“Seniors Era” Anderson rinks Hall of Fame bound again

Foursome to enter Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame

Larry Pavloff, left, and Sherry Anderson shake hands.

Sherry Anderson didn’t have to wait long to see her teams from her “Senior’s Era” continue to get Hall of Fame calls.

On Wednesday during a news conference at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds, Anderson’s senior curling teams from 2016 to 2023 were announced as inductees in the team category for the 2025 class going into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. The rink includes Anderson at skip, Patty Hersikorn at third, Brenda Goertzen at second and Anita Silvernagle at lead.

The official induction dinner will take place on Saturday, November 1 at Prairieland Park.

Together curling out of Saskatoon’s Nutana Curling Club, they have won five Canadian Senior Women’s Curling titles coming in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. 

They also laid claim to three World Senior Women’s Curling championships coming in 2018, 2019 and 2023.

Previously, Anderson herself had entered the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame from a combination of teams that competed in the women’s play, her senior teams and as a solo athlete. Her senior’s teams have already gotten calls to the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame.

“When you compete and you play and you get a chance to win and you get a chance to travel all over the world like we did, that alone is pretty much the reward for playing well,” said Anderson. “It is certainly nice to get the accolades afterward and get into the (Canadian) Curling Hall of Fame and Saskatchewan and now the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.

“It is just nice to be recognized.”

Anderson, who is 61-years-old, has built a long and storied career in curling. On the women’s side, she has appeared in 10 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and her first appearance came as a skip of a team from the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club way back in 1994 and 1995.

Her last appearance at the Scotties came just a short time ago in 2021 skipping a squad out of the Nutana Curling Club.

While she was still having success in women’s curling, Anderson was looking for another competitive outlet when her senior women’s team got together.

Sherry Anderson, left, is seated at a press conference on Wednesday.

“When you get to that 49-50 age when you turn seniors, it is a little harder to compete with the young one coming up,” said Anderson. “I had known Anita (Silvernagle) for years because of the coaching she did, and of course, curling against her.

“I had asked her originally and said, ‘Do you want to play?’ Then, we ended up getting Patty (Hersikorn) and then Brenda (Goertzen). It just sort of mushroomed from there.

“You look for a team that wants to go and do the same kind of things, and that is how it just turned out.”

Anderson’s rink made the championship final of the 2016 Canadian Women’s Senior Championship falling to a Nova Scotia foursome skipped by another Canadian curling legend in Colleen Jones. 

After that loss, Anderson’s rink would win the Canadian Women’s Senior Championship the next five consecutive times it was contested.

Curling Canada didn’t hold any seniors championships in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that had gripped the world.

Over the years, Anderson said her squad enjoyed all the places they were able to see competing in the senior’s game.

“The travel was a lot of fun, and we had a lot of good times together,” said Anderson. “Being competitive as an athlete, everybody I think is competitive, but there are just different levels of it.

“It was a lot of fun being that together as a team.”

Brenda Goertzen, right, shakes hands with Jillian Gallays.

Over the years, Anderson herself was always popular wherever she went in the sport of curling, and she always enjoyed getting to meet people from all over the place through her travels in the game. That was something that carried on in the senior’s game.

“The sport is one thing, but it is not the whole package,” said Anderson. “Making friendships and socializing and getting to meet people from other provinces and other provinces and other countries, you get some lasting relationships and friendships from that.

“That is a lot of it.” 

Of course, Anderson and her rink enjoyed their Canadian and world championship wins and the opportunities those wins brought along.

“If you don’t win, you don’t get the chance to travel like we did,” said Anderson. “We went to some beautiful places across Canada and met some great people that volunteered and were part of the events.

“Winning the Canadians was another added bonus. Then, we got to travel outside of the country, and we got trips to Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and South Korea. They were places that I might not have ever gone to just travel, certainly not South Korea, so that was a real big added bonus for sure.”

While the Hall of Fame accolades are coming her way, Anderson has no plans to leave the sport. Going forward in curling, Anderson believes she will take on a different primary role.

“I actually think I’m going to turn to coaching, and that probably will be my future for the next while,” said Anderson. “I don’t know about playing.

“I don’t know how much I’m going to play next year. It is kind of all or nothing for me, so if I play, I’m going to play lots. If I don’t play, I’m not going to play at all, so we’ll see.

