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34 economist suntribune sports thursday sept 5 2002 preschoolers seniors trying miniputt from page 33 was nearby to laugh soon jt dawned on me the putting greens are wavy i men tioned to ms reesor if they just flattened them out a little it would make things a lot easier for some reason she got this strange look on her face and had to turn away then it happened a hole-in- one and i was at least six feet away from the practice hole thus emboldened i thought id do a round on the shipwreck course the more advanced of timber creeks two courses the kids in front of me were having no trouble getting the ball into the hole with a couple of tries before carefully writing down their scores after putting around the course the reesor siblings lynn lois and robert started building 10 years ago i became aware minigolf is more than just a game a big part of its appeal is the surroundings the 19hole shipwreck course which was completed last july took more than three years to build it has large artfully arranged rocks a wishing well and placid ponds with bullrushes and waterfalls there are two boats that have run aground on the rocks a lighthouse with a putting green underneath and a waterfall splashing nearby as well as vari ous towers with selfemptying waterbuckets i saw people of all ages from preschoolers to seniors playing both the original logging camp course and the shipwreck the logging camp has been revamped recently lynn reesor said the 18hole course has been newly carpeted and more than half the holes have been changed to make things more fun for repeat minigolfers the highlight of this course is a sawmill with a turning log and all kinds of interesting nooks for balls to go through both of the courses are origi nal designs developed by robert reesor and landscape architect kyle hepburn both courses are also wheelchair accessible at the first hole of the shipwreck it took me three tries to get the ball to its target i had time to gaze around seeing the blue sky with its puffy white clouds enjoying the sound of the splashing waterfalls feeling the breeze on my face i played on a few holes farther is a put ting green on one of the ship wrecks after taking careful aim to guide the ball through a small opening at the bottom of a rustic wooden door i waited the ball came right back this happened a couple of times then i tried a sturdier whack the ball disap peared then finally plopped out the side of the small building on to the green near the hole for which i was aiming one green takes you over a small bridge others are beside rushing streams at the light house hole a youngster ahead of me putted his ball past the rocks around a curve and right past the hole but the ball continued around another curve and bounced off the side to go direct ly into the hole but as far as tiger woods is concerned i dont think he needs to be too worried about this minigolfer been there done that is a regular fea ture following the exploits of staff as they try to keep up with experts in a wide van ety of sports and recreational facilities parents rely on friendships from page 33 advance because you never know whats going to happen says mrs dungavell we live and die by the calendar unless you are living it the lifestyle the commitment the travel it all appears crazy it is intimidating for families who prefer to keep their kids out of rep sports to keep their week ends to themselves but dont feel sorry for fami lies whose routine revolves around a hockey puck or basket ball just because you dont get it doesnt mean they dont love it or have at least become accus tomed to it the porter household has a system as wife jackie mentions one kids game that night mark repeats it aloud it is a practice that has become second nature with one failsafe precaution if its not on the calendar it doesnt count confirms mr porter interaction with other fami lies involved with their childrens teams is a social lifestyle that shouldnt be surprising given the time spent with other par ents prior to and after games at practices and naturally in the stands cheering on youngsters we have friends that tell us to get a life says mr porter the fact is we might even have al l2 lives going on here it becomes your whole social group a whole new network of friends gets put together when its over for the kids sometimes the biggest impact is on parents some have been known to go through withdraw al a sporting version of the empty nest syndrome knowing it will eventually end many make the most of it while they can mercedesbenz markham mercedesbenz newmarket 8350 kennedy rd markham wwwmarkhammercedesbenzca 230 mulock dr newmarket 905 3051088 905 8536868 i v i msrp for a 200 c 210 classic with automatic and leather twin 40260 based oo a 24month walkaway lease at 59 with 6000 down or equivalent trade 18000kmvear allowance 20 per km in excess taxes license freight administration charges and ptm extra oac