Completed summer season huge accomplishment for Sask. baseball, softball

Nothing comes easy for sports in COVID-19 world

A Saskatoon Selects pitcher fires in a pitch.

    Everyone involved with minor baseball and softball in Saskatchewan came away winners in 2020.
    They came away winners because those sports were able to have a summer season. During these times that has the world caught in the grips of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the fact a sports body was able to have a season should be considered a major accomplishment.

    On a cool, crisp and picturesque Thursday night at the diamonds at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, local leagues played out their final games of the 2020 campaign. With most leagues first hitting the field on July 6, close to two full months of baseball and softball was played in Saskatchewan.

    That is likely far more action than most expected to see in those sports. The games on Thursday were watched by modest groups of spectators that physically spaced apart from each other around the diamonds.

    Teams were able to play for city championships and house league championships. In the case of the Under-18 AAA Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League, they were able to hold a championship game for a circuit that had teams around the province.
    On August 23 at Optimist Park in Regina, the Sask Five Giants from Martensville slipped past the host Regina Athletics 2-0 to capture the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League crown in a one game showdown.
    The odd league was slated to host post-season games this coming weekend.

A Saskatoon Outlaws pitcher chucks in an off-speed pitch.

    Of course, players, coaches and team staffers were disappointed there were no big provincial or Canadian championship tournaments to go to in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

    Still, it didn’t seem to be lost on anyone that took part in games that it was a good thing they got to play games. In some cases, there might have been a new found appreciation for being able to play games.

    Most of the spectators that usually turned out during the season were friends and family members of the players, but it was still great for them to have something to look forward to during the week and somewhere to go.

    During a normal year, the bulk of the baseball regular seasons are usually played in May and June.
    Teams that play in July and August are some of the few that have won enough to take part in a provincial champion or national championship tournament.

    Considering there was a very real possibility there could be no season at all, what took place from July 6 through to Thursday felt like a welcomed thing that injected some normalcy into life.

    Memories were made during practices and games. For a few hours, players, coaches and staffer were able to get their minds off what was happening in their daily lives.

The Sask Five Giants ran to a Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League title.

    On the field, some great athletic performances took place too. Sometimes one forgets how well these teams in local leagues can play ball.

    Overall, all those involved with minor baseball and softball in Saskatchewan proved it is possible to play sports during a pandemic created by an easily transmitted virus.

    That meant paying attention to extra precautions like no post-game handshakes between teams after game, frequent use of sanitizers and having people stay home who are sick, even if it is just a minor illness.

    The fact minor baseball and softball in Saskatchewan were able to complete campaigns in 2020 helps increase the optimism for other sports it is possible to play during these crazy times.

Hat High retires use of “Mohawks,” “Kwahommies,” other notes

Quinton Slack tears downfield during a 2012 Hat High practice.

    Despite support in Medicine Hat for the monikers, it seemed like it was only time before Medicine Hat High School elected to change the names of its sports teams.

    That time came on Thursday when principal Boris Grisonich announced at a press conference in the school’s gym that Hat High was discontinuing the use of “Mohawks” for its boys teams and “Kwahommies” for its girls teams.

    Of course, Hat High was continuing a trend that has gone on for the last about 20 years with various stops and starts of sports teams at all levels of sports in North America electing to no longer use team nicknames that come from First Nations. The changes were made due to concerns about racism.

    The only program immune from that trend is the Florida State University Seminoles of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. That comes from the fact the Seminole Tribe in Florida has officially sanctioned that post-secondary institution to use the names and images associated with Seminole history.

    In Hat High’s case, Grisonich said the decision to retire the “Mohawks” and “Kwahommies” names had been years in the making. The “Kwahommies” name was developed by spelling “Mohawks” backwards.

    Grisonich said no new name has been picked and the school teams will play under just the Medicine Hat High School name for the 2020-21 campaign and use the institution’s “M” logo.