“I don’t know yet. It is still early. It is the summer, so I’ll wait and decide, but I think I am going to throw in my coaching hat and see where that takes me.”

Members of the 2025 class for the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.

A total of five athletes are heading to the Saskatoon Sport Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class in Jillian Gallays in wrestling, Janet (Scott) Gattinger in track and field, Ryan Hvidston in track and field, Marcia (Porteous) Jackson in badminton, squash and tennis and Larry Pavloff in softball.

The three builders in the 2025 class include Don Hedman in track and field, Peter Loubardias in broadcast and media and Mark Millard in soccer.

The Hunter’s Fairhaven Teams in 5-pin bowling from 1998, 1999 and 2000 are also entering the Hall in the team category.

The Saskatoon Diving Club was named the Sports Organization of the Year.

Colborn featured in “Howe Happenings”

Cadence Colborn has had a spectacular last two years in softball.

Cadence Colborn was putting up big numbers as a softball freshman in the NCAA Division II ranks, so it seemed natural to feature her in the “Howe Happenings” blog.

On Monday, I went live with new content on the “Howe Happenings” blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a piece on Colborn, who had a spectacular first season with the West Texas University A&M Lady Buffs Softball Team in Canyon, Texas. She collected a trio of all-star awards helping the Lady Buffs put up a 56-8 overall record.

Colborn also turned heads last summer playing for the provincial champion Saskatoon Prairie Dog Selects, who took part in Softball Canada’s Under-19 Women’s Canadian Fast Pitch Championship Tournament that ran July 31 to August 4, 2024 at the diamonds on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds. She was named a tournament all-star after posting a .474 batting average and nailing three home runs.

Currently, Colborn is back in Saskatoon playing for the CT&V Selects U19A team. The “Howe Happenings” piece on Colborn can be found by clicking right here.

I also put together a photo roundup that features the return of the Saskatoon Berries playing their second WCBL season. It also features action from baseball, football, softball and track and field. The photo roundup can be found by clicking right here.

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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Hucul, Blackwell part of stacked S’toon Sports Hall of Fame class

Jenni Hucul, right, shakes hands with 2024 Hall of Fame class members. 

Jenni Hucul was once the fastest 14-year-old girl in the world.

Actually, she still holds the record for the fastest 50-metres ever run by a 14-year-old girl at 6.38 seconds set indoors back on February 8, 2003. In Saskatchewan’s track and field scene, Hucul has folk hero status with the numerous junior high school and high school records she still holds.

The 100-metre and 200-metre dashes were her specialty. She went to the World Youth Championships in 2003 in Sherbrooke, Que., and the World Juniors in 2006 in Beijing, China.

In June of 2005 late in her Grade 11 school year at Bishop James Mahoney High School, Hucul tore her Achilles tendon near her left heel. She came back to the sport but was no longer the phenom record setter that she was before her injury.

She continued with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Track and Field Team for a season winning bronze in sprint hurdles in 2007. She switched over to bobsleigh for a season becoming a member of Bobsleigh Canada’s program in 2007-08.

In bobsleigh, Hucul finishes third in the two-person event with Alberta’s Lisa Szabon in nationals at Canada Olympic Park in October of 2007. She won silver in the mixed bobsleight-skeleton team event at the 2008 FIBT World Championships in Altenberg, Germany, in February of that year.

On Thursday during a news conference at the Gordie Howe Sports Centre building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds, Hucul, who is now 36-years-old, was announced as one of the athlete inductees for the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame’s 2024 class. The official induction dinner will take place on November 2 at Prairieland Park.

“It is kind of like that after sport dream come true, because in sport, you want to go to the Olympics,” said Hucul. “After sport, it is just amazing to feel recognized after 20 years.

“I’m no spring chicken anymore. It is amazing just to feel like my name is still present, and I can still make some more accomplishments.”

Jenni Hucul broke numerous records in her track and field career.

Hucul has times she wishes she could go back in time to be a kid again running races and setting records. She remembers those days being a tonne of fun, and she enjoyed getting to see her friends every day.

When it comes the Achilles injury she dealt with, Hucul has times she things about the “what ifs” had that injury never happened. With that noted, she is a peace with how her track and field career went.

“The story is what the story was,” said Hucul, who stands 5-foot-9. “If it didn’t happen the way it did, it just wouldn’t have been.

“I think that is part of it is, yeah, I would have loved to go to the Olympics. I would have loved to have competed into my late 20s or early 30s. That is just unfortunately not what my story was.

“I still really appreciate all the fun opportunities I got, when I got them when I was healthy. It is always in the back of your head where you are like, ‘Ah, Olympics would have been cool.’ A lot of things would have been cool.”

These days, Hucul still does coaching with an inner city track and field program at the Saskatoon Field House. She enjoys cheering on and seeing others from Saskatoon like Michelle Harrison, who has won three straight Canadian 100-metre women’s hurdles titles, excel and go further than she did in the sport.

Hucul hears on a frequent basis that she is still remembered. One of her friends who coaches in the sport said all her athletes knew who Hucul was, and it was cool seeing all the records she still has and how fast she was.

“I think I find it surreal, because again when I was doing it, it was just fun,” said Hucul. “It wasn’t for me being like, ‘I’m going to be the fastest in the world, and I am going to be the best.’

“It was, ‘I’m going to go, and I’m going to have fun and hey, I am really good at this and this is really fun and I am doing well and let’s keep doing it.’ It is kind of fun for like the kids like my sister’s kids. They are like, ‘Auntie you have a record.’

“I’m like, ‘Yes. You have a cool auntie’ when I am not. It is OK. I like to think I am cool.”

Dione (Meier) Blackwell with the Carnduff Southeast Steelers in 2022.

Joining Hucul as part of the 2024 class is one of the best softball pitchers Saskatoon has ever produced in Dione (Meier) Blackwell. She was a member of provincial championship teams in bantam, midget and junior.

Blackwell developed a stellar rise ball pitch, and she would become a member of Canada’s Senior National Women’s Softball Team. She was a relief pitcher for Canada in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Blackwell said it was an honour to named to the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. She was excited to be part of the class that sees the DBJ Leasing Senior Women’s Softball Team from 2000 that won a Canadian Championship enter the Hall in the team category as well.

“The coolest thing is getting inducted with DBJ (Leasing), because when I was a teenager, that was the team that I started facing that kind of changed my outlook on the sport,” said Blackwell. “Stacey (Thomson) was there.

“Jacki (Nichol) was there. They talked about Carla (Agarand). They showed me so much by playing against them and kind of the potential that was ahead.

“They kind of brought along us younger girls and paved the way for us as well. It is just cool. It is a full circle experience.”

Blackwell said the most memorable moment of her career was getting to go to the Olympics in 2008.

“Obviously going to the 2008 Olympics, it still feels pretty surreal,” said Blackwell, who stands 5-foot-6. “It is kind of like you finally made it.

Dione (Meier) Blackwell, left, shakes hands with Stan Holcomb.

“It is all your hopes and dreams as a kid watching the Olympics on TV. It is kind of when everything comes together and is something I’ll hold on to forever.”

Blackwell is proud to be part of the storied softball history in Saskatoon. At age 42, she still gets into games here and there. She helps out with coaching when she can, but add she is having fun coaching her nine-year-old son in baseball in the current day.

Along with coaching, Blackwell enjoys seeing the young generation of pitchers that have trained in Saskatoon go on and have success like Jorde Chartrand and Emma Frisky. Chartrand just finished her junior season with the University of North Carolina Greensboro Spartans in the NCAA Division I ranks. 

Frisky got to play for Canada’s under-18 Women’s National Team that played at the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation Americans Pan Am Championship this past March 30 to April 6 in Monteria, Colombia.

“It is cool, and I’m so proud of the community that we can keep producing those girls that do well provincially, nationally and even internationally,” said Blackwell. “They’re working hard, and they’re putting in the work.

“If I can just teach them one little thing that might help them in any moment in their career, it is amazing.”

Also heading to the Hall in the athletes category are Elan Ballantyne and Stan Holcomb for their exploits in multiple sports.

The three builders in the 2024 class include Ron Boden in athletics, Todd Hinds in wrestling and Brenda O’Connor in both soccer and athletics. The Lee Morrison Curling Rink from 2009 that won the Canadian masters 60 and older national championship are heading to the Hall in the team category.

Members of the 2024 class for the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame.

The Saskatoon Valkyries Women’s Football Team was named the Sports Organization of the Year.

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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Kulbida roars in hockey and softball’s fast lanes

Jordan Kulbida is a solid two-way forward with the Cougars.

    Jordan Kulbida was always a stellar softball player, but there was a time she wasn’t sure if she should bring hockey into her life even though she wanted to.

    These days, Kulbida is a 21-year-old solid two-way forward with the University of Regina Cougars women’s hockey team in the U Sports ranks and ace pitcher with the Saskatoon G Force senior women’s softball team. She can also hit and field well on the diamond too.

    Back when she was about 12-years-old, Kulbida was playing softball, but she hadn’t taken up hockey. Her friend, Nara Elia, was playing the sport, and Kulbida wanted to try it out.

    With that noted, Elia was really good and Sophie Shirley was among the talented group of players that were on the ice. Elia would go on to play for Canada’s under-18 women’s team and currently is a standout with the Boston University Terriers women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks.

Jordan Kulbida is an ace pitcher with the G Force.

    Shirley has gone on to be cemented in Canada’s national team system and currently stars for the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team. She helped the Badgers win an NCAA national title in 2018-19.

    “Since I did start so late in my life, I was so nervous, because all these girls were so good,” said Kulbida, who has played three full seasons with the Cougars. “They had been to all these camps and like skating stuff, and I had never done any of that.

    “I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this.’ All the girls were so nice, and they were so welcoming. All those girls that I grew up with like Nara and all of them, some of them I played with them.

    “For the most part, I played against lots of those girls. They pushed me, and they helped me become better. They were all very supportive, and it was awesome.”

Jordan Kulbida in action with the Cougars in 2017.

    Kulbida quickly discovered her love for hockey. She found her groove in that game making the Battlefords Sharks as a 16-year-old rookie in the 2015-16 season in the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League.

    During her second and final campaign with the Sharks in 2016-17, Kulbida was named team captain, and she piled up 17 goals and five assists appearing all of the team’s 28 regular season games.

    While she got into hockey, Kulbida kept going with softball playing with the Saskatoon Selects program through to the summer of 2018.

    In 2017, Kulbida cracked the roster for Saskatchewan’s women’s softball team that played at the Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg. Saskatchewan came away with a fourth place finish at that event.

    Kulbida believes softball will always be part of her life.

    “Honestly, I just loved like the atmosphere,” said Kulbida. “I was always with like the same group of girls, because it was like zone ball, when we were younger.

    “I became like really close with like all those girls. We were such good friends, and we had like such good parents and such good coaching. It was so awesome.

Jordan Kulbida plays in the outfield for the G Force.

    “I loved traveling with the team and going to tournaments. It was just so much fun. Getting to play the game that you love with all your best friends is like anything that anyone can ever ask for.”

    Due to playing in the Canada Summer Games and making nationals with the Selects, Kulbida was approached by post-secondary schools in the United States about playing softball.

    While those opportunities were there, Kulbida’s desire to play university hockey during her Grade 12 year increased. Even with the fact the goals were going into the net during her final year with the Sharks, Kulbida had her doubts if the opportunity to play university hockey would present itself.

    That all changed when she met Cougars head coach Sarah Hodges.

    “I wasn’t sure I was going to be good enough,” said Kulbida. “When Sarah (Hodges) came and talked to me at the (Athol Murray College of) Notre Dame camp (in Wilcox, Sask.), she was like, ‘I see some really good potential in you.’

Jordan Kulbida started playing hockey at around age 12.

    “I loved hockey so I was like, ‘Yeah. Sure. I should give it a shot.’ I’ve loved the past three years at the University of Regina.

    “It has been a huge eye-opener for sure. It has been super fun.”

    In 81 career regular season games with the Cougars, Kulbida has recorded 14 goals and 14 assists. Last season, she netted career high seven goals and tied her career high in points at 10 in 26 regular season games.

    By joining the Cougars, Kulbida was able to continue her duel sports life. She played for both the Selects and G Force in the summer of 2018 and with the G Force in the summer of 2019 and this past summer.

    Kulbida said her continuing efforts in softball have been supported by Hodges.

    Hodges was a multisport athlete herself playing for the Dartmouth College Big Green women’s hockey team in the NCAA ranks from 1992 to 1996 as a star utility player piling up 146 points while also being a member of the school’s track and field team as a javelin thrower. On top of those sports, Hodges also played competitive rugby.

Jordan Kulbida has played softball for most of her life.

    “She (Hodges) thinks it is good that I have other interests in my life,” said Kulbida. “She knows that I play softball, and she loves it.

    “Her daughters are getting into softball too, and she always like asks me for advice or how to help them. I am able to help her in that way, so that is really awesome to be able to give back to the community like that. She is super supportive of it.

    “She loves it that I am a double sport athlete.”

    Kulbida has found that she has been a good fit with the G Force. She adds it has been fun being one of the younger athletes on the teams, as a lot of her teammates are about two years older than her.

    Kulbida has been impressed with talents her teammates bring to the game. Growing up when she wasn’t pitching, Kulbida would usually play shortstop.

    With the G Force, they have a spectacular shortstop in Brielle McCullough, and Kulbida said it is amazing to see the plays McCullough makes. Kulbida is pumped to be part of the G Force team.

Jordan Kulbida has played three full seasons with the Cougars.

    “It is so awesome,” said Kulbida. “It is such a great group of girls.

    “Those girls have mostly been together since they were little, (and) they’ve been so welcoming and so kind to me. It has been so fun. I love all the girls, and I love hanging out with them.

    “Going to a game is like the most exciting thing ever, because we are there, we are having fun and we are also winning, so that is good. The coaching staff like Dave (McCullough) and Tony (Rupps) and Cory (Volk) are all awesome. I really enjoy it.”

    While she was able to play softball this past summer, Kulbida is keeping her fingers crossed she will get to play meaningful games with the Cougars for the 2020-21 season. U Sports has cancelled all its fall national championships due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Jordan Kulbida expects to play for the G Force well into the future.

    The Canada West Conference, which the Cougars play out of, has set Oct. 8 as the latest date about making a decision on whether the seasons for men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s volleyball will continue. At the moment, all those sports are targeted to start in early January.

    Kulbida is enrolled in kinesiology and health studies at the University of Regina and like all students is doing her courses online. She is still living in Saskatoon at the moment and continuing to work at her summer job.

    She said the Cougars have set a date of Oct. 5 to have all their players return to Regina, but the team has been flexible and understanding about everyone’s real life living situations.
    Whenever she can get back on the ice, Kulbida is looking forward to continuing her career with the Cougars.

Jordan Kulbida hopes to play more hockey after her Cougars days.

    She would like to have a chance to continue to play hockey for a campaign or two after her university career wraps up to in order keep playing hockey, while continuing to play for the G Force.

    “My first three years (with the Cougars) went by so fast,” said Kulbida. “I can’t believe that I am going into my fourth year already.

    “I look back and everything, and I am like, ‘Wow. That is crazy and all the good memories and everything.’ I’ve looked at maybe going to play hockey in Europe after I am done at the University of Regina.

    “Hopefully, I will get a cool opportunity to go play there (in Europe) for a year, because that would be awesome. We will see.”

    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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    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

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

    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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Return of even limited minor sports is good for the soul

Braxton Buckberger fires off a pitch for the Cubs.

    “We don’t shake hands now, do we?”

    Those words have been spoken lots at various sports fields around Saskatoon due to the fact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic still grips the world. When games come to an end, thoughts drift towards a natural act of sportsmanship, which has become frowned upon in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

    That common query about handshakes doesn’t dampen an uplifting development. For the past two weeks in Saskatoon, a number of minor sports have resumed.

    Baseball and softball games are taking place at a number of diamonds across the city.

    On Tuesday, Golf Saskatchewan will start running its women’s amateur, men’s amateur and men’s mid-amateur championship tournaments at The Legends Golf Club in Warman.

    Actually on Thursday, Golf Saskatchewan’s junior boys and girls provincial championship tournaments concluded at the Elmwood Golf Club in Swift Current. Josh Nagy of Saskatoon took the boys’ title with a 3-under-par 213 over three rounds, and Brooklin Fry of Shell Lake claimed the girls’ championship with a 7-over-par 223 over three rounds.

    Across the province over the past two weeks, it has become easier to locate an amateur sporting event that is taking place.
    Those who are involved with sports organizations across Saskatchewan have focused over the last four months on flattening the curve. The reward has come with actual competition.

Softball has been in action at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

    For those taking part in those competitions or watching them, there is a renewed appreciation for what is taking place. When everyone is at a park, it seems to be mentally good for those that are there to have something normal back in their respective lives.

    One of the best examples of that took place at Leakos Field on Saturday as the Saskatoon Cubs faced the Muenster Red Sox in doubleheader battle between U-18 AAA baseball teams.

    The host Cubs had a sound system set up to allow for someone to fulfill the role of public address announcer and for music to be played between each half inning.

    A quaint crowd took in the games, and physically spaced out down the baselines of the park. When groups of four gathered, everyone was usually from the same family unit or at least had close personal ties.

    As the Cubs swept the series with an 11-10 victory in the first contest and a 13-8 win in the second encounter, it felt like the troubles in the current world were forgotten for a short time.

    Overall, it just seems right to go to a place like the Gordie Howe Sports Complex on a weekday night and hear activity in the air across all its baseball and softball diamonds. During May and June especially, it felt like something was missing when those sounds weren’t there.

A baseball hitter fouls off a pitch at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

    More and more missing sites are starting to take place. On Saturday in Regina, the Kings Park Speedway opened the local stock car season in the Saskatchewan capital. The crowd was capped at 150 people at a facility that can seat 1,500.

    Seeing the Regina racers hit the track, it has to spark optimism that action will return at the immaculate Wyant Group Raceway in Saskatoon.

    About six days ago via social media, the crew from the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association said work is still going on with the Saskatchewan Health Authority to try and run events in August and September.

    The Wyant Group Raceway can pack in 3,319 spectators and usually hosts an annual NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop. It is the dream track in Saskatchewan.

    While it would be nice if the entire sports world in the province was back in action, the sports action that has taken place has been good for the soul.

Huskies to get new turf at Griffiths, other notes

Adam Machart and the Huskies will get new turf at Griffiths Stadium.

    Whenever the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football and soccer teams return to meaningful U Sports action, they will get to utilize a new field turf field at Griffiths Stadium.

    On Friday, the Huskies hosted a press conference and ground breaking ceremony at Griffiths.

    It marked the first time the Huskies hosted any type of function on campus since a rally was held at the Physical Activity Complex on March 11. The rally on that day served to honour the Huskies women’s basketball team for winning a U Sports national title and individual U Sports national champions gold medal winners from the Huskies wrestling and track and field teams.

    It was believed the Huskies would receive funding from the Government of Saskatchewan to replace the turf at Griffiths Stadium that was installed for the start of the 2006 season. Field turfs usually have a life of 10 years before needing to be replaced, and the one at Griffiths was past its expiry date.

    Due to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world, one had to wonder if the turf replacement would happen.

    On Friday, it was announced the U of S received $3.14-million in funding from the Government of Saskatchewan to replace the turf at Griffiths.

    On top of replacing the turf, the funding will include a field expansion to accommodate regulation-sized football and soccer events, improving the shock absorption of the playing surface and an update to the lighting system to help reduce power consumption.

    Midfielder Taneil Gay, who has played four seasons with the Huskies women’s soccer team, and running back Adam Machart, who is coming off a stellar campaign with the Huskies football team, both spoke at Friday’s festivities.

    A final soccer and football kickoff was performed on the current turf before a ceremonial ground breaking took place.

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Huskies football and soccer team saw their 2020 campaigns get cancelled.

    While it is uncertain if any U Sports activities will take place in 2020-21, the turf replacement at Griffiths was a welcome bit of good news during this down time for the Huskies program.

• On Wednesday, the Canada West Conference announced it was cancelling its cross-country championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was going to be hosted in the fall by the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. The Canada West swimming championships, which were slated for November, are being rescheduled for early 2021. The Canada West golf championships are slated for Oct. 2-4 in Kelowna, B.C.
• The Saskatoon Blades have created an alumni registry. The Blades are working to build a database of players and staff who have been a part of the franchise since its inception in 1964. Former Blades players and staffers who would like to join the registry can do by accessing a form on the team’s website that can be found by clicking right here.
• On Wednesday, Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Daemon Hunt and Everett Silvertips centre Gage Goncalves were added to the roster for Hockey Canada’s national junior team summer development camp. The camp is being held in a virtual form online from July 27 to 31.
• On Wednesday, USA Hockey cancelled its summer showcase slated to start this coming Friday and run through to July 31 in Plymouth, Mich. Originally, USA Hockey invited 44 players to this event that was slated to be part of the evaluation process to determine the makeup for the United States’ entry at world juniors. The upcoming world juniors are slated to run Dec. 26, 2020 to Jan. 5, 2021 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.
• On Wednesday, the Tournament of Roses Parade slated for January 1, 2021 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tournament of Roses Parade is normally held on an annual basis in New Year’s Day in Pasadena, Calif.
• Gregg Drinnan has continued to track how the COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked havoc on the sports world in his Taking Note blog. His roundup from Friday can be found by clicking right here.

