Thursday August 8, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 64)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Shining on diamond: The White Rock All-Stars are inching closer to stepping onto the ball diamond at the Little League World Series, after winning four straight games at Canadian championships in Nova Scotia. › see page 30
DIY event storms beach
Triathlon athletes go rogue Nick Greenizan Staff Reporter
Gord Goble photo
Clockwise from above: pageant royalty take part in a much-shortened Spirit of the Sea Festival torchlight parade; Randy Pullman (and Lucy, 3) compete in the Sundog Semiahmoo SUP Classic 10K paddleboard race; and cousins Tysan Singh, 6, and Shayen, 4, check out a row of Chevrolet Corvettes at the 10th annual Westcoaster Daze Rod Run.
Organizer says he should have heeded naysayers
Regret over rocky sea fest Alex Browne Staff Reporter
Scathing criticism of this year’s Spirit of the Sea Festival last Saturday and Sunday – including comments to Peace Arch News bemoaning a revamped torchlight parade that some are calling an “embarrassment” to the city – have again raised the question of whether the more than six-decade tradition should be allowed to continue. Anger of residents and business owners focused on a brief parade minus all but one of the traditional floats, and that an event and display schedule concentrated only on the East Beach section of Marine Drive. Matt Todd, president of the organizing Community of Lights Society, told PAN Tuesday that he takes personal responsibility for not meeting expectations for the event. But he said his error was pushing for some kind of festival – even scaled-down – when his board advised cancelling the event due to a shortfall of funding (the event website said it was short $7,600). “I stuck my neck out – in hind-
sight, I was wrong and they were right,” said Todd, citing a drastically reduced volunteer base and no budget for paid staff to secure grants as other factors that weighed against the event. “I tried to make it bigger than it should have been, and pushed the limit further than I should have.” But Todd, a former city councillor, said he feels the expectations of the community are grounded in rosy memories of what was, and not the realities of the present economy. “The original model doesn’t just not work – it is completely and totally wrecked,” Todd said. “The festival of yesteryear is just not sustainable – it cannot exist anymore. The corporate sponsorship is not there, and people are not volunteering as much, and that’s not just a White Rock thing, that’s not unique to White Rock. “People have to accept, given that reality, that there needs to be a change of attitude and expectations, that the Sea Festival of 2013 is going to look a lot different. › see page 4
Boaz Joseph photos
The long-dormant Crescent Beach Triathlon is back… sort of. The event – for 25 years a summer staple on the South Surrey sports calendar – has not been staged since 2007, but organizers have rekindled the event as a “grassroots invitational” and plan to hold the event this Sunday, Aug. 11, starting at 8:40 a.m. The race – which features a 1.5km swim, 40-km bike ride and 10-km run – is free, and is not a sanctioned triathlon. Instead, it’s being billed as a “DIY, race-style workout” in which participants are simply asked to show up and train as a group. According to race organizers, an official triathlon would cost about $30,000 to stage, and there are other road blocks, too. The event’s official webpage states that “the City of Surrey proved too onerous in their requirements/demands” for the portions of the race that take place along city roads. The swim portion of the event will be much the same as previous incarnations of the Crescent Beach Triathlon, in which participants swim north from the beach near the end of Sullivan Street, past the pier to markers near Blackie Spit, and back. The bike and run portions, however, are significantly different. Because the race is informal, no streets will be closed, so the routes for both have been altered to include as few traffic stops and train crossings as possible. The bike course consists of two legs – A and B – into White Rock and back. Riders set off from the transition zone, at McBride Avenue and Sullivan Street. The 10-km run leaves from the transition zone, moves up through Blackie Spit, then past the Crescent Beach Yacht Club, then southwest parallel to the train tracks, before heading back to the transition zone. › see page 4
Independent & Assisted Living for Seniors BORDER GOLD
Largest Suites in Town • Newly Renovated Suites
Receive $2000 Referral Bonus
CORP.
15366 - 17th Ave. White Rock 604-531-1160
Call for details
www.unicarehomes.com
15340 - 17th Ave. White Rock 604-531-7470