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v 16 thursday nov 72002 patrick mangion been there done that day at beach was gritty experience youre a natural normally hearing such praise from a professional athlete will buoy the spirits of any weekend warrior but as i watched one of about 15 of my- spike attempts actually land in bounds i had more pressing concerns than my ego in my first attempt at indoor beach volleyball like how did that sand find its way to a place i didnt know sand could go and more importantly how was i going to get it out its all part of the experience explained 28yearold mark riley canadian professional beach volleyball player he was gracious enough to instruct me after an intense practice session with fellow beach professionals at north beach volleyball in toronto a prece dentsetting endeavour started by two newmarket neighbours 10 years ago youre gonna feel that in the morn ing said north beach coowner and whitchurchstouffville resident roland macrae handing me a bottle of water after i was put through my paces by mr riley 4n less than an hour mr riley who practises at the lawrence avenue and don valley parkway area facility gave me a crash course on the finer points of volleyball at the beach in this case however the beach was indoors in a 32000squarefoot building that was once a steel plant north beach first opened in markham but the smaller building was quickly outpaced by the sports popular ity forcing mr roland and business partner burke sasaki to move to toronto we went from 21000 square feet in markham to 32000 square feet here mr roland told me as we took a break sitting at tables and chairs at the impres sive facility that also boasts a kitchen bar and gym we wanted people to feel like its a vacation coming here mr roland said every inch of the walls was covered bya bright caribbeaninspired mural it was easy to see why it took the artist four months to complete the work there were soft sand and heat lamps to keep the temperature above 70 sec bumping page 17 economist sun stouffville tribune sports wand wavers learn fly tying magic by mike hayakawa staff writer like all flyfishers peter thorn derives great sat isfaction from enticing a fish to strike an artificial offering delivered to a specific location on water while mr thorn has had plenty of success he wanted to take his accomplishments one step further after mastering the rudiments of selecting the proper imitation and in delivering a fly mr thorn wanted to create his own flies for the most ardent wand wavers fly tying is the ultimate feat especially when theyve caught a fish on something theyve laboured hours to create it gives you a thrill said mr thorn of the art he has been practising for six years often at the franklin club a private trout fishing facility near newmarket once i got into it i started to enjoy it its therapeutic hes not alone if you tie your own flies and catch a fish theres definitely more satisfaction adds tom cheng a richmond hill resident who operates angling specialties a concord highend fly fishing store mr cheng says many anglers who enter the world of fly tying often do so after watching people catch fish on their own creations especially big fish ive seen people who fish for steelhead migratory great lakes rainbow trout that can weigh up to 20 pounds who use flies and catch fish when people see that those flies work they want to learn how to tie their own flies he said some enter the hobby to become more complete fly fish ers with fly fishing season wind ing down the most ardent anglers will spend their idle months devising insect or min now imitations they hope will pay dividends when they take to their favourite body of water next season its definitely a hobby thats done primarily in the fall and winter when theres no fishing mr cheng said fly tying is done by people of all ages mr thorn said noting more women are trying it and its not that difficult mr cheng said looking for information library books and magazines such as the canadian fly fisher are good sources but learning from an expert is the easiest way mr cheng said at the franklin club mr thorn and jim purcell have con ducted fly tying classes over the past four years for all levels because the discipline requires adept fingers and dex terity instructors acknowledge patience is a virtue staff photomike barrett peter thorn has been practising the art of fly tying for six years often at the franklin club its hard at first mr cheng said but if you want to learn you can pick up the basics in about two to three weeks and once you know the steps its easy it takes patience in getting the material to sit properly mr thorn said you need to know the ten sion as to how snug to put the material on to the hook while most fly tiers copy pat terns from flies they know work or see in a magazine or book mr thorn said there are no rules some people he said will tie their own creations based on what they feel might look alluring to a fish in water where the hobby reaches a crossroads is in the purchase of equipment the basic tools of the trade are scissors a bobbin and vice mr cheng said there are budget to highend items scissors can cost up to 25 while a bobbin can go for 19 and a good vice that rotates can range up to 230 despite high startup costs mr thorn said in the long run tiers will save money a hook might cost about 16 cents and its only a couple of cents for the amount of material you use you can make a number of flies for the same amount of money that you might spend to buy one fly mats already tied at a store he said mr cheng operates a school at his concord store that runs for eight weeks once a week for three hours with a class size of six for more information call 905-660- 9707 for more information on the franklin club call 19054731469 for information on toy tying visit wwwflyanglersonlinecom