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1 _ £•* - . m 8J I EW iip .A (Tlir Onntnan ê'tatcGiiun WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1996 SECTION TWO Cross Cross country ski enthusiasts had an opportunity to combine skiing and fund-raising on Sunday during the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Ski For Heart event. The fund-raiser took place at the Long Sault Conservation Authority and included a chance for those who brought pledge sheets to win prizes. There was also a ski waxing demonstration in the chalet and an evening torchlight ski for those who arrived later in the day. Co-ordinators Jodi Steffler and Brian Joyce are shown above, as they prepare to welcome skiers taking part in the fund-raiser. by Jennifer Herr The Bowmanville Eagles aren't making it easy on themselves. themselves. Fighting for the final playoff spot in its division, the team lost a close one, 2-1, to the Peterborough Bees on Sunday night at the Recreation Complex. "We pretty well have to win in Trenton now," said head coach Guy Jacob after the game, referring referring to Friday's away game. As of Sunday, Bowmanville was three points up in the standings on Trenton. Bowmanville's only goal came late in the first period, as Nolan Robertson was assisted by Seth Gray and recent addition Brad Black. Mike Fisher and Ryan Van Sickle replied for Peterborough. The visitors have comfortably attained a playoff spot, and are currently in second place in the division, behind Kingston. The • Eagles' new goalie, Jonathon Forest, a recent recruit from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Drummondville franchise, franchise, put on a goaltending goaltending clinic. But it wasn't enough, as Bowmanville just wasn't able to come up with any offense. "It was just a poor effort by everybody, except for the goal- tender," stated Jacob. "You got people standing around waiting for things to happen. Things just don't happen. You've got to create create your chances." Eagles General Manager, Mike Laing, didn't completely agree with Jacob's take on the game. "We had some great goaltending goaltending and the team played well. I guess it showed ;i lack of depth. We've played well enough to win the last four games," he said, adding that there seems to have been a turn-around in terms of the team's strength. "All year,' we've had great offense, and we're just having trouble with offense now," he said. "At the beginning of the year, we had no goaltending and tons of offense, but now we seem Turn to page 5 Harness driver Doug Brown, of Bowmanville, collected collected his eighth title as the nation's Driver of the Year. Brown was presented presented the. O'Brien Award at an awards night held in Mississauga on January 25. The evening honors the country's top harness harness racing horses and.people over the past racing season. It was the eighth time in the last nine years Brown has won the award. Brown won 345 races in 1996, collecting collecting more than $5 million in purse earning in 1,992 races. -Photo by Monica Thors And Baby Makes Four by Brad Kelly "You broke what?" I remember thinking as my wife, Debbie, was shaking me in the middle middle of the night. It wasn't so much what she broke, but what had broken. It was her water. As in, "let's go to the hospital and have a baby," water. Ah, but you see, I figured there was no need to panic the second time around. A veteran of this sort of experience -- having already had one -- there was no urgency to spring from bed, get dressed, grab a suitcase, and sprint out the door. No, the first thought that came to mind was to do a little arithmetic. arithmetic. It's 2:30 a.m. Add 12-15 hours for labour, and we're looking midafternoon midafternoon the following day before the baby arrives. No need to panic. And I was almost right. To digress slightly, our son, Ryan, who is three years old, arrived 16 hours after my wife's water broke, hence the 12-15 hours scenario. The second time around, the delivery was much quicker. Four hours after checking into the hospital, at 1:07- p.m., on Sunday, February 2, we welcomed 61bs. 10 oz., Dylan Patrick Kelly into our lives. After checking out of the hospital a mere 24 hours later, it didn't take long to become re-introduced to the joys of parenthood. While in the process of a diaper change, young Dylan decided to spring the "fountain of youth" like only a little boy can. After towelling him dry -- how does a little bladder hold so much? -- and changing his outfit, the two of us headed down the stairs only to have him spit up all over. So, it was up the stairs for another wardrobe change, with only a couple of minutes minutes off the clock. Makes me wonder how fast a pit crew on the Indy circuit circuit would move under similar circumstances. There's a saying that goes something like "if you want to see how fast time flies, buy something with no payments or interest for six months." The theory is that, before you know it, the six months have evaporated, and the payment becomes due. Parents often mutter this same phrase about their kids, wondering where the time has gone, and how quickly they grow up. Having compared the size differential between Ryan and the baby, I can now be included in that "time flies" fraternity. Where have the last three years gone? There was a comment made to me while on the maternity ward at Memorial Hospital Bowmanville that I'm having a hard time forgetting.. One of the nurses mentioned she was glad to see so much activity -- we were the second baby that day -- because it meant that the maternity ward would stay open. The next day, one of the nurses confirmed that, yes, there are rumors to the effect that the maternity ward may not be needed in the future. What a shame this would be. On both visits to the hospital, we have been treated like royalty. It's an endearing quality that maternity nurses have that enables them to. become friends with total strangers, and give the expectant parents a feeling of security. It's comforting to know someone else really cares, and is going to be there to help you through the process. Maybe it's because, for the most part, we all live in the area and, although the municipality has grown, there is still that small-town feeling among residents whose roots are here. I wonder if that same bond can be conveyed if we have to go elsewhere to have our babies? So, for the next six months, mom and my two boys will be at home, relaxing(?) and enjoying the summer months ahead. Just prior to the due date, one staff member asked how long Debbie was going to be off from' work. With a six-month leave, she will be home until September. "Funny," I said, "that I wasn't offered the chance to take a parental leave for July and August." "Well, your wife deserves the time off," was the reply. "You're right," I agreed, before opening my mouth and setting my foot in it. "She has nine months invested in the baby, and what have I invested, invested, 15 minutes?" It was already too late, even after changing my voice to a much deeper, manlier tone. "No, I don't mean 15 minutes...it was more like an hour and a half...honest." "Brad," said the staffer, whose shade of red from blushing was even brighter than mine, "you're digging yourself a bigger hole." Obviously I'm quite good at shovelling. Inside Section Two Gymnast Shines. Page 5 Community Calendar Page 6 Classifieds Begin on Page 10