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| Huskies DT Evan Machibroda pressures and opposing quarterback. |
Of course, athletes all over North America had to go through
a lengthy stretch of not being able to train together due to the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic. In North America, massive shutdowns took place from March
11 to 13.
When those shutdowns took effect, athletes and those in the
general public who wanted to stay in shape had to find ways to do workouts and
exercise on their own.
In most places in North America, reopening plans started
taking shape throughout May.
In Saskatchewan, athletes and those in the general public
looking to stay in shape have been able to train together at gyms and fitness
centres since Phase 3 of the provinces reopening plan took place on June 8.
Since June 8, further restrictions have been lifted in
Saskatchewan, but life hasn’t returned to what it was before the shutdowns occurred
due to COVID-19.
Still, some sports like golf have been able to once again
hold competitive events in Saskatchewan. The sports of softball and baseball
are expecting to start playing games at the house and city league levels in a
matter of days.
While there hasn’t been a lot of mingling at training centres, those attending sessions at training centres are visibly happy when they get to see others they haven’t seen for sometime due to the lockdown.
While there hasn’t been a lot of mingling at training centres, those attending sessions at training centres are visibly happy when they get to see others they haven’t seen for sometime due to the lockdown.
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| David Solie (#15) boots a field goal for the Huskies. |
When gyms and fitness centres opened up, those athletes had
an avenue to see people outside of their work worlds.
I’ve seen that play out first hand, when I wear my hat
working as the communications coordinator at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I’ve
seen athletes from various sporting communities usually take part in workouts
with Ignite Athletes with a little extra jump in their steps.
The majority that I know come from the football world.
From the U Sports world, one of the first persons I saw on
the grounds was University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team kicker David
Solie. When Solie saw me, he smiled.
When we got talking, he said he was happy to get out of his
house after being cooped up for so long.
He works as one of the staffers at the complex too, but you
could tell he had a new appreciation for being able to get out and about.
I saw Brant Morrow, who is a defensive back for the six-time
defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops, shortly after June 8 passed and had
a catch up chat with him. He appeared really happy to see familiar faces again.
One of the best visits I had was a chance encounter with
Huskies offensive utility player Colton Klassen and now graduated Huskies defensive
tackle Evan Machibroda at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
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| Ryder Klisowsky (#61) locks up on a block for the Hilltops. |
Both are training and staying ready for a CFL season they hope takes place in 2020. We hung out for about 20 minutes catching up and telling all sorts of old stories.
I also crossed paths with now graduated Saskatoon Hilltops
left guard Ryder Klisowsky. Klisowsky is training to join the University of
Manitoba Bisons football team for the 2021 U Sports season since the 2020 U
Sports football campaign was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He admitted he was happy to see familiar faces, when he went
out to train.
While most sports are still trying to navigate a return to
play, it can’t be understated how much of a breath of fresh air it is to go out
and train.
For athletes, a new appreciation appears to have been built
for that aspect of their lives.
Andrews departs as Pats play-by-play voice,
other notes
Thank you Regina! pic.twitter.com/d2pmLNmrxD— Phil Andrews (@Phil_Andrews_) June 29, 2020
Phil Andrews’ successor is going to have monster shoes to
fill as the play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Regina Pats.
On Monday, Andrews resigned his posts as the Pats
play-by-play voice and director of media and communications effective July 31,
2020. Andrews has been the Pats play-by-play voice for the past nine seasons
and added the role of director of media and communications in 2016.
The 31-year-old had quite the run as the Pats play-by-play
voice. Andrews called the rise of the great Pats teams that had the likes of
Adam Brooks, Sam Steel, Austin Wagner, Connor Hobbs, Jake Leschyshyn, Nick
Henry, Robbie Holmes, Chase Harrison, Josh Mahura and Tyler Brown.
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| Adam Brooks had lots of highlight moments called by Phil Andrews. |
Andrews called games with professionalism, class and flair.
He saw the Pats win first round playoff series in 2015 and 2016.
The 2016 post-season saw the Pats fall 2-1 in a series deciding
Game 7 to the Rebels in Red Deer in the second round. At the time, the Pats
hadn’t played in a WHL final semifinal series since 1993 and were heartbreakingly
close when they bowed out to the Rebels.