    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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Thankful to get out and ride

Appreciating activities you can do in COVID-19 world is good

Biking is an activity that always helps me clear my mind.

    In a current world that seems to be going crazy, it is always a huge pump up to be able to get out and ride.
    At least for me, it is always good to get out and ride one of my mountain bikes. I appreciate I can still get out and do that in this world that is gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Actually, I think it is healthy for anyone to keep enjoying activities they might still be allowed to do during this time. You might find a new appreciation for doing some activities you like you never had before.

    Of course when the shutdowns first started in North America around the dates of March 11 and 12, it might have been harder to keep up with doing activities you like. As reopening plans have rolled out in various parts of North America since the start of May, it might become easier to engage in activities you like.

    For myself living in Saskatoon, I could have started biking right when the shutdowns happened. I should note that through most of March and April I found it too cold to get outside and do that.

I enjoy biking along the Meewasin Trail in Saskatoon.

    I held off until May. My first medium length ride in May likely felt that much better than normal due to all that has happened.

    I actually have three mountain bikes stored at my place. One I am trying to get rid of at some point in time.

    I have a blue 18-speed I bought at Canadian Tire for $108. I use that bike when I decide to go to a store or even to go to a work place.

    I will ride that bike in all sorts of adverse weather conditions. If that bike ever gets damaged or stolen, it is not a big deal to go out and spend another $108 for a similar bike from Canadian Tire.

    I actually had the seat and tires stolen off one of those $108 bikes, when it was locked up at a store once.

    The third mountain bike is the one I baby and try to ride it when conditions are good. It is by far my best mountain bike.

    It is actually an old one too.

    Believe it not, I won that one during my University of Regina days. Back in 1999, I accompanied the U of Regina Cougars women’s basketball team to the U Sports nationals, which were held in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Me with the bike I won in 1999 pictured at my Regina home in 2000.

    At halftime of the tournament’s championship game that saw the U of Alberta Pandas down the U of Victoria Vikes 54-46, I banked home a half-court shot to win the bike as part of the entertainment of the festivities at that point in time. I sunk a foul shot too for five dollars, but that shot seemed to be forgotten along with the fact I rimmed out a three-pointer for $10.

    I only hit a half-court shot twice in my life, and one of those came in a packed Lakehead University gym.

    A family of diehard Cougars fans brought the bike home for me to Regina.

    I have used that bike out at the lake country Waskesiu in Saskatchewan and Elkwater in Alberta. While I haven’t done any rides at those locations this year, I find the lake rides give me my greatest sense of calm usually because nature looks so serene.

    Biking in Saskatoon is enjoyable too. I seem to get glued to the Meewasin Trail that runs along both sides of the South Saskatchewan River.

It is always a treat to bike at Waskesiu.

    There are a tonne of paths I still haven’t got to. I find biking is one of those things that clears my mind.

    It is an aerobic activity I never have a problem getting into. I find it harder to go on a long run.

    With that said, I know lots of people who love to go on long runs. In Saskatoon, you can do that too, so if you love doing that, feel free to get out and do it.

    When July rolls around, it seems everything is set to allow baseball and softball to take place on a house league level and city league level. While it sounds like the rules might be modified for the current pandemic time, I would say get out and play those sports, if you enjoy them.

    About two months ago, the prospect of any type of outdoor ball appeared grim.

    You also don’t have to rediscover sporting pursuits. If you enjoy doing things like playing instruments like the guitar or piano, these pandemic times provide opportunity to rediscover those pursuits.

    If you have a talent for artistic drawing, feel free to rediscover that gift too.

    At the moment, you can go out and see family or close friends in Saskatchewan, so spend an evening or two doing just that.

    If you like to take off and go fishing, feel free to do that.

I like to bike wearing jerseys of some of my favourite teams.

    These pandemic days have provided the chance to re-engage and rediscover pursuits you may have put aside.
    When you take the time to take those pursuits up again, you might rediscover some forgotten joys.

    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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