Grisonich said with what has been going on the world lately it made now a good time to retire the “Mohawks” and “Kwahommies” names.

    In 2020, the world has been caught in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic and more involved talks around racism with the Black Lives Matter moment that originated in the United States.

The Hat High football team’s defence gets a gang tackle in 2012.

    After the start of the Black Lives Matter moment, the NFL’s Washington franchise decided to drop the name “Redskins” after facing pressure from sponsors. After the change with Washington’s NFL team, the CFL’s community owned Edmonton franchised decided to drop the name “Eskimos.”

    Back in 2015, Suzanne Tripp, who graduated from Hat High in June of that year, had a petition going to try and get the names of Hat High’s sports teams changed. At that time, it was decided to continue with the use of “Mohawks” and “Kwahommies.”

    The Hat High football teams did use the “Redskins” moniker in the 1950s and early 1960s, and few people in Medicine Hat remember the use of that name in the current time. Had “Redskins” still been in use after the 1960s, that name likely would have been changed about a decade or two earlier from the present time.

    With all that noted, the Medicine Hat High School teams when they went by the names “Mohawks” and “Kwahommies” were associated with the characteristics pride, honour and class.

    When you think of the Hat High sports teams, you picture football head coach Quinn Skelton guiding the Green and White to another win. Skelton, who was named the NFL Canada youth coach of the year in 2008, has been the head coach of the school’s football and rugby teams since the 1990-91 season.

    Over the decades, he has had a huge positive impact on his players and also the students at Hat High from his role as a teacher in that school. Very few are held in as high regard amongst the student body at school as Skelton is at Hat High.

Hat High HC Quinn Skelton, left, with Nathan Coehoorn in 2014.

    Alums like Dan Federkeil, who is a former offensive lineman with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and the Calgary Stampeders, and Nathan Coehoorn, who is a former receiver with Edmonton’s CFL team, will always be part of Hat High’s storied sports history.

    The goes for Canadian track and field star Sage Watson.

    Memories of students doing the “Cha Cha Slide” during halftimes of football games at the Methanex Bowl will live forever.

    The great memories that have been made at Hat High will never disappear.

    Of course, there has been push back over the name change in Medicine Hat. All one has to do is look at the comments section from social media posts about the name change coming from the Medicine Hat News and CHAT Television media outlets.

    Over time, the hurt feelings will likely fade.

    Hat High will continue to build on its spectacular history, because of the quality people that are inside that institution.

• On Wednesday, Regina sports radio voice Michael Ball said his son Ethan has tested positive for COVID-19. Ethan is a freshman defensive back with the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks football team and is down in Grand Forks, N.D. The Fighting Hawks play in NCAA’s Division I Football Championship Subdivision. Ethan is a graduate of Regina’s Riffel High School Royals football team. Michael interview Ethan for “The Growing the Game with Ballsy” podcast on Wednesday that can be found by clicking right here.
• On Wednesday, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed he, his wife and two children tested positive for COVID-19. In an Instagram video that lasted 11 minutes and 35 seconds, Johnson said his family is on the other side of the virus and they are no longer contagious. Johnson’s Instagram video can be found by clicking here.
• According to Worldometer at the time this post went live 878,133 people have died so far this year in the world due to the coronavirus. Also this year, Worldometer has reported 1,141,158 people in the world so far this year have died of HIV/AIDS, 727,946 died by suicide, 665,855 died by malaria, 571,650 people have died by water related diseases, 331,539 died by seasonal flu, and 209,820 mothers have died during birth.
• You get the feeling the way Dr. Bonnie Henry, who is B.C.’s provincial health officer, talks that restrictions regarding COVID-19 will like last well into 2021.
• On Wednesday, Dan Barnes of Postmedia reported nine positions were terminated at the CFL head office in Toronto and 20 staff members were furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The departed includes Steve Daniel, who was the league’s senior director of game information and statistics.
• On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported the NCAA plans to furlough its entire staff from its head office in Indianapolis, Indiana, anywhere from three to eight weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The furloughs will take place between Sept. 21 and the end of January of 2021. The NCAA’s Indianapolis office employees about 600 people.
• Way back on August 27, 1980, the Winnipeg Tribune news paper closed after a 90 year run. Patti Dawn Swansson and Gregg Drinnan posted tributes to the late publication on their respective blogs. Swansson’s piece can be found by clicking right here and Drinnan’s piece can be located by clicking right here.
• Back on this past Aug. 27, the City of Saskatoon reopened the Saskatoon Field House fitness and weight room and track and court area.
• On Thursday, Hockey Canada cancelled three events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They include the National Women’s Under-18 Championship set for Nov. 2-8 in Dawson Creek, B.C., the Canadian Tire Para Hockey Cup set for Dec. 6-12 in Bridgewater, N.S., and the World Junior A Challenge set for Dec. 13-20 in Cornwall, Ont.
• On the good news front, the Saskatoon Hilltops announced they will return to practice next week. Practices for the venerable club, which has won 22 CJFL title, will run from Tuesday to Thursday for six weeks.

View this post on Instagram

WE'RE BACK!!.... as much as you can be during a pandemic. We're starting practices next week - how exciting is that? We've scoured the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Government of Saskatchewan's return to play guidelines and we're confident we meet and exceed all health and safety protocols. These optional practices are our way of keeping our team as unified as possible, and providing the physical and mental health benefits of sport to our athletes. What will our practices look like? Smaller groups, hand sanitizer, little to no contact, hand sanitizer, waivers, temperature checks, hand sanitizer, COVID-19 screening, hand sanitizer, masks, hand sanitizer. If we could hose the guys down with sanitizer every ten minutes, we would. Practices will run Tuesday through Thursday for the next six weeks and we. cannot. wait.

A post shared by Saskatoon Hilltops (@saskatoon_hilltops) on Sep 4, 2020 at 12:36pm PDT

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“Mohawks” name brings out the best in Hat High

Quinton Slack tears downfield during a Mohawks practice in 2012.

    The name "Medicine Hat High School Mohawks" brings out a vast array of positive images.
    When that name is mentioned, the first pictures turn to football with head coach Quinn Skelton guiding the Green and White to another big win. He has been the Mohawks head coach for 25 seasons and was named the NFL Canada youth football coach of the year in 2008 due to the positive impact he has had on his players.
    You also see players that carry themselves with class including offensive lineman Dan Federkeil, who played for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts and is now with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders, and receiver Nathan Coehoorn, who plays with the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos. Both have returned to Hat High to either help with football camps or give great life building speeches for players. Their professional jerseys hang in the trophy case located in the school's main entrance.
    Hat High rosters in recent years included quality individuals like Quinton Slack, who was a starting quarterback and is now just focusing on post-secondary studies, and running back Tristen Getzinger, who is a recruit of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Both are the perfect examples of the type of people you want in the community representing your program, because all they do is make the team look good on so many levels.
    While the Mohawks football program is usually the first team that comes to mind when one thinks of Hat High, athletes and coaches involved with all the other teams at the school also come away with similar high quality experiences. The girls teams go by the moniker of "Kwahommies," which is a cute play coming off spelling Mohawks backwards.
    Grade 11 point guard Isabel Rattai helped the Kwahommies senior girls' basketball team win the 4A Alberta Schools Athletic Association title in March, and she has been a gem away from the court. A starter since her Grade 10 season, Rattai gives big support to the rest of Hat High's teams at rallies, and she is spectacular when it comes to interacting with young players that play her sport.  
    The teachers and staff at Hat High do a stellar job of helping their students excel academically, so they are prepared to move on to the next step of their lives in a trade or moving on to post-secondary studies.

The Hat High Mohawks logo.

    Being associated with the Mohawks and Kwahommies teams is the aspect that makes the high school experience that much more special. Hat High has had a long time feeling over decades where being a member or supporter of one of its teams is something you take with you for the rest of your life like memories of doing the "Cha Cha Slide" during halftime of games at the Methanex Bowl in the Gas City. For most alumni and alumnae of Hat High, they will always see themselves as Mohawks and Kwahommies.
    That is the type of attachment all athletic teams try to achieve, but only few do. Hat High's athletic teams have achieved that type of attachment. It is common for Hat High grads to post their team's logo on items like hard hats, helmets in the military or clothing years after leaving high school.
    Unfortunately, a specter finally caught up to Hat High.
    Over the last 15 years in North America, a large number of teams that have had a moniker linked to a First Nations culture have changed their team nickname due to concerns about racism. The successful holdouts have mainly consisted of professional clubs in the NHL, NFL and MLB.
    In the view of political correctness, the general sense is that using any term linked with a First Nations culture as a team name is not appropriate unless the team is made up of players of First Nations descent.
    The only program immune from that political correctness generality is the Florida State University Seminoles of the National Collegiate Athletic Association due to the fact the Seminole Tribe of Florida has officially sanctioned that post-secondary institution to use the names and images associated with Seminole history.

Mohawks HC Quinn Skelton, left, with Nathan Coehoorn in 2014.

    In an interesting twist, the Seminoles track team features Hat High grad and Canadian Olympic hopeful Sage Watson, who is a standout sprinter in the 400-metre dash and 400-metre hurdles. She also has reputation of being an outstanding and modest person.
    Despite all the things that surround the Mohawks and Kwahommies teams, news came out of Medicine Hat recently that Suzanne Tripp, who is a Grade 12 student at Hat High, has started a petition to have the school change the nicknames of its sports teams or specifically the "Mohawks" name. Tripp told CBC that she felt that the use of Hat High's team monikers represented First Nations people as "terrifying and savage."
    She also said the "Mohawks" nickname didn't make sense geographically, because the Mohawks tribes were from the area that spans the present day eastern Ontario to southern Quebec.

    There is concern that Tripp's petition alone would be enough to eliminate "Mohawks" and likely "Kwahommies" as names for Hat High's teams.

Isabel Rattai of the Kwahommies.

    In 2014 in Saskatchewan, Regina's Balfour Collegiate and Saskatoon's Bedford Road Collegiate both ceased respective use of the nickname "Redmen." In both cases, "Redmen" originally was used to signify the team's colours and First Nations logos were added later on. Both schools also have storied histories with their athletic teams.
    The push to change the name of "Redmen" at Bedford Road took on a bigger life in 2011, when Erica Lee, a Bedford Road graduate, made a Facebook page calling for the change. It is a move that draws parallels to what is happening currently in Medicine Hat. 
    Balfour Collegiate changed its name on the recommendation of an elders advisory council set up by the Regina Public School Board. The advisory council was formed in March of 2014 when heat was building up regarding the use of the "Redmen" name by Bedford Road.
    When you talk to people in the streets in Regina and Saskatoon, the notion often comes up the minority won out over the majority regarding the elimination of the use of the "Redmen" name.
    In Medicine Hat, the petition calling for the end of the use of the "Mohawks" name has been met with a petition calling for a stay in the proceedings on changing the moniker or basically a call to allow Hat High to keep its team nicknames. The petition was started by Rick Preikschas, who is a Hat High alumnus from the Standoff reserve.
    The fact remains that before Tripp started her petition, the words "terrifying and savage" have never been used in association with Hat High's teams.
    The Medicine Hat High School Mohawks and Kwahommies are frequently associated with the words "pride, honour and class."
    If the Mohawks First Nations people, who are located a lengthy distance away from Medicine Hat, wanted to give sanction to Hat High to use the "Mohawks" moniker, it would be a good thing.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.