That set the stage for the Pats to top the WHL in 2016-17
with a 52-12-7-1 record. In the 2017 playoffs, the Pats advanced all the way to
the WHL final for the first time since 1984.
They fell in the 2017 WHL final to the Seattle Thunderbirds,
where the Thunderbirds closed out the series with a 4-3 win in overtime in Game
6 played at the Brandt Centre in Regina.
In May of 2018, the Pats hosted the CHL championship
tournament – the Memorial Cup. The Pats made the final of the 100th
edition of the Memorial Cup falling 3-0 to Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan, who are based out of Bathurst, New Brunswick.
Over all that time, Andrews became engrained as the Pats
play-by-play voice making iconic calls of big plays made by Brooks, Steel,
Hobbs, Brown and company.
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| Sam Steel seemed larger than life thanks to Phil Andrews’ calls. |
It was a cool development considering Andrews grew up in Saskatoon.
A lot of fans of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades hate the Pats more than any other
team in the league including the Blades archrivals the Prince Albert Raiders.
Combining Andrews’ talent and his relative youth, I felt he
would be the one guy out of all the current WHL play-by-play voices who would
find his way into being the play-by-play voice of an NHL team.
Andrews said the time has come to be more present with his
wife, Megan, and their three children. Phil mentioned over Twitter they would
be returning to Saskatoon.
Andrews will be a winner in life no matter what he does. The
impact he made calling plays for the world’s oldest major junior team in the
Pats, whose history dates back to 1917, will not be forgotten in “The Queen
City.”
- Last Saturday, the MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates signed right-handed pitcher and Muenster, Sask., product Logan Hofmann to a rookie contract. The Pirates selected Hofmann in the fifth round and 138th overall in the MLB Draft held on June 11.
- In the CHL Import Draft held on Tuesday, the Prince Albert Raiders selected forward Uladzislau Shyla from Minsk, Belarus, in the first round and 45th overall. The 17-year-old, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 147 pounds, had 10 goals and nine assists in 55 games for Belarus’s under-18 team this past season. With the selection of Shyla, the Raiders released 19-year-old Belarusian centre Daniil Stepanov on Tuesday. Stepanov had six goals and five assists in 49 games last season split between the Raiders and Moose Jaw Warriors.
- In the CHL Import Draft held on Tuesday, the Saskatoon Blades picked centre Brad Lambert from Lahti, Finland, in the first round and 33rd overall. Lambert, who will turn 17-years-old in December, picked up 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points in 42 games last season with the HIFK Helsinki-U20 team. Lambert, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 172 pounds, did spend some years growing up in Saskatoon before his family relocated to Finland for the start of the 2017-18 season.
- The North Bay Battalion of the OHL had the first overall selection in Tuesday’s CHL Import Draft. The Battalion used that pick to take winger Matvei Petrov from Moscow, Russia. The 17-year-old, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 163 pounds, had five goals and four assists in 21 games with MHK Krylia Sovetov from Russia’s top junior circuit.
- On Wednesday, Saskatchewan Rush defender Kyle Rubisch was named a first team National Lacrosse League all-star. In the Rush’s 10 games last season, Rubisch had two goals and six assists.
- The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame located in Regina is targeting to open on Sept. 1. The museum is undergoing renovations which were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Museums were allowed to reopen in Saskatchewan on Monday according to the province’s reopening plan.
- With how the number of cases of COVID-19 have spiked in the United States, people in Saskatoon and the province of Saskatchewan might feel better about the decision that the Merlis Belsher Place hockey rink facility on the University of Saskatchewan grounds is a field hospital in waiting. The Merlis Belsher Place field hospital in waiting might be termed a “Linus blanket” field hospital in waiting as everyone hopes it never needs to be used for that purpose.
- It was 10 years ago today the Saskatchewan Roughriders downed the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes 54-51 in double overtime as both teams opened their respective 2010 CFL regular season schedules. Roughriders star quarterback Darian Durant connected with star receiver Weston Dressler on a three-yard touchdown pass for the winning score on Saskatchewan’s second overtime possession. A sellout crowd of 30,048 spectators at Regina’s historic Taylor Field celebrated in raucous style after Dressler’s winning score. Seems weird to think it has been a decade since that all-time CFL classic contest was played.
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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