James Smith Cree Nation youth shows passion for powwow

Jason Kerr
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James Smith Cree Nation youth shows passion for powwow

Keaton Constant has lived up to his name on the Saskatchewan powwow circuit.

The nine-year-old from James Smith Cree Nation has been a constant presence at powwows across the province, but on Monday he had a chance to do something he’d never done before:  carry the eagle staff for a grand entry.

Keaton carried the eagle staff in with help from his father, newly elected James Smith Cree Nation Chief Kirby Constant, to kick off the Prince Albert Grand Council Fine Arts Festival.

“We’ve been to numerous powwows (and) we’ve never been granted the Eagle Staff for him personally to carry in,” Kirby said. “I was pretty emotional because it’s a big honour to get that Eagle Staff, especially from the elders, and to carry it in as the first grand entry was very uplifting for me, knowing he was included.”

Keaton was born with PFFD-Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency, a rare condition the affects less than 0.2 per cent of all births. As a result, Keaton suffers from a Congenital heart defect, among other health issues, but he hasn’t let that keep him from taking part in powwow traditions.

Kirby said the family was “blown away” when the elders asked Keaton to carry the eagle staff in. He also said Keaton hasn’t stopped talking about it.

“He’ll probably just be talking about it until the next powwow,” Kirby said with a laugh. “He’ll be saying, ‘oh, I got to carry the Eagle Staff.”

Despite his health struggles, Keaton maintains an active life. He’s always talking about powwows and watching videos, but he’s also mobile enough to take part in them too.

PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte said Keaton is a great example for other youth, and a great representative for Indigenous people.

“He’s been around the powwows—I’ve seen him so many times—and he’s such an ambassador for the powwows and the culture and the values too,” Hardlotte said. “You see him there shaking hands, and he’s really respectful.”

For Kirby and the rest of the Constant family, honours like carrying in the eagle staff are a bonus. They’re just happy he’s able to join the family at events like the PAGC Fine Arts Festival.

“He’s pretty remarkable,” Kirby said. “What we’re told when he was in his mother’s womb was he was going to take one breath and that was it kind of thing,” Kirby said. “Going through that was quite emotional, and for him going forward now, it’s just like every day is a new breath for him to be alive.”

PAGC Fine Arts Festival highlights need for new facility

The Constants were among hundreds of Prince Albert Grand Council youths, teachers, and chaperones who arrived in PA for the PAGC Fine Arts Festival on Monday.

Kirby himself participated in the event as a youth 31 years ago. His mother was in charge of organizing and teaching dancers in preparation for the event.

As an adult watching his children and their friends take part, Kirby said it’s vital to keep events like this going.

“(It’s) a big draw for students in these remote communities,” he said. “It’s something to look forward (to).”

This year’s event was held at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre, where crowds filled every seat in preparation for the first day of competition. Grand Chief Briand Hardlotte said it’s great to see such a turnout, but also a reminder that the PAGC needs a bigger facility.

Prior to COVID-19, the PAGC hosted their annual Fine Arts Festival at the Senator Allan Bird Memorial Centre, which was destroyed by fire in 2022. Hardlotte said the PAGC has formed a project team and funding has been approved. However, they still need to work out a few design details.

When addressing PAGC youth following the Grand Entry, Hardlotