sportslife 2020 | Volume 6 | Issue 4
Basketball Star Ben Miller Signs a Pro Contract in Ireland
Saunders, Robson, Kennedy Lead the 2020 Class Into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame Elmwood Giants Win Third Straight MJBL Title
Manitoba Edition
The Pandemic Issue – Sports Life Carries on and so does sportslife
A Happy Stanley Chadee Jr. Wins Another Race During a Strangely Successful ASD Season
Manitoba Curling’s 25 Greatest Teams of All-Time Hockey Stars Dominate MASRC Scholarship Winners
www.SportsLife.life Mackenzie Henley
... Page 10
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Contents
20
4 sports sportslife life
Elmwood Giants Win MJBL Championship... Again!
06 The Starting Line-Up
Hottest News Stories in Manitoba Sports
10 Softball/Hockey
Mackenzie Henley Receives Sport Jeff Collins Memorial Coaching Award
12 Scholarship Awards
Sport Manitoba Names Award Winners
14 Hockey
Hockey Takes Over MASRC Scholarship Awards
16 Curling
Choose the Most Notable Team in Manitoba
20 Baseball
Elmwood Giants Win MJBL
Championship... Again!
22 Professional basketball
Ben MIller Returns to Ireland
for New Season
24 MB Sports Hall of fame
Class of 2020
26 Assiniboia Downs
Photo Feature
28 Cricket
Photo Feature
SportsLife is Manitoba’s amateur sports magazine. This is where sports fans will meet the Olympians of tomorrow and the medalists of today and they all compete right here in Manitoba. We exist to pay tribute to those who make sport so important to this province. Published by SportsLife Publications, it is edited by Scott Taylor and is designed and developed by Scott Taylor, Debbie Dunmall and OV Suvajac. SportsLife Magazine is printed by Quantum Graphics. Any opinions expressed belong solely to the authors and do not necessarily express the views of the magazine, or of the publishers. All published work is edited for accuracy, style, and clarity. We do accept unsolicited material as long as it refers to athletes, coaches, or volunteers involved in sport in Manitoba. For all information and advertising rates, we can be reached at 204-996-4146 or 204-915-6573. PUBLISHER OV Suvajac publisher@sportslife.life Box 66050, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3K 2E7 204-996-4146 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Scott Taylor sdtaylor2@shaw.ca ART DIRECTOR Debbie Dunmall ddunmall@gmail.com Advertising and Promotions Scott Browning ads@sportslife.life 204-296-GOAL (4625) COVER PHOTO Rusty Barton CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS James Carey Lauder, Rusty Barton, University of Manitoba, David Richert, University of Winnipeg, Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame, Manitoba Basketball, Drury University, Winnipeg High School Football League, Sport Manitoba, Laurie Anderson, Canada Games Council, Manitoba Softball, Darryl Gershman/Louisiana-Lafayette University, Curl Canada, St. Thomas University, MFHL U18 AAA, Kristal Friesen/K’s Photography, Ed Kulyk/Elmwood Giants, Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Scott Taylor, Johnston Hall, Resby Coutts
SportsLife is published at least six times a year by SportsLife Publications. All sales are managed by SportsLife Publications. All design and layout is provided by Debbie Dunmall and SportsLife is printed by Quantum Graphics.
COVID-19 STILL PLAYING HAVOC WITH SPORTS The world COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of abating and because of that, our beloved sporting activities are still in various stages of either return or semi-permanent limbo. As you will learn in this issue of SportsLIfe Magazine, the Manitoba Junior Baseball League was the first league in Canada to return to full play and also the first to crown a champion. However, the Winnipeg High School Football League will not play this fall (it hopes to return in the spring) and while the Manitoba Junior Hockey League will begin play on Oct. 9 and the World Junior Hockey Championship will be held in late December in the Edmonton “Bubble,” the 2020 USPORT season was cancelled outright and then 2021 Canada Games in Niagara Falls were postponed until 2022. Everything depends these days on various issues. Will there be out-of-province travel? Where are the COVID hot spots? Is COVID coming back with a harsher second wave than the first? What are the rules for masks and social distancing? Because the United States government decided to tell gullible people that COVID-19 was a hoax, that country has been ravaged with seven million cases and more than 200,000 deaths. It has made sports travel to our neighbours in North Dakota and Minnesota impossible and there is no telling how long the border will be closed. Still, sport is progressing as best as it can. Assiniboia Downs decided to shut out most of its spectators, but thanks to huge growth in on-line wagering, it still had one of its greatest seasons ever. Halls of Fame announced their 2020 induction classes, but have postponed all ceremonies until at least next year. And sports such as ball hockey and soccer were able to start and finish summer seasons locally. We here at SportsLife Magazine have been negatively affected by a postponement of business advertising, but we’re battling through. While we wait for some kind of normalcy to return, we want you to stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy this latest issue. – SCOTT TAYLOR Editor-in-Chief
www.SportsLife.life sportslife 5
Starting
Compiled by Scott Taylor Photos by James Carey Lauder, David Larkins, Sport Canada, Sport Manitoba, Swimming Canada, Dave Mahussier/University of Manitoba, Bruce Fedyck, Basketball Manitoba, Drury University
Line-Up
SportsLife Magazine brings you the hottest news stories in Manitoba sports. Once again, we’ll catch up with a number of the star athletes who we’ve featured before and introduce you to some newcomers who have taken the local sports scene by storm…
WOG NAMED USPORTS’ FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR To no one’s surprise, Winnipeg’s Kelsey Wog has been honoured as the finest female athlete in Canadian university sports for 2019-20. Wog won four national gold medals (50m and 200m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke, and 200m individual medley), while her 200m breaststroke and 200m IM golds were USPORTS records. Wog’s 2:22.42 in the 200 breast is still the fastest time in the world in 2020, while her 100m breaststroke time of 1.06.44 was among the fastest in the last calendar year. Thanks to her stellar national championship, Wog was named the U SPORTS Female Swimmer of the Year. The (now) 2021 Olympics are now on Wog’s radar. Heading into 2021, her sights remain set on qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, which are now scheduled for July of next year. Prior to dominating at Nationals in February, Wog earned four gold medals and a relay bronze at the Canada West Championships in November of last year.
Kelsey Wog named USports Female Athlete of the Year
RICHERT FINALLY RETURNS TO EUROPEAN RACING
David Richert with Inter-Europol
After spending some time back in Manitoba on the karting circuit, the province’s international auto racing star David Richert, is back in Europe. After many months of delay due to the pandemic, Richert, flew to France to compete at Ultimate Cup Series in late September. Richert drives Inter Europol Competition’s Formula Renault 2.0 race car and on Sept. 26 and 27, he was at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, a race track that previously played host to Formula 1’s French Grand Prix. Having signed a contract earlier this year with Inter Europol Competition, Richert was just a few days away from starting the season in the spring until COVID-19 interrupted all plans. The easing of international restrictions has paved the way for competition to resume once again. “It’s great to be back in a fast car,” said Richert. “Thankfully we David Richert’ made the right decision to stay in Canada as the coronavirus was just starting to advance across Europe. It was tough to see everything cancelled as I had spent many months preparing for the start of the season, but everyone across all walks of life was in the same boat so that was just David Richert’s the way it was. It’s great to get back to Formula Europol Renault racing again after a summer of Karting.” David Richert’s Kart
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LUDWIG NAMED BISIONS MEN’S VOLLEYBALL COACH The University of Manitoba Bisons have named Arnd Ludwig as the new head coach for the Bisons men’s volleyball team, the successor to the retired legend, Garth Pischke. “We are excited to welcome Coach Ludwig to the Bisons,” said U of M athgletic director, Gene Muller. “Our men’s volleyball team is a prestigious and proud program, built by the efforts of retired coach, Garth Pischke and the many exceptional student-athletes that have made their way through the program. We are starting a new chapter and we look forward to the bright future under Coach Ludwig’s leadership.” Ludwig, also known as “Lupo”, comes with an extensive resume. As head coach of the Canadian women’s national team from 2009-2016, Ludwig made appearances at the World Championships in Japan in 2010 and Italy in 2014, the Pan American Games in Mexico in 2011 and Toronto in 2015, and the Grand Prix in 2014, 205 and 2016. The Bisons men’s volleyball season is scheduled to begin in January 2020 with a revised regular season format due to COVID-19. The conference regular season schedule will be released at a later date.
Bisons Coach Arnd Ludvig takes over from a legend
KRISTJANSON INVITED TO NATIONAL VIRTUAL TRAINING CENTRE
Liam Kristjanson
After an all-star season, Liam Kristjanson has caught the eye of Volleyball Canada. Kristjanson, who just finished his freshman season with the 201920 UWinnipeg Wesmen men’s volleyball team, was one of 27 athletes named to the Volleyball Canada U21 men’s virtual training group.The national organization announced U21 men, U19 men and U20 women training groups, were forced to train and connect remotely due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The focus is on world championship qualification in 2021. Kristjanson, a 6-foot-9 left side out of Brandon Crocus Plains High School, was named to the Canada West all-rookie team after he stepped into a starting role early on in his freshman season in 2019. He appeared in 21 of 22 conference matches and finished the season with 94 kills, 16 aces, 30 digs and 22 blocks.
SOFTBALL HALL OF FAME “POSTPONES” INDUCTION DINNER The Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame and Museum Inc. Board of Directors has made the decision to postpone the annual Softball Hall of Fame Induction dinner That had been rescheduled for Sept. 19, 2020 at the Victoria Inn in Brandon. The event has not been rescheduled, and will not be, until the Provincial Guidelines for the COVID-19 Pandemic allows for attendance provisions. The induction banquet, when it now takes place, will honour six Individuals and two teams inducted into the Hall – Athletes: Rick DeGagne, Rick Denney, John Kalinowski and Gary Magwood. All-Around: James (Jim) Lehman. Official: Charlie Kurtz. Teams: 1999-2004 Sportstraders Men’s Slo-Pitch Team and The Winnipeg Colonels the 1976-1980 Winnipeg Colonels Fastball Team. Previously purchased tickets will be honoured on the new date or if you require, tickets can be returned for a full refund. Contact Les Newman at lnewman@live.ca or by phone at 204 235-1674.
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MANDAMIN EARNS US COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP Emily Mandamin from Iskatewizaagegan First Nation has accepted a basketball scholarship Highland Community College in Freeport, Ill. Mandamin, who attended Dakota Collegiate and is a member of Team Manitoba grew up in the tiny Northwestern First Nation of 300 people. “It’s crazy what I have accomplished and sometimes I have to take a breath and step back,” she told CBC News. “My mind just boggles and my brain explodes when I think, ‘Wow! I really did that’.” After playing at Dakota in Grades 9 and 10, Mandamin moved to Toronto to play Prep basketball for her final two years of high school.
Emily Mandamin
D-2 SOCCER TRANSFER SCHNEIDER COMMITS TO WESMEN
Karrisa Schneider playing at Drury
Karrisa Schneider, a third-year transfer from NCAA D-2 Drury University, has signed on as a late commitment to Amy Anderson’s 2020 University of Winnipeg recruiting class. She will enroll in the Faculty of Economics and will have three years of eligibility remaining. With U Sports and Canada West cancelling fall sports for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Schneider will have to wait until 2021 to make her debut with the U of W. After two seasons of competition in Missouri, then another year of academics at the University of Manitoba, Schneider enrolled at UWinnipeg. She then reached out to Anderson to gauge the possibility of restarting her soccer career. A centre-back out of Oak Park High School, and a former member of the U18 provincial program, Schneider transitioned into centre-midfield at Drury, where she played the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In addition to four years of high school soccer at Oak Park, Schneider played her club soccer with Portage Trails, FC Northwest and Manitoba Blizzard.
WHSFL CANCELS THE 2020 SEASON For the first time since another pandemic – the polio outbreak of 1953 – the Winnipeg High School Football League has cancelled its season. “I’m at a loss for words,” said Commissioner Jeffrey Bannon, in a written statement. “I, like so many, love this game, value its teachings and the fellowship. However, this game has also taught us how to battle through adversity and become better for the challenge.” According to Bannon, the WHSFL will continue to work with Football Manitoba, the MHSAA and all participating school divisions under the direction of Manitoba Health with the ultimate goal of providing its athletes the opportunity to compete in a 2021 spring season. The WHSFL has been part of the Manitoba/Northwestern Ontario sporting scene since 1933.
Coach and Commissioner Jeffrey Bannon
WEDLAKE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS AT BASKETBALL MANITOBA Adam Wedlake started working for Basketball Manitoba in 1992 as a summer student. Two years later, he became the Program Coordinator. In 1995, he moved up to Technical Director and in the fall of 1997, he co-founded the Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association (WMBA). It was only fitting that in June of 2006, when the position became open, he was named Executive Director. On Sept. 5, 2020 he celebrated his 25th years as an employee of Basketball Manitoba. Wedlake is known as one of the most respected executive directors in Canada. Basketball Manitoba Executive He has taken Basketball Manitoba into the 21st century with his technical skills and creative Director Adam Wedlake thinking. Numerous new programs and initiatives are a result of his leadership. A great friend of SportsLife Magazine, we here congratulate Adam on an outstanding career and wish him many more years to come.
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BISONS ADD 13 LOCAL STARS TO 2021 ATHLETICS TEAM The University of Manitoba Bisons Track and Field team has added 13 local athletes to the squad for the 2021 season. Abby Bestland, 18, competed in the sprints events with Sanford Collegiate and, amazingly, just took up the sport last year. Adam Chahid, 19, was a sprinter with Kelvin High School. Tyler Cox-Yestrau, 17, competed in the sprints events at J.H. Bruns Collegiate. Alex Davis, 17, ran sprints and middle distance at Balmoral Hall School. Graham Hutchinson-Campbell, 17, competed in sprints and jumps at J.H. Glenlawn Collegiate. Angela Kroeker, 18, is a middle distance / distance runner out of River East Collegiate. Justin Kroeker, 17, is a middle distance / distance runner from Edward Schreyer School. Reese Lange, 18, is a sprinter out of Murdoch McKay Collegiate. Rachel Mann, 18, competed primarily in the hurdles at Kelvin High School. Jakob Paquette, 17, is a sprinter and jumper out of Garden City Collegiate. Issac Peters, 18, competed in the High Jump at Fort Claude Berube Richmond Collegiate. Daxx Turner, 18, excelled in the Triple Jump and High Jump while at Neepawa Area Collegiate. And Ilona Zrinyi, 17, joins the Bisons sprints and middle-distance team from Vincent Massey Collegiate. “These athletes exemplify the tremendous work being done in track and field at both the high school and club levels in Manitoba,” said Bisons Track and Field head coach, Claude Berube, who is in his 24th year with the U of M. “With backgrounds in competitions at the provincial and national level, this group has all the tools to compete in Canada West and USPORTS. They will all be key members of the Bisons program moving forward.” The Bisons track and field teams are returning many of their top performers from the Women’s team that finished fifth at the 2020 Canada West Conference Championships.
HNATIUK NAMED DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORT
Claude Berube Jeff Hnatiuk
The president and CEO of Sport Manitoba is leaving his post at 145 Pacific Ave. to become the province’s Deputy Minister of Sport, Heritage and Culture. Jeff Hnatiuk, who was responsible for not only the impressive growth of amateur sport in Manitoba during the past 25 years, but also for the construction of the Training Facility at Manitoba’s Sport for Life Centre, has just about done it all in Manitoba sport. A former accomplished hockey player, Hnatiuk was the executive director of both Golf Manitoba and Hockey Manitoba. In 2017, he was the CEO of the Canada Games and he’s also been on the board of the 1999 World Junior Hockey Championships, the Canada Games Council, KidSport Canada, The Exchange District Biz, YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, the advisory board of the University of Manitoba’s Health, and the Leisure and Human Performance Research Institute. He has started his new role with the provincial government.
MJHL WILL BEGIN PLAY ON OCTober 9 The Manitoba Junior Hockey League will be one of the few Jr. A leagues in Canada to begin play this fall when the 2020-21 season begins on Oct. 9. Not only that, but with the addition of the Winnipeg Freeze, the MJHL will boast 12 teams this year. It’s the first time the league has had 12 teams since 2002-03 and the first time Winnipeg has had two teams since 2011-12. Former NHLer and Manitoba Moose player Josh Green, will be the teams head coach. There will be six games on opening night: Swan Valley will play at OCN, Winkler journeys to Neepawa, Portage plays at Virden, the Winnipeg Blues are at Selkirk, Steinbach plays the Winnipeg Freeze at the RINK and Waywayseecappo plays at Dauphin.
Last season’s MJHL leading scorer Mikol Sartor of the Winnipeg Blues
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HENLEY WINS JEFF COLLINS COACHING SCHOLARSHIP By Scott Taylor, Photos courtesy Darryl Gershman, Louisiana-Lafayette University, Curl Canada and James Carey Lauder Mackenzie Henley is simply too busy. She really wants to start coaching high school hockey this season but with having just been announced as the coach of the U16 Smitty’s Terminators Softball team and with one year remaining on her Bachelor of Science in Biology, there just isn’t enough time. “Maybe later,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m just so busy right now, it’s impossible to find the time.” Last month, Henley was named one of the two winners of the Jeff Collins Memorial Coaching Award by Sport Manitoba. Collins’ expertise earned him a reputation as a coach’s coach. He served as head coach and clinician for the Legion Athletic Camps at the International Peach Garden for 32 years and was the convenor and co-meet director of the MHSAA’s provincial track and field championships from 1984 to 2001. Jeff attained his Level 3 NCCP and also worked with world-class special needs athletes. In 2003, Jeff was inducted to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. Both recipients of the award – Henley and football coach, Liam O’Brien, like Henley, a University of Winnipeg student – will receive a $500 bursary to be used toward their 2020-2021 tuition.
Mackenzie Henley and Team Manitoba
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For Henley, the award was quite a surprise. “I was really happy about it and very surprised that I got it,” she said. “I’ve never applied for anything like that before, but a friend I work with at softball, Hailey Unger, told me I should go after it. I’m really quite happy about it and I heard Jeff Collins was a really good coach.” For Henley, the next year will be jam packed with softball. “I’m working part-time at the Sport Manitoba Softball Academy,” she said. “It’s a regional skills development academy and in my first year working for it, in 2017, it just took off. The girls loved it. In my first year, I worked full-time,
but this year, with school and my job with Smitty’s softball, I won’t have enough time.” Henley, who is soon to be 22, was an outstanding hockey player as well as softball player. A great skater and outstanding playmaker, she actually started out her on-ice career as a ringette player. “I transitioned from ringette when I was 12 or 13,” Henley said. “I skated from the time I could walk, I think. Maybe four or five. I started at Gateway and played ringette until Grade 7. I changed because I wanted to compete with the boys, but I played girls hockey with the River East Royals and then played for the Predators until Grade 10 when I started high school hockey at River East Collegiate. “I played three years of high school hockey and then I took a year off for first-year university just to make sure I was able to handle everything. Then I joined Polar Ice in the Manitoba Women’s Junior Hockey League.” Last year, however, was her final year of hockey – at least, for now. She
Mackenzie Henley
could be eligible to return to Polar Ice as an over-ager, but has decided that softball – she’s been part of the Smitty’s program since she was a U12 player – and school are her priorities this winter. “This is my fifth year at U of W and I’ll be graduating with my Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology,” she said. “Then the goal is to apply for a Masters in Genetic Counselling, if not this year, the following year. Next summer, I plan to play Senior ball with Smitty’s – hard to believe I’m not a Junior anymore – but with this COVID thing still going on, it’s hard to say what’s going to happen.”
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Indeed. In total, Manitoba awarded $16,000 in academic scholarships to 11 high school students, six university students, and four Manitoba coaches. The awards included the Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarships, Bud Tinsley Sport Leadership Scholarship, Sport Manitoba Coaching Bursaries, and Princess Royal Pan Am Scholarship. “It’s a real pleasure to recognize and support the athletic and academic success across Manitoba that these devoted individuals have demonstrated,” said Sport Manitoba CEO Jeff Hnatiuk, “and to provide them with opportunities to continue to grow and excel within their chosen disciplines.” Established in 1992, the Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarship program is administered by Sport Manitoba and supports the young athletes of Sport Manitoba partners, who continue to participate in amateur sport while pursuing a post-secondary education on a fulltime basis. l Hockey star Jena Barscello
Curler Emily Zacharias
Manitoba Foundation for Sports Scholarships $500 High School Scholarship Alexander Krykewich/Winnipeg Carter Bateman/Stonewall Cecilia Howes/Winnipeg Grace Francis/Winnipeg Rachael Penner/Carberry Toni Koshowski/Dauphin Jena Barscello/Brandon Jacey Ladochowski/Teulon Brady Klassen/Winnipeg Emilie Dornez/Ste. Genevieve Breyanna Johnston-Krulicki/Winnipeg
U of Winnipeg U of Manitoba U of Minnesota U of Manitoba CMU U of Calgary U of Manitoba Lake Region Mount Marty U of St. Boniface U of Manitoba
Multi-Sport Golf/Hockey Athletics Multi-Sport Multi-Sport Multi-Sport Hockey Multi-Sport Archery Multi-Sport Multi-Sport
$1,000 University Scholarship Mackenzie Zacharias/Altona Taryn Grant/Winnipeg Rienna Skelton/Melita Shannon Sarahs/Winnipeg Maren Garcia/East St. Paul
U of Manitoba Louisiana/Lafayette U of Manitoba U of Manitoba Providence UC
Curling Waterski Weightlifting Ringette Volleyball
Bud Tinsley Sport Leadership Scholarship $500 Scholarship Carter Bateman/Stonewall
University of Manitoba
Golf/Hockey
Sport Manitoba Coaching Bursaries Silvio Sboto Memorial Rural Coach Award $500 Scholarship Sammi Rea Johnathon Patmore
University of Manitoba University of Winnipeg
Swimming/Volleyball Baseball
Princess Royal Pan Am Scholarship $3,000 Scholarship Emily Zacharias/Altona
University of Manitoba
Curling
Jeff Collins Memorial Winnipeg Coach Award $500 Scholarship Water skier Taryn Grant
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Liam O’Brian Mackenzie Henley
University of Winnipeg University of Winnipeg
Football Softball/Hockey
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Hockey Stars Dominate MASRC Scholarship Winners By Scott Taylor, Photos by James Carey Lauder, St. Thomas University, the MFHL U18 AAA and Kristal Friesen/K’s Photography Kennesha Miswaggon is an outstanding defenseman at the University of British Columbia. Bryden Sinclair has a hockey scholarship waiting for him at the University of Maine. Rachel O’Toole and Kaila Powell just completed their freshman seasons at the University of Regina. And Breanna McLennan was a star at Winnipeg’s Vincent Massey Collegiate and played this past season with Kenesha Miswaggon Prairie Blaze in the Manitoba Junior Women’s Hockey League. Miswaggon, Sinclair, McLennan, O’Toole and Powell along with coaches Lauren Legault, a graduate of the hockey program at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B., and Hayden Yaremko, a former star with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s OCN Blizzard, are among the 15 athletes and coaches who have been named winners of the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council’s 2019 MASRC/2002 NAIG Legacy Scholarships. The 2002 NAIG Legacy Scholarships were created through the generosity of the 2002 North American Indigenous
Games Legacies. The Athlete Scholarships are awarded yearly to Aboriginal athletes in Manitoba who have shown athletic leadership in Manitoba’s amateur sport community through well rounded participation as an athlete, as well as on academic standing, and other school and community related activities. THE 2019 ATHLETE SCHOLARSHIPS ($600) Robert (Jesse) Skelton Multi-Sport Hartney Bianca Mckay Softball Dauphin (Skownan) Cassidy Alyn Multi-Sport Fisher Branch Emma Ricard Martial Arts St. Ambroise Stefanie Byron Baseball Oak Point Cam Gayleard Volleyball St. Andrews Bryden Sinclair Ice Hockey Peguis First Nation Kaila Powell Ice Hockey Swan River (Norway House) Rachel O’Toole Ice Hockey The Pas (Couchiching) Kennesha Miswaggon Multi-Sport Cross Lake (Pimicikamak) Breanna McLennan Ice Hockey Winnipeg Haven George Multi-Sport Gillam THE 2019 COACH SCHOLARSHIPS ($600) The Coach Scholarships are awarded yearly to Aboriginal coaches in Manitoba who have shown outstanding coaching leadership in Manitoba’s amateur sport community, as well as on academic standing and other school and community related activities. Lauren Legault Ice Hockey Elie Hayden Yaremko Ice Hockey The Pas Gregory Meconse Soccer Winnipeg (Pinaymootang) Loryn Evans Wrestling Winnipeg (Pimicikamak)
Lauren Legault Kaila Powell
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Hayden Yaremko Rachel O’Toole
The 2002 NAIG Legacy Scholarships were created through the generosity of the 2002 North American Indigenous Games Legacies
Bryden Sinclair
Breanna McLennan
Miswaggon had a superb first season with the UBC Thunderbirds. A defender, Miswaggon played 27 regular season games and four playoff games as a freshman and had a goal and six points. This came a year after she led the Balmoral Hall Blazers to the championship of the North American-wide Junior Women’s Hockey League. It was BH’s first league championship victory. Powell and O’Toole both graduated from the Manitoba Female Hockey U18 AAA League and had solid first seasons at Regina. Powell, a defender, came out of the Pembina Valley Hawks and played 21 games in her rookie season at Regina. O’Toole, also a defender, is a product of the Westman Wildcats and had two assists in 25 games with the Cougars this past season. Sinclair, also a defenseman, attended Pilot Mound Academy, played a season with the OCN Blizzard of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, then spent last season with the Maryland Black Bears of the North American Hockey League where he had a goal and eight points in all 50 of his team’s games. Sinclair, 19, will attend the University of Maine this year and will start his NCAA season when the league feels it is safe to do so. And Breanna McLennan a defender from Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg starred with the Eastman Selects of the MFHL U18 AAA in 2018-19 and played at the 2018 Manitoba Winter Games. This past season she had 10 assists in 25 games in the MWJHL. All of these young hockey stars have represented Manitoba at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship at various points in their careers. l
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The Most Notable Teams in Manitoba Curling History By Resby Coutts, Photos courtesy Curl Manitoba Sports fans love to compare great players and great teams across generations. What’s the greatest baseball team of all time? Babe Ruth’s ’27 Yankees? Joe Dimaggio’s ’39 Yankees? Johnny Bench’s ’75 Reds? The greatest hockey team of all time? One of the 70s LaFleur-Dryden Canadiens teams? An 80s Gretzky Oilers team? The ’67 Maple Leafs? Now the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame and Museum (MCHoF&M) wants you to name the Most Notable Team in Manitoba Curling History. How does Kerri Einarson’s 2020 team stack up against Connie Laliberte’s 1984 team? How do the Jeff Stoughton teams compare with the legendary Ab Gowanlock, Gordon Hudson or Howard Wood teams from a Century ago? The MCHoF&M invites your participation in a People’s Choice vote comparing the best of every generation of Manitoba curling by picking the Most Notable Team in Manitoba Curling History. Remember, it’s most notable and not the greatest team because the sport has changed so much in 100 years that it is nearly impossible to comprehend a game between Wood’s 1925 Manitoba champions, winners of the first official Manitoba Men’s championship, and Stoughton’s 2011 World Championship team. Or between Einarson and Lily Clark’s Portage team that won back-toback Manitoba Ladies titles in the 1950s. However, it makes for a very interesting debate when one considers which accomplishment is Most Notable – the most interesting, most important chapter in Manitoba’s curling story. Everyone will have their own definition of most notable and the MCHoF&M’s volunteers are intrigued to see which team will be the People’s Choice in its 2020 fund-raising initiative.
150 Notable Teams For MANITOBA 150 Inspired by Manitoba’s 150th anniversary, the MCHoF&M has undertaken the daunting task of identifying the most
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notable 150 teams in Manitoba Curling history - beginning with Sam Harstone’s 1889 Granite team, New York Life event winner in the first Manitoba bonspiel, making them the bonspiel champion and arguably the first Manitoba champion. It ends with Einarson’s Gimli team, the Canadian championship team which missed out on its world championship opportunity due to Covid-19. In-between are 148 teams who helped write or enhance the world-wide reputation of Manitoba as a great curling province. Teams included might be one-year teams like Terry Braunstein’s 1958 high-schoolers who shocked the curling world (and changed the rules) when they won Manitoba and went all the way to the Brier final. Or they might be teams like Wood’s 1925 to 1933 team which won two Manitoba and one Canadian title. Brothers Howard, Victor and Lionel Wood teamed with Jim Congalton for one Manitoba Championship and with John Erzinger for the other. Many teams on the list are “evolving” teams like this, included together so long as there was only one change of personnel each year. Although subjective criteria have occasionally been used, the general standard has been one of “at least two championships”. Most teams on the list have won a Manitoba and Canadian title in the same year or at least two Manitoba titles. As the committee recognizes that there may be other deserving teams which have been missed, curling fans are invited to review of the list and to forward suggestions for possible inclusion. The Manitoba Most Notable 150 Teams list is published on the CurlManitoba website (curlmanitoba.org). Contact the committee by email to mbcurlmuseum@gmail.com.
notable 25 teams in Manitoba Curling history and invites public ranking of these 25 teams. Cast your vote by making a donation (suggested minimum $10 to automatically generate a charitable donation receipt) to support the MCHoF&M’s efforts to celebrate Manitoba’s curling heritage. Your donation via canadahelps.org will add to the running tally of contributions in the name of your preferred team. The final total of donations will determine the “People’s Choice” ranking. If you don’t agree with the committee’s list of 25, there is also an opportunity to make a donation in the name of your wild card team. The donation pages at canadahelps. org (search for Manitoba Curling Museum and follow the links) will be up by October 1 and available for voting until December 5. In mid-December, the People’s Choice Most Notable Team will be announced along with an ‘official’ ranking determined by an expanded committee of curlers, curling fans and media. Here’s the committee’s list of 25 most notable teams in Manitoba curling history:
A Select 25 for Your Consideration
HOWARD WOOD’S 1925-33 GRANITE TEAM: Wood teamed with his brothers Vic and Lionel and with John Erzinger to win the the first official Manitoba in
The 150 Manitoba Curling teams on the list have been published by eras, but the committee has selected its most
Howard Wood Team
1925. Jim Congalton joined the Woods to win Manitoba and the Brier in 1930. The team won three MCA Bonspiel Grand Aggregates. GORDON HUDSON’S 1928 & 1929 STRATHCONA TEAM: Gordon Hudson, Ron Singbush and Bill Grant teamed with Sam Penwarden in ’28 and Dan Rollo in ’29 to win Manitoba and Canadian Championships the first back-to-back Brier wins. The feat was not repeated for nearly 30 years. AB GOWANLOCK’S 1934-38 GLENBORO TEAM: With E.C. Cartmell, Bill McKnight and Tom McKnight, the team won three MCA Grand Aggregates in four seasons and were the first rural Manitoba team to win Manitoba and the Brier. KEN WATSON’S 1942-49 STRATHCONA TEAM: Ken and Grant Watson, with Charlie Scrymgeour won six consecutive MCA Bonspiel Grand Aggregates from 1942 to 1946. With Jim Grant, they won the Manitoba and Canadian titles in
1942. Lyle Dyker replaced Grant in ’43 when they won Manitoba again (no Brier due to the War). Charlie Read replaced Scrymgeour and the team won the 1949 Brier. BILLY WALSH’S 1952-1956 DEER LODGE TEAM: Four years apart, in 1952 and 1956, the Walsh team won Manitoba and the Canadian Brier title. Walsh, Al Langlois and Andy McWilliams won with Cy White at second in 1952 and John Watson at lead four years later. LILY CLARK’S 1953-57 PORTAGE TEAM: Lily Clark skipped her team to two MLCA Bonspiel Grand Aggregates and two Manitoba Ladies titles in four seasons. Clark, Vic Painter, Helen Wishart and Diane Kitson were the first to win back-to-back Manitoba Women’s Championships - their highest possible level as there was no Canadian Championship. TERRY BRAUNSTEIN’S 1958 GRANITE TEAM: Braunstein’s high-school team of Ron Braunstein, Ray Turnbull and Jack Van Hellemond shocked Manitoba curling when they won the British Consols trophy and their appearance at the Brier forced a change of age-rules. They fell a game short, losing the Brier final to Alberta legend Matt Baldwin. ERNIE BOUSHY’S 1964-67 HEATHER TEAM: The first Manitoba and Canadian Mixed Championships were played in 1964. Ernie Boushy, Ina Light, Garry DeBlonde and Bea MacKenzie made instant Manitoba curling history as the champions. The team won three more
Manitoba Mixed titles and the Canadian title again in 1966. Betty Hird replaced MacKenzie for the final two years. As Team Manitoba, with Mike Riley at second, they were Silver Medalists at the first Canada Winter Games in 1967. JOAN INGRAM’S 1967-73 FORT GARRY TEAM: Over seven seasons, Joan Ingram, Laurie Bradawaski and Dot Rose won three Manitoba Championships and one Canadian title. Ingram played third in 1967 when Betty Duguid skipped the team to a Canadian Championship and again in 1969 with Pat Brunsdon as skip. In 1973, Ingram was the skip with Jackie Tinney playing lead for their third Manitoba Championship. DON DUGUID’S 1970-1971 GRANITE TEAM: In 1970, Rod Hunter, Jim Pettapiece and Bryan Wood recruited Duguid and from the springboard of an MCA Grand Aggregate win, they won Manitoba, Canada and World Championships. They repeated as World Champions in 1971. Undefeated at the worlds both years, they are still the only Manitoba team to defend a World title.
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OREST MELESCHUK’S 1972 FORT ROUGE TEAM: Manitoba Champions Meleschuk, Dave Romano, John Hanesiak and Pat Hailley had a tough act to follow in 1972. However, they won the Brier and a trip to the Worlds. Lost in the legend of the USA team’s tenth end kicked rock is the Meleschuk foursome’s steal on the extra end to win the World final. Their third consecutive men’s world title for Manitoba remains unique - no country and no Canadian province have won three in a row in the fifty men’s worlds since. CHRIS PIDZARKO’S 1972-74 ROSSMERE TEAM: For three seasons, Chris and Cathy Pidzarko were unbeatable on the Manitoba Junior scene. Barb Rudolph was lead all three years. Beth Brunsdon was the second twice, replaced by Patti Vande the third year. The won back-to-backto-back Manitoba titles and Canadian Championships in 1972 and 1974. LLOYD GUNNLAUGSON’S 1982-84 VALOUR ROAD TEAM: The only backto-backto-back Canadian Senior Men’s champions in the record book, Gunnlaugson, Toru Suzuki and Albert Olson won Manitoba and Canadian Championships teamed with Elgin Christianson in 1982 and 1984 and with Dennis Reid in 1983. BOB URSEL’S 1983-1984 GRANITE TEAM: Bob & Mike Ursel and Gerald Chick won back-to-back Manitoba Junior Men’s championships in 1983 & ’84. Scott Men-
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della played third in 1983, replaced by Brent Mendella in 1984 when they won the Canadian title and Manitoba’s firstever World Junior Championship. CONNIE LALIBERTE’S 1984 FORT ROUGE TEAM: Laliberte, Chris More, Corinne Peters and Janet Arnott won the Scott Tournament of Hearts and only the second World Women’s title for Canada. At the Worlds, their 10-1 record earned them Manitoba’s first Women’s World title. VIC PETERS’ 1992-97 GRANITE TEAM: In 1992 and 1993, Vic Peters, Dan Carey, Chris Neufeld and Don Rudd became the first Manitoba Men`s repeat champion in more than thirty years. With Scott Grant at lead in 1997, they won Manitoba again. The Peters team finished first in the round robin in all three Brier appearances. They won Canada and a World Bronze medal in 1992. In `93 they won the MCA Bonspiel Grand Aggregate and their repeat Manitoba title. They were ranked #1 in the Brier round-robin but lost a controversial semi-final. In `97, undefeated into the final game, they missed a second trip to the worlds with a loss to Kevin Martin. CONNIE LALIBERTE’S 1992-95 FORT ROUGE TEAM: In 1992, Connie Laliberte began a string of five consecutive national Scotties appearances. Laliberte, Laurie Allen, Cathy Gauthier, and Janet Arnott, won the Manitoba and Canadian titles. Karen Purdy replaced Allen in 1994 as they won Manitoba and again in 1995 when their Canadian Championship earned them the chance to compete at Brandon`s worlds. Cathy
Overton-Clapham replaced Purdy due to an injury and they earned a 1995 World Silver Medal. KELLY MACKENZIE’S 1995 DEER LODGE TEAM: After losing the 1994 Manitoba Junior Women’s final, MacKenzie, Joanne Fillion, Sasha Bergner and Carlene Muth won the 1995 Christmas bonspiel, the Manitoba and Canadian Juniors, and the World Junior title. It was the first World Junior Women’s Championship to be won by a Manitoba team. KERRY BURTNYK’S 1995-2002 ASSINIBOINE MEMORIAL TEAM: Kerry Burtnyk had won Manitoba in 1981 and 1988 so there was an expectation seven years later he would win again in 1995. Burtnyk, Jeff Ryan, Rob Meakin and Keith Fenton did win Manitoba and posted a 10-1 record to win the Brier. They went undefeated to win the Worlds in Brandon becoming the only Manitoba team to win a world championship at home in Manitoba. The team qualified for the 1997 Trials as well as the 2001 Trials where they came within a game of earning the trip to the Olympics. JEFF STOUGHTON’S 1999-2006 CHARLESWOOD TEAM: The first of two Jeff Stoughton teams on the list is the 1999 Canadian champion team of Stoughton, Jon Mead, Garry Vandenberghe and Doug Armstrong. They won Manitoba again in 2000 and qualified for the ‘01 Trials. With Jim Spencer at lead in 2001, they won the Grand Slam’s Players’ Championship. Steve Gould re-joined the team at lead the next year. The team won two more Grand Slams, lost the ’05 Trials final, and won Manitoba in 2006.
JEFF STOUGHTON’S 2011-2014 CHARLESWOOD TEAM: The second Stoughton team brought Reid Carruthers to join Stoughton, Mead and Gould with instant success – winning Manitoba, Canada and World Championships in 2011. Gould retired to be replaced by Mark Nicholls. They won the 2013 Manitoba championship and the Grand Slam’s National and qualified for the 2013 Trials. They won Manitoba again in 2014 – their third Manitoba title in four years.
more Grand Slam titles, qualified for the 2013 and 2017 Canadian Curling Trials, and won the 2014 Canada Cup.
MIKE MCEWEN’S 2011-2018 FORT ROUGE TEAM: McEwen, B.J. Neufeld, Matt Wozniak, and Denni Neufeld posted a record of excellence over more than a decade with an unchanged lineup. After joining forces for the 2007-08 season, they reached their first provincial final and won their first Grand Slam in 2010. Over their 11 seasons together, they played in eight provincial finals – winning in 2016 and again in 2017. In 2015 they were ranked #1 in the world for the first time. Between 2011 and 2018 they won four
JENNIFER JONES’ 2005-2020 St. VITAL TEAM: In a decade and a half, beginning in the 200405 season, Jennifer Jones’ team won seven Manitoba titles, six Canadians, and two Worlds. They played in the ‘05, ‘09, and 2013 Trials which they won enroute to an undefeated Olympic Gold Medal. The team has posted 15 Grand Slam wins and four Canada Cups victories. The evolving team included Cathy Gauthier, Georgina Wheatcroft, and Janet Arnott at lead before Dawn Askin/McEwen joined in the 2007-08
BRADEN CALVERT’S 2014-2015 DEER LODGE TEAMS: Part of four consecutive Canadian Junior Men’s titles for Manitoba, Calvert, Kyle Kurz, Lucas Van Den Bosch, and Rob Gordon won back-toback in 2014 and 2015. They lost in the world semi-final in 2014 but went back in ’15 to post a 10-1 record and win their Gold Medal.
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season; Cathy Overton-Clapham at third until replaced by Kaitlyn Lawes for the 2010-11 season; and Jill Officer at second for over a decade, replaced in 2018-19 by Jocelyn Peterman. KERRI EINARSON’S 2020 GIMLI TEAM: Einarson’s team missed their opportunity to win Manitoba’s fourth World gold medal of the year due to the pandemic. However, they earned the final spot on the list by winning Manitoba and Canada – a feat many claimed couldn’t happen with four talented skips on one team. Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard, and Brianne Meilleur proved them wrong. Is one of these 25 Manitoba’s Most Notable Curling Team? Or is it a different team completely? Make your choice with a donation in support of the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame & Museum’s efforts to celebrate Manitoba’s curling heritage. Total donations in the name of each team will determine the People’s Choice most notable team. Donate on-line at canadahelps.org beginning October 1, 2020. (or by cheque c/o CurlManitoba, 145 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg, R3B 2Z6. The People’s Choice ranking will be announced in mid-December. l
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Giants Win Third Straight MJBL Championship By Scott Taylor, Photo supplied by Ed Kulyk, Elmwood Giants
When the Elmwood Giants won their incredible third-straight Manitoba Junior Baseball League championship, they did it in style. The Giants came from behind and beat the Altona Bisons 5-4 in Game 3 of the best-of-five championship series to sweep the final and claim another in a long list of MJBL titles. “This was a special year in a number of ways,” said MJBL President Jamie Bettens. “We were nervous as a league in the beginning when we realized we were the first league in the country to begin play. The Giants were at the forefront of maintaining protocols and making both players and fans feel normal when coming to the park. “Once the team settled in it was evident they had that look in their eye, that singular focus to win a championship.” This past season, the Giants were clearly the class of the MJBL. Back with a dozen players from the 2019 championship team and six from the 2018 and ’19 trophy winners, the Giants finished first in the eight-team provincial loop with a 16-5 record, a game ahead of a talented group from Altona. Thanks to their first-place finish, the Giants received an opening-round playoff bye. In the best-of-three semi-final
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against the Interlake Blue Jays, the Giants opened with a 12-1 win, fell 10-7 and then came back to rout the Blue Jays 14-2 in the series-deciding game. In the championship final, the Giants beat Altona 11-1 in the opener at Koskie Field as Kevin Burnett drove in four runs and Delaquis knocked in three. In Game 2 in Altona, Delaquis and Owen Harms drove in runs while MJBL Pitcher of the Year and All-star Brandon Racette threw a complete game shutout as Elmwood beat the Bisons 3-0 in Game 2. In Game 3 at Elmwood’s Koskie Field, the Bisons appeared to have the Giants on the ropes. In the bottom of the sixth of a seven-inning game, the Bisons led 4-2 and it seemed as if this series was headed back to Altona. However, the Giants scored a pair in the bottom of the sixth to tie it, shut down the Bisons in the top of the seventh and then walked-it-off in the bottom half of the inning. Speedy Darnell Wyke led off with a single and then reached third on a single and a walk that loaded the bases. That’s when Zach Delaquis hit a sacrifice fly to deep right that easily scored Wyke and the Giants had themselves a sweep. Dylan Duguay finished the game with a pair of runs batted in for Elmwood while
teammate Dawson Tanner had a monster game with three hits, a run scored, two steals and an RBI. Kevin Burnett threw the final two innings and got the win. Dawson Rempel had three hits, a run scored, two steals and an RBI for Altona while teammates Denton Mateychuk and Simon Friesen each had two hits and an RBI. “It was awesome,” said Harms, who was part of the group that has now been involved in all three Giants championships. “The last two years we won it on the road, and this year we wanted to do it at home.” Mission accomplished. The Giants have put together an amazing organization thanks to manager Ed Kulyk and a club loaded with Team Manitoba stars. They can hit, pitch and play sound defence and they can do it on a consistent basis. That’s what set the Giants apart this season. “One of the best compliments I can give to the Elmwood Giants is that they don’t just run a team, they run a program,” said Bettens. “From grassroots to the executive the Elmwood Giants provide a high-performance environment that many teams in the league won’t admit, but strive to be like.” l
MJBL CROWNS CHAMPION GIANTS AGAIN, HANDS OUT AWARDS The Elmwood Giants won their third straight Manitoba Junior Baseball League championship while Carillon pitcher/ third baseman Zach Giesbrecht was named the Carey Candy Trophy winner as the MJBL’s Most Valuable Player as the MJBL became the first organized baseball league in the country to start and finish a full season. “That was a huge undertaking that could not have happened without the energy, effort and support from our teams, our players, our executives and most importantly our fans,” said President Jamie Bettens. “The talent level in the league was up from past years with players staying home to ply their trade vs playing across the country in other leagues. It led to increased attendance, new-found support, and hopefully a deeper appreciation for our game.”
MJBL MVP Zach Giesbrecht with Team Manitoba
The 2020 MJBL Major Award Winners:
Carey Candy Trophy (MVP) Jack Hind Trophy (Pitcher) Ken Prodonick Trophy (Manager) Len Gzebb Trophy (Defense) Jacobucci Domes Trophy (Sportsmanship) Vic Bozyk Trophy (Batting Champion) Umpire of the Year
Zach Giesbrecht, Carillon Brandon Racette, Elmwood Curt Letkeman, Pembina Valley Darnell Wyke, Elmwood Riley Trager, Elmwood Tristan Peters, Pembina Valley Blake Swedlo
The 2020 All-Star Team:
Catcher First Base Second Base Third Base Shortstop Outfield Outfield Outfield Designated Hitter Left-handed Pitcher Right-handed Pitcher
Isaiah Letkeman, Altona Riley Trager, Elmwood Dawson Tanner, Elmwood Zach Giesbrecht, Carillon Troy Kemball, St. James Tristan Peters, Pembina Valley Ben Anderson, Interlake Cole Olfert, Interlake Jared McCorrister, PV Tyson Pringle, Pembina Valley Brandon Racette, Elmwood
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Winnipeg’s Ben Miller Signs Contract in Ireland By Scott Taylor, Photos supplied
Ben Miller will quickly admit that his birthplace had a lot to do with his ability to play basketball. “I started playing in Omaha, Nebraska when I was five or six,” said the graduate of Westgate Mennonite Collegiate in Winnipeg. “I think that gave me a head start. My mom is Canadian and she had family in Winnipeg so I moved here when I was in Grade 3. That’s when I got involved in. the Wolves program and played for Martin Riley. He really did a lot for my game.” Miller, 24, who was an outstanding high school player, played five seasons at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., before turning pro last year. He played much of the 2019-20 season in Armenia
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and then finished up in Ireland and has signed a contract to return to the Irish Division 1 League with Killarney St. Paul’s this coming season. “I’m excited about going back,” he said before leaving for Killarney just after Labour Day. “I played a bit there last year and really enjoyed it. It’s the second-best league in Ireland. The top league is the Irish Elite League and we have to qualify to get there. I’m looking forward to the season.” A 6-foot-2 point-guard with a tremendous shot, he averaged 13.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on a team that was 21-10 in his senior year. At Acadia, he was not only a perennial conference All-Star, but was also named
to the CIS All-Rookie Team in 2015. A two-time Manitoba AAA Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014 and a long-time member of the Manitoba Provincial Team Program, Miller represented Manitoba at the 2013 Canada Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He has also been competing at the national FIBA 3x3 levels as well in the past few years with the Acceleration Performance basketball team. “I like 3X3 but not as much as the regular five-on-five game,” he said. “The 3X3 game has some interesting aspects when it comes to passing and shooting, but it’s not my favourite game. It’s fun but it’s not the same as the regular game.” Miller was also a member of Canada’s national U18 team and played at the FIBA Americas’ championships in Colorado Springs in 2013. That same year, he led Westgate Mennonite to the provincial 3A championship and was named the best player in the province, a rarity for a 3A player. Now, for the second time in his young career, he is off to Europe to play professionally. “I like the schedule we have,” he said. “With the pandemic, they’ve split the schedule into two halves and in the first half, we’re just playing the teams in our region. It will be a safer way to start the season. “I’m excited to play this game for another year and I’m looking forward to representing Winnipeg on the other side of the world.” l
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Kennedy, Saunders, Robson Lead Eight Individuals Into Manitoba Hall of fame By Scott Taylor, Photos courtesy Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame
Jennifer Saunders was the greatest female racquetball player in Canadian history. Paul Robson first played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and then helped build the club into a Grey Cup champion. Ed Werenich was one of the finest curlers in modern history. And Baxter Humby excelled in the martial arts despite having only one hand. Not one of them has much in common with the other except for one thing. They are now all honoured members of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. Last month, our provincial sports Hall of Fame announced the class of 2020. Among the group of inductees are eight individuals and one team mini-dynasty. The individual inductees are: • Marilyn Fraser (Builder) – Athletics • Baxter Humby (Athlete) – Muay Thai/Kickboxing • Sheldon Kennedy (Athlete/Builder) – Hockey/Multi-Sport • Ruth Klassen (Athlete) – Volleyball • Ralph Lyndon (Athlete) – Multi-Sport • Paul Robson (Builder) – Multi-Sport • Jennifer Saunders (Athlete) – Racquetball • Ed Werenich (Athlete) – Curling The team inductee is: • 1996/1997 University of Manitoba Bisons (Team) – Basketball Sadly, the Hall of Fame will not be playing host to its annual Induction Ceremonies this year. However, Rick. Brownlee from the Hall has said that formal inductions for the 2020 class of honoured members will take place when COVID-19 conditions allow. With the help of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, lets meet the Class of 2020:
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from martial arts. Born in Gillam and raised in Winnipeg, Humby had his right arm was also known as “the One-Armed Bandit” due to his missing right hand, which was amputated at birth when it became entangled with the umbilical cord. His interest in sports led him to take up running at age 11 and martial arts at 17. He ran for Canada at the Paralympics in Barcelona (1992) and Berlin (1994). He retired in 2012 as the only man on the planet to win two world titles in combative sports with one arm. In his amateur and professional career, he held 17 title belts. INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY Marilyn FRASER Athletics/Builder: Marilyn has been involved with running and athletics since the 1970s. A Board Member of the Manitoba Runners Association from 1974-1992, she served as President in her final year. A long-time track and field official who was awarded a 45-year volunteer pin from Athletics Canada, Fraser is a level 5 Umpire and Referee with high certification as a starter and in vertical jumps and throws. She is already a member of the Canadian Road race Hall of Fame (1992) and the Manitoba Runners Hall of Fame (2006). Baxter HUMBY Muay Thai/Kickboxing/Athlete: Baxter Humby is the first inductee
Sheldon KENNEDY Hockey/Multi-Sport/Athlete/Builder: Born in Brandon and raised in Elkhorn, Kennedy spent eight years in the NHL. He won a Memorial Cup and a gold medal in the World Junior Hockey championships, but is likely best known for the fact he made the courageous decision to charge his WHL coach with sexual assault for the abuse that he suffered as a teenager in Swift Current. His post-playing days have made such critical programs as Respect in Sport and Safe Sport the expected norm. He has transformed, not just hockey, but all Canadian sport through his Respect in Sport educational programs. Ruth KLASSEN Volleyball/Athlete: Born in Winnipeg, Klassen dominated women’s volleyball in Manitoba throughout the 1980s.
She helped Manitoba win Canada Games gold in 1979 as a 16-year-old playing with and against athletes as old as 20. She also won gold and captured MVP honours at the 1983 Western Canada Summer Games, but it was her university career f(rom 1982-86) that was truly remarkable. She led the University of Winnipeg Wesmen to three consecutive national titles and was MVP in 1985. Klassen was a fivetime All Canadian and set numerous UWinnipeg records. Ralph LYNDON Multi-Sport/Athlete: This year’s veteran selection certainly encompasses the term “all-around athlete.” Lyndon enjoyed remarkable success in three different sports and is a member of a variety of Halls of Fame in each. In Hockey he played for the Winnipeg Monarchs winning titles at all levels and for the University of North Dakota which won the Frozen Four in 1959. In Lacrosse he was a key member of the 1954 and 1955 Manitoba All-Stars that lost the finals of the Minto Cup. In Football he led Daniel McIntyre to three provincial titles from 1950-52 and was part of the Winnipeg Rods championship squad in 1955.
Paul ROBSON Multi-Sport/Builder: Born in Winnipeg, the man they called “Mad Dog” played football at UND and then played centre and linebacker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1964-72. He then joined the Blue Bombers as Assistant GM (1974-83) and was GM (1984-86) when Winnipeg won the Grey Cup in 1984. In amateur sport he served as the first Chair of Sport Manitoba from 1996
until 2014 and helped build the Canada Games Sport for Life Centre at 145 Pacific. He still resides in Winnipeg and continues to volunteer.
Jennifer SAUNDERS Racquetball/Athlete: Born in Thompson, Saunders won a record 11 Canadian Women’s Singles Championships, and 13 Canadian Women’s Doubles Championships. Her combined 24 titles are also a record. At the World Championships she won 11 medals in Singles, Doubles and Team competition highlighted by silver medals in singles in 2002 and again in 2012. Internationally, Saunders competed for Canada on 29 occasions: eight World Championships, four Pan American Games, two World Games and 15 Pan American Championships.
Ed WERENICH Curling/Athlete: Born in Benito, MB, the man they called “The Wrench” curled in the Swan River area with his older brother Tony. After high school he moved to Toronto and competed in the Men’s Ontario Provincial Final Tankard Playdowns 19 times and was on the winning team 10 times, six as skip. In his 10 appearances at the Brier he never had a losing record and amassed an impressive 82 and 33 win/loss record. He represented Canada at the World Championships on two occasions and won the World title both times. TEAM CATEGORY 1996 & 1997 University of Manitoba Bison Women’s Basketball Teams Coached by Coleen Dufresne (inducted in 2017 as a Builder), these Bison women’s basketball teams won back to back national championships. The teams were known for their full-court pressure and tremendous character. They were inducted into the Manitoba Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. l
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Downs CEO Darren Dunn on Opening Night. There was a big smile under that mask
Trainer Jerry Gourneau got his 500th career win and won the trainers title at the Downs for the second time Champion jockey Antonio Whitehall not only led the standings at Assiniboia Downs, but was the leading jockey in Canada
Jockey Stanley Chadee Jr. won almost a dozen stakes races and finished second in the jockey standings
ASD Sets Records During a Strange Season
Young trainer Tiffany husbands with her stakeswinning Manitoba-bred Dazzling Gold
By Scott Taylor, Photos by Rusty Barton and James Carey Lauder
On Monday night, May 25, Manitoba’s great little thoroughbred race track, Assiniboia Downs opened amid the COVID-19 pandemic by running six races with no fans in attendance and yet, by the end of the season, the track was having one of its greatest racing seasons ever. It started with a decision to run its races on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, instead of the weekend so maximize exposure and on-line wagering. It resulted in record after record. The 2020 50-day race meet concluded with total wagering of $63,264,000, dwarfing last year’s $12,467,855 for the same number of days. The 2020 average was $1.265 million per night. A new season wagering record was also set. The previous record was set in 1981 when $53,394,913 was wagered during a 135-day race meet. SportsLife Magazine sent Rusty Barton and James Carey Lauder out to the track to photograph the people who made it happen. l Jockey Shannon Beauregard won the 900th race of her career at the Downs this summer
The gate crew social distancing, from left Derek Corbel, Earl Johnson, Ryan Keith, Clayton Quewezance, Darrell Sanderson, Sheldon Chickeness, Cameron Delaronde and Curtis Mike
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The hard-working Downs pony riders and outriders
What a Summer!
Hidden Grace ridden by Antonio Whitehall, had two wins, two seconds and a third in five races this summer.
Melisandre, Mongolian Wind Win Big at the Downs
Jockey Stanley Chadee Jr. celebrates victory on Miss Imperial in the Canada Day stakes
By Scott Taylor, Photos by Rusty Barton and James Carey Lauder
In order to have a successful racing season, a race track has to have outstanding horses and this year, there was more than a handful of great equine talent at Assiniboia Downs. The most successful were two-year-old Melisandre and three-year-old Mongolian Wind. Undefeated Melisandre, a gorgeous chestnut filly, bred in Russell, Man., by Cam Ziprick at Ziprick Thoroughbreds with Charles Fouillard, won a Maiden Special Weight on July 22, cruised to victory in the Debutante Stakes on Aug. 4, won the CTHS Sales Stakes on Aug. 25, and on the final night of the year, led from post-to-wire in the Buffalo Stakes. Mongolian Wind is a three-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding owned by Andrew Stronach that won the 72nd running of the Manitoba Derby and then won the 63rd running of the Gold Cup. Oh, and there were more. To make sure SportsLife was on top of all the action, we sent photographers James Carey Lauder and Rusty Barton out to record the track’s top competitors. l
Melisandre
Cypress Point wins the Matron Mongolian Wind edges Mr. Unusual by a nose to win the Manitoba Derby
Jockey Stanley Chadee Jr. celebrates victory on Miss Imperial in the Canada Day stakes
Stanley Chadee Jr. and Marselan win the Phil Kives Stakes
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Usman Shah in his follow through after the delivery
Milan Dave moments before taking the catch. Eyes right on the ball
Anudeep Singh carefully watching the ball and ready for solid defense
Another Successful Summer for Manitoba Cricket By Scott Taylor, Photos by James Carey Lauder It is one of the most entertaining and relaxing things to do during a Manitoba summer: Take a picnic lunch to Assiniboine Park on a Saturday or Sunday and watch this province’s outstanding cricketers. Sher-E-Maples were crowned champions of the Manitoba 2020 Cricket Season back on Sept. 19. It was a shorter season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was still competitive and featured superb play. “Congratulations to Team Sher E Maples for Winning the Championship Manitoba 2020 for the Premier Division,” said league chairman Amarinder Singh Poonia. “And congratulations to Team AICC for winning Division 1 and Storm Chasers for winning Division 2. Thanks to all the cricketers out there who took special precautions during the pandemic to make this non-touch sport work this year and special thanks to the team executives.” This season, SportsLife Magazine’s James Carey Lauder spent plenty of time at the park and recorded almost all of the action. l
Batsman Amit Rathore completing the run as the bowler Inderjit Saini looks towards the fielder with Umpire Mandeep Saini carefully watching.
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Bowler Zeerak Khan bowling to Batsman Andy Johal
Bowler Kawaljit Singh
Satvir Singh Kaler, captain of Sher E Maples, with the Premier Division championship trophy
Abhishek Vishist ready to bowl Dusra with Umpire Jairaj Shroff at the stumps Andy Johal ready to release the ball with the straight seam
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