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16 saturday jan 15 2005 economist sun suntribune its all downhill for york regions enthusiastic tobogganing fans by patrick mangion staff writer hile conditions have been less than ideal around the gta a lack of snow hasnt stopped toboggantoting revellers from enjoying one of the oldest winter traditions and that includes in york region which may be a lot of things but a tobogganing haven jiobably isnt one of them still while the ride may be shortlived and the vertical underwhelming if you can slide down it they will come with burgeoning growth enveloping the likes of markham richmond hill and vaughan the convergence of highways 407 7 and yonge street might seem among the most unlikely of toboggan hot spots in york for thornhill and richmond hill locals however chapman park at hunters point road and hwy 7 has long since represented an oasis of winter fun fresh powder mixed with hotspots some of york regions best tobogganing locales s chapman park hunters point richmond hill kennedy reservoir milliken dennis park newmarket drew doak park newmarket boyd conservation area vaughan memorial park and rupert park stouffville lambert wilson park family leisure complex aurora mount pleasant park richmond hill comfortable temperatures set the scene last week for ideal tobog ganing conditions and the result at chapman park and many other hills can often amount to anarchy on ice but on this early january day a handful of skiers and snowboard- ers peacefully coexist with tobog ganing veterans mike dennis his nineyearold son david and snow- riding neophytes ana grosman and her twoyearold son eitan id never seen snow before coming to canada i saw pictures of tobogganing but i didnt really understand it after leaving her native argentina and its tepid year- round temperatures six years ago tobogganing topped ms grosmans list of new experiences we lived in winnipeg first but it was too flat she said keeping a careful eye as husband gabi and eitan hurtle down the hill in a plastic sled id never seen snow before coming to canada i saw pictures of tobogganing but i didnt real ly understand it its great fun as long as you dont hurt your back ms grosman a physiotherapist added despite meagre snow condi tions mr dennis is reminded of his youth tobogganing in north york when he was his sons age following their fivesecond ride they head back for the top sled in tow like clockwork staff photosjoerd witteveen anthony rustico 5 goes airborn at stouffvilles memorial park tobogganing is great fun as long as you dont hurt your back physiotherapist ana grosman said young david sports the latest threeski snow racer with steering wheel and brakes his father goes with a simple yet effective plastic saucer if you cant go skiing this is the next best tiling its good fun for a few hours you cant go wrong mr dennis said its too bad theres no lift maybe we could lobby our coun cillors he joked in newmarket dennis park off cane parkway is a hive of activity under a fleeting winter sun parents and kids dot the wide tobogganing locale each with their instrument of choice snow racers inflatables plastic sleds and wooden toboggans are all well represented see danger page 17 pug hmbes b8 i nfe hi si 1 m m mm anne brodie on movies intriguing m noir ha many layers to explore bad education starring gael garcia bernal fele martinez and francisco boira now playing pedro almodovar is one of the finest movie directors working today his movies are surpris ing personal colourful and vexing and they tell us much about ourselves there are always drag queens down and out street people stars priests nuns and mothers his spain is probably not one seen much by tourists but it is unforgettable both penelope cruz and antonio banderas shot numerous films with almodovar for this role he chose an established star the mexican firebrand gael garcia bernal i first interviewed mr bernal sept 12 2001 we were both shaken by the previ ous days american terrorist attacks but we had jobs to do he was promoting e tu mama tambien and i was discover ing new talent thanks to that breakout role and the next in the motorcycle diaries mr bernal is an international star hes brainy too and not given to the addi tional baggage of heartthrob status which he has see new page 17