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nivek_wahs
04-02-2008, 07:02 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=addb3268-fda7-496a-abe3-6e5f74f644fe


Times-Herald mourns loss of its sport section's soul

Saskatchewan News Network; Moose Jaw Times-Herald
Published: Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Moose Jaw Times-Herald sports editor Rick Moore died Monday after a two-year battle with cancer.

Here is a tribute to Moore that appeared in the paper.

- - -

It's never easy to say goodbye and let go of someone special, but the Times-Herald must bid farewell to long-time friend and sports editor Rick Moore.

Moore died Monday after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was 45. He is survived by his wife Denise, his father, one brother and three sisters.

Moore came to the Times-Herald in 1985 as a sports writer. By 1987 he was named sports editor, a position he maintained until his death.

Well-known in the community, Moore's love of different sports was reflected on our sports pages. Though not a parent himself, Moore enjoyed working with children and coaching young athletes. Because of this, he made a special effort to get every scoresheet we received from any division of play into the paper, along with the names of as many kids as possible. He also made an effort to make sure we tried to get out to little kids' games for photos as often as possible.

For 20 years, Moore was the heart of the sports department. For many, he was the face of the sports department. You could ask him anything about some of the local teams and he could rhyme off facts and figures without consulting a book. He did his job so well because, for the most part, he enjoyed it. And because of that, Times-Herald readers were well informed on local sports events.

When Southam News offered us an invitation to nominate someone to send to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Moore was our nomination. And it came as no surprise that with his credentials, he was chosen as one of only two in Canada to cover the games for the 52 Southam newspapers across Canada -- papers such as the Vancouver Province, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Sun, Montreal Gazette and the Moose Jaw Times-Herald. He filed from several different venues every day, allowing our readers to see past the TV cameras and to read about what local athletes were doing.

A Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan, Moore enjoyed covering the Saskatchewan Roughriders no matter who the opposition was. His love of baseball was best manifested in his coaching, but he also enjoyed covering baseball games.

But his big love was hockey. And his team was the Moose Jaw Warriors. His dedication to the team was rewarded in 2006 when the Warriors went all the way to the WHL final before losing out to the Vancouver Giants. And Moore went all the way with them until the last two games at home in the final round when his illness landed him in the hospital.

Moore's real battle began to unfold within weeks when his cancer was finally diagnosed. He spent the spring of 2006 in hospital and by the time he was back up and about in summer, he was no longer the robust man we all knew.

But he worked hard at getting back to where he had been before the onset of cancer. In November of that year, Moore and wife Denise travelled to Montreal where he accepted a Transcontinental Ovation Award. The Ovation awards are handed out to only a few in the newspaper chain in recognition of outstanding work and the respect of the person's peers. Moore was a hands-down winner.

As his strength returned, Moore was able to get back out on the links enjoying one of his favourite pastimes, golf. And even after being laid up for some time and going through many rounds of chemotherapy, he was still able to beat healthy opponents.

The rarity of his cancer was hard for most to understand. We didn't know where this journey was taking him. And for a while, we began to think he'd beaten all odds and was on the road to recovery.

But our hopes were dashed.

It is difficult to lose an outstanding employee -- and Moore was certainly that.

And it's hard to lose someone you respect, and readers respected Moore.

But mostly, it's hard to lose such a good friend. If people remember nothing more about Moore, we hope that they will remember his smile, his laugh, his profound kindness and his easygoing nature.

No one can ever replace him in many ways, but life goes on and people move forward.

At his request, no funeral service will be held. However, a celebration of Rick's life will take place at a time and location to be announced.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008

nivek_wahs
04-02-2008, 07:04 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=c9f1ad96-91d8-4afa-bb83-d5472db61957


My friend shared his thoughts on living

Rob Vanstone, The Leader-Post
Published: Wednesday, April 02, 2008

The good name of Rick Moore graced these pages many times. Only today do I lament his incorporation into our sports section.

Rick, the long-time sports editor of the Moose Jaw Times-Herald, died Monday night after a two-year battle with cancer. He was only 45 years old.

It doesn't seem fair. It doesn't seem right. But it does seem appropriate to salute a great friend and fellow scribe.

We had more in common than our jobs. I often joked with Rick that we were the planet's only sports writers who cheered for the Winnipeg Jets and loved jazz and owned Scottish terriers.

Not only that, we both met our wives in Moose Jaw. My wife, the tolerant Chryssoula Filippakopoulos, worked for the Times-Herald from 1994 until 1999. During the early months of the relationship, Rick often counselled me on how to avoid being dumped.

"Just be yourself,'' he advised me.

"I'm not sure,'' I retorted. "That's usually my problem.''

I ended up winning the lottery, maritally. So did Rick. His wife, Denise, has been remarkably resilient during her husband's battle with cancer.

"Denise has undoubtedly kept me alive the past two years,'' Rick wrote during an e-mail exchange in December.

The e-mails were private, in keeping with Rick's nature, but I circulate them now to give you an insight into Rick's attitude and approach.

"Those stricken with cancer, I believe, begin treating it as a fact of life,'' Rick wrote during one nocturnal exchange. "There really is nothing you can do except accept it. Some people take longer than others. Me? I just treat it as another challenge and each day is a new day and make the best of it. I was diagnosed as a Level 4 (same as Chris Knox) which means there's nothing anybody can do, least of all me. It's just a matter of maintaining a positive attitude and letting the doctors provide the best quality of life possible.''

I responded by marvelling at his approach, noting that I would be a warbling "Why me?'' guy if presented with such a predicament.

"As for the 'Why me?' attitude, I'd be lying if I said I never felt that way . . . impossible not to . . . but I found ways around it so it doesn't hit too much. First, I'm not alone in this situation. In fact, there are many people worse off -- like Chris Knox, or parents who have lost children. I can't imagine that. And just a trip to the Allan Blair Cancer Centre (regularly) shows that there are many others.''

I had never set foot in the clinic until December. Many recent Thursday afternoons were spent in the treasured company of Rick and Denise. As Rick underwent chemotherapy, we talked about sports (naturally) and jazz (incessantly). We exchanged jazz CDs. Rick even surfed the Internet and ordered me a documentary on jazz great Art Pepper.

Rick often made light of the fact that his memory was erratic. Yet, in the same breath, he would recall that the Jets beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2 in the first NHL game at Winnipeg Arena.

Denise, meanwhile, would supply me with iced tea and patiently listen to our endless banter about mutual interests. Rick would joke with the nurses when they visited.

"You learn to accept your situation,'' Rick wrote. "It's not always easy as it's a huge rollercoaster ride (and I hate rollercoasters). Take good examples from senior citizens and just take it day by day and see what comes. It's more of an adventure than anything else.''

An adventure? Most people would call it a nightmare.

Rick never wallowed in self-pity. During our early sessions at the cancer clinic, I was the uncomfortable one -- until Rick and Denise put me at ease.

Our friendship became stronger than ever in his final weeks. The lessons Rick taught me, pertaining to courage and perspective, will endure.

"Shortly after getting home from the hospital, I started writing down memories and highlights of my life and realized, 'Hey, this hasn't been too shabby,' '' Rick reflected. "That helped a lot.

"Try writing down your 10 most memorable moments of your life.''

Some of Rick Moore's finest writing never made the newspaper.




© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008