1993_11 Insight November 1993

              Page 6
Insight/California State University, Fresno
November 10, 1993
The Whole 9 Yards
River-rafting guides
combine work, play
cR. Fujimoto/INSIfiHT
Fresno State's Tommy Jones makes a great catch against UTEP to help the 'Dogs win 30-10.
By Julie Johnson	
StaffWriter
Some people think white-water rafting guides
are daredevils who live life on the edge and nol
sane individuals who value their lives.
The truth is, most professional river guides arc
college students enjoying dieir last free summers
before graduation and the "real world."
This summer, a select group of students will be
chosen in the spring to work is river guides for the
Fresno-based whitc-walcrralting company, Kings
River Expcditioas (KRE). KRE rafts the upper
Kings River, an houranu a raufeau ot rrcsno.
Justin Butchcrt, owner and general managcrof
KRE,.saidrccruitingcffortswillrcsultinovcrl50
candidates. Oflhc 150,25 potential guides will be
chosen io attend the White-water Guide School.
Six tocight guides will eventually be chosen as
full-time river guides to compliment a reluming
staff of 25.
Guide school candidates arc chosen based on
theirencrgy, personality and past experience dealing with different types of people.
On-campus recruiting has already begun forthe
1994 river season.
Buchcrt recruits in the recreation classes for this
unique summer experience and in February, he
will set up a booth for the campus job fair.
"Fresno State students have an opportunity to
become professional river guides and to travel
internationally," Butchert said.
"Next fall, aftcrour Kings Rivcrseason is over,
wc plan to spend a couple of months in Costa Rica,
offering commercial rafting trips through the
jungles and rain forests."
Prospective guides endure a fairly intense professional white-water guide school, where ihcy
leam every aspect of the job from guiding the
river, to cooking meals, to entertaining guests.
The white-water guiding job takes a lot of
stamina and energy.
AdayinihclifcofaKREguidclypically begins
at 6 a.m. and can last until 10 p.m.
Boats and equipment arc taken up river and
propped by a leam of approximately eight guides.
Another groupof guides stay in camp and prepare
breakfast for 60 guests.
.  After breakfast, guests and guides pile into an
old school bus forthe 10-and-a-half-milc ride.
The guests arc ushered out of the bus and into
the rafts where they arc given a life jacket, a paddle
and a thorough safety talk by their guide.
The tripdown the riveris the most relaxingtimc
of uic day i'ui ihc guides.
The water is fast and rough, the guests arc
excited and die guide has full responsibility over
the crew of six guests.
At the takeout, thckitchensiaffquickly changes
outoflifcjackcts and wet suitstobeginhappy hour
and dinner for the hungry, paddlers.
Guides not scheduled for kitchen duty stay and
load boats, paddles and life jackets, before they
change and gel to wort; on dieir off-river chores,
which consist mosUy of equipment maintenance
and entertaining guests.
The kitchen staff prepares a hearty dinner of
salad, rice pilaf, and barbecued tri-tip.
The meal is completed with hoi fudge sundaes
fordesscrt. Now it is time for the entertainment.
The guides perform a-campfirc show for the
guests that is an hour long and contains skits stolen
from Monty Pythonand Saturday Night Live. The
show is completed with a campfirc song.
When the day has finished, the guidesclcan up
camp and hit the sack, which is usually a cot or an
old bed taken from home.
Third-ycarguidc Brent Muih says that after the
day isdonc, he can't wait to fall iniobcd, a sleeping
bag thrown over a foam pad. He said lie is asleep
before his head hits the pillow.
"It is the best job," Muth said.
Professional Jabber Bv Tom Aitohein
Childhood flashback; Swami goes 3-2
I had an important childhood moment
relived this weekend.
Do you remember when you were seven
oreight and your family took you bowling?
Man, at that age, being able to do the same
thing as your brothers, sisters and parents
was the most important thing in the world
You didn't know how to keep score, you
didn't know if you won or losl and mosi ot
the lime, you couldn't even hii a single pin.
Bul you didn't carc, cither. All thai mattered was being able to wear real slippery
shoes, slide as far as you can, slam down as
many Cokes and Milk Duds as possible and
stick your face in the fan for as long as
possible.
I saw alitdc kid do thiscxact same routine
this weekend. He was running around, so
full of nervous energy (probably from the
Cokes and Milk Duds!).
When il was his turn to bowl, he scooped
up his 8-pound ball with all his strength and
walked it lo the lane. He spread his legs as
faras possible and ingranny style, flung the
ball towards the pins.
This is where the fun begins. In the lime
it look the ball to finally reach the pins, a
wave of emotions washed over the boy and
his family.
First the family explodes into laughter as
the boy falls backward onto die wooden
flooraftcr flinging the ball towards the pins.
The boy, instead of running back io die
group at full speed to sec how far he can
slide, slays at the line, almost as if he were
glued io ihc floor.
Both he and hjs family have noticed thai
the ball hasn't gone directly into the gutter
Tlie laughter has now turned into excitement from ihc family, while the boy is just
stunned. He's just smiling and imagining
all the pins shatter into a thousand pieces
By now. the ball has traveled halfway
down die lane. Oh no. the ball is starting to
go to the right.
The family is all on its knees praying lor
the ball to hang on while the boy starts using
every possible form of body English he's
ever seen on television io gel that ball back
on Ihc right track. He's waving his amis,
swinging his hips, screaming al Ihe ball tti
slay straight
The last 5 feci went black forthe family
They all closed their eyes so they wouldn't
see the ball jump into die gutter and the boy
off the nearest bndgc The boy's eyes wid
ened and he started jumping upand down;
die ball inched it's way towards the scared
pins. There it goes! Nobody moves and the
noise intensities as die ball HITS....
One pin. As the guard rail sweeps the 10-
pin into the channel and the ball makes its
magical trek back to its owner, ihe boy and
his family arc happy. The boy now knows
he can do il and his family is happy lor him
Tlie boy didn't care about how many pins
he goi, bullhatlie got some at all. High-lives
were given to the boy as he made his way
back to ihc group.
The boy then scoops up the ball and the
drama is relived all over again. Life was so
simple at the age of eight.
Speaking of emotional drama, the Swam-
man. alter weeks of losing more lhan winning, finally goes 3-2 for the week, 15-15
overall and is riding ahighsimiliariolhal ol
thai 8-year-old boy. Gogcl'cm Swam. Don't
throw a gutter ball!!!
Game 1: Green Bay at New Orleans
"I originally was going to take Green Bay
in a mild upsci. but there are a couple of
things that have changed my mind. New
See swami, page 9
Council OKs Fresno Diamond
Group's request to seek out
investors for planned stadium
By Jason Gibbs
StaffWriter
The Fresno City Council took a huge
step Nov. 2 toward bringing a multipurpose sports facility and a Triple A
baseball tcam to downtown Fresno.
The council voted 6-1 in favor of a
development agreement with the Fresno
Diamond Group, which has been organizing investors and selling ticket options in order to build a downtown stadium.
"What this means is that it will be very
difficult to stop this thing now," said
Rick Finlay, a member of the FDG and
former CSUF Food Service director.
Greg Phipps, president of Stanford
Capital Partners, the group in charge of
finding investors forthe stadium, likened
the situation to having been approved for
a credit card and simply waiting to use it.
During the meeting, the council listened to John Carbray, president of the
FDG. and several members oflhc audience.
Carbray presented a plan to not only build
a stadium which will house a baseball team
in 1995, but to also use the stadium for
concerts, high school football games, and
other civic events.
The first member of the audience io
speak was FSU baseball coach Bob Bennett.
Bennett spoke in favor the stadium saying that baseball had been a big part of
Fresno's history and it was important for it
to be a big part of the future too.
Another member of the audience, Gus
Zemial, said he would personally be in
charge of getting neighborhood kids inio
the stadium free of charge.
And he prompted a round of applause by
saying.'This will gctaspray can outof their
hand and give them something betier to
do."
Only one member of the audience. Paul
Bartlett, opposed the plan.
Bartlcit said the location of the planned
stadium would conflict with a proposed
central California railroad station to be built
in the same area.
ApparcnUy. the council disagreed.
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