Tag: Whistler Museum

Whistler’s Answers: August 2, 1984Whistler’s Answers: August 2, 1984

August 3, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In the 1980s the Whistler Question began posing a question to three to six people and publishing their responses under “Whistler’s Answers” (not to be confused with the Whistler Answer).  Each week, we’ll be sharing one question and the answers given back in 1984.  Please note, all names/answers/occupations/neighbourhoods represent information given to the Question at the time of publishing and do not necessarily reflect the person today.

Some context for this week’s question: All elections have various issues that are debated but the 1984 election is reported to have been fought mainly on the record of the Liberal Party who had formed the governing party for the majority of the last two decades. In the election held in September 1984, the Progressive Conservative Party led by Brian Mulroney won 211 seats to form a majority government.

Question: What do you think are the major federal election issues?

Shane McPhaden – Truck Driver – North Vancouver

Well, to be honest I haven’t really been keeping track of it. Who isn’t concerned about unemployment, for instance. There’s so many questions and so many answers, no one knows. This one candidate might sound like he’s right on the money but then two months down the road something changes. A lot of people have trouble making up their minds.

Laurie Obyrne – Actress – Vancouver

There’s a million issues: unemployment, interest rates… I don’t think acid rain and fishing are getting enough attention, nor is agriculture. I am more concerned about the use of chemicals in that industry. But they are never spoken of. Peoples’ consciousness isn’t on those issues right now. It’s on their own personal conversation. There may be some candidates in outlying areas addressing those issues.

Jack Stein – Advertising Executive – Richmond

I think we need a change of government. I don’t know where to begin when it comes to issues. You might establish a stronger outside investment base, and there should be stronger representation from the west.

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Whistler’s Answers: July 26, 1984Whistler’s Answers: July 26, 1984

July 27, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In the 1980s the Whistler Question began posing a question to three to six people and publishing their responses under “Whistler’s Answers” (not to be confused with the Whistler Answer).  Each week, we’ll be sharing one question and the answers given back in 1984.  Please note, all names/answers/occupations/neighbourhoods represent information given to the Question at the time of publishing and do not necessarily reflect the person today.

Some context for this week’s question: This one seems pretty self explanatory, so we think we’ll leave it there.

Question: Is Whistler fun?

Jacqueline Thong – Grade 2 – Surrey, BC

I rode my bike all along the trail by the golf course – a two wheeler. We went to Nairn Falls and saw the waterfall and had a picnic then we played tennis. Now we’re going to the lake so our dad can windsurf and we’ll build sandcastles.

Erin & Kim Jette – Kindergarten – Richmond, BC

Yes, it’s fun. We got wet in Lost Lake then caught six tadpoles. We had ice cream and played with our Barbies too. Yesterday we were on the swing and Kim fell off. Next time we come we want to have a picnic.

Aron Bylund – Grade 3 – Trail, BC

I had fun. We went for lunch and had chicken and chips then saw a parachute we like in a store. Now we’re listening to these men singing. I think I’d rather it was snowing though because then we could go sleigh riding.

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Replacing Horses with BikesReplacing Horses with Bikes

July 25, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

There are many competitions and races that take place during Crankworx, which is back in Whistler for the end of July, however one bike-related event that you’re unlikely to come across is mountain bike polo. While bike polo is not overwhelmingly popular in the area today, in 1989 there were mountain bike polo championships held in Whistler.

Bike polo is similar to the traditional sport of polo, although the horses are replaced by bikes, in which the aim is to drive a ball through the goal of the opposing team using mallets. Traditionally, bike polo is played on grass courts, but over time hardcourt bike polo has become more popular. Though the rules vary depending on where the game is played, it appears to be consistent that players must hold the mallet in their right hand and their handlebar in the left and have no parts of their body touching the ground in order to touch the ball or attack an opponent.

Eric Crowe (left) and Jim Warren fight for control of the ball during a mountain bike polo game at Myrtle Philip School. Despite its apparent popularity, we could find very few images of mountain bike polo being played in Whistler. Whistler Question Collection, Mike Youds, 1988

The Whistler Question provided two different accounts of how the sport began: in the June 16, 1988 edition it claimed that the sport was invented in 1987 at a mountain bike competition in Colorado; in the August 3, 1989 edition they reported that a group of windsurfers from Quebec created the sport when there was no wind and they came across some friends playing croquet. The more widely accepted history of bike or cycle polo is that it was adapted by a retired cyclist named Richard J. Mecredy in Ireland in 1891. It was a demonstration sport at the 1908 Olympics in London and saw a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s.

Mountain bike polo came to Whistler in the summer of 1988. Games were played on Sunday evenings at Myrtle Philip School (then still located in the Whistler Village) and there were plans to form a local league. That first summer must have gone well because they were still playing in 1989 and even had plans to host a championship tournament.

The “World Mountain Bike Polo Championships” came to Whistler from August 17 to 20, 1989, coinciding with Labatt’s Can-Am Challenge held on Blackcomb Mountain. There was some controversy between the organizers from Quebec, who wanted to hold the matches on a gravel field at the bottom of the Wizard Chair, and the local players, who preferred the grass at Myrtle Philip School where they had been playing each Sunday. The local players won out and eight teams competed for the top spot on the school field. Though most of the teams came from Canada and the US, there was reportedly one team from Australia, kind of – it was made up of Australians who were living in Whistler.

While you won’t find mountain bike polo in this year’s Crankworx line up, other types of events that were included during Labatt’s Can Am Challenge weekend are still included, such as the dual slalom race. Blackcomb Mountain Collection, Unknown Photographer, 1989

In the end, Whistler’s Mountain Mutants placed first, winning various prizes including a mountain bike, a pair of television sets, answering machines, and, of course, Polo-Ralph Lauren gift certificates. According to Neil Collins of the Mountain Mutants, “Everyone had fun, but it was pretty competitive; we trashed a fair number of wheels, bikes and bodies.”

Bike polo is still played in cities around the world today, though its popularity waned again after its 1980s surge. There are currently (as far as we are aware) no mountain bike polo teams in Whistler and it seems unlikely that it will be featured in Crankworx anytime soon.

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Whistler’s Answers: July 19, 1984Whistler’s Answers: July 19, 1984

July 20, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In the 1980s the Whistler Question began posing a question to three to six people and publishing their responses under “Whistler’s Answers” (not to be confused with the Whistler Answer).  Each week, we’ll be sharing one question and the answers given back in 1984.  Please note, all names/answers/occupations/neighbourhoods represent information given to the Question at the time of publishing and do not necessarily reflect the person today.

Some context for this week’s question: In July 1984, Whistler’s Mayor Mark Angus announced his intention to seek the Liberal nomination in the Cariboo-Chilcotin riding (Whistler used to be included in this riding before the boundaries were redrawn in 1987). Angus was successful in winning the nomination but was unsuccessful in the election, losing to incumbent Progressive Conservative Lorne Greenaway.

Question: What do you think of Mayor Mark Angus running as a Liberal candidate in the next federal election?

Pat Carleton – Retired – Alpha Lake

He certainly has the time to do this. He obviously has political aspirations and he must feel he has the capabilities. I wish him all the luck in the world. It won’t do Whistler any harm either.

Linda Johnston – Public Servant – Vancouver

Well, it depends on whether he can organize his time but then most jobs in municipal politics aren’t that time consuming. I would think it would be a benefit to a place for the mayor to have interests outside – that way he’d know both worlds. This kind of thing happens all the time. Politicians are politicians.

Yves Boulanger – Unemployed – Adventures West

I think it’s just fine. The people under him seem well-equipped to handle things while he’s on the campaign trail. I’d support him.

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