Yukon than in the early spring.

You will find planets and all sorts of celestial treasure awaiting discovery. Enjoy them as much as you can for Bug Season is next and, man, are they aggravating.

See you out there.

Clear Skies

with James Cackette

Next, make sure that all the wing nuts on the legs of the mount are good and tight. When it is cold out (like –5 C or more) keep checking your tightness on these little wing nuts as wood contracts when it is cold and things seem to loosen. You do not want to have your scope drop on you ... they do not bounce at all. I have had an 8” telescope on a really expensive mount out at Miles Canyon look

April 8th New Moon April 9th Jupiter’s moons Lo, Europa and Callis to form a compact line east of the planet April 11th Crescent Moon 2 degrees above Pleiades star cluster in evening twilight April 16th First Quarter Moon April 21st Gibbous Moon Near Jupiter

Make sure that the telescope and the mount are tight and secure, not all loose and sloppy. If they won’t tighten, slip in a bread clip in the gap and that should solve that problem quick and simple.

Now to another critical area, the eyepiece, remember the eyepiece is an extension of your eye.

Make the view comfortable and easy. Do not use high power eyepieces on entry-level telescopes.

It usually won’t work and the view is poor to dismal. How do I find the right eyepiece power? First, find the telescopes focal length (it is usually on the sticker on your focuser) then find the number on the eyepiece and divide, that is the formula for figuring out what power you are using. For example, if your telescope’s focal length is 1000 mm and you are using a 10mm eyepiece, you are at 100 power. Pretty simple math and very effective.

Above Whitehorse area April 9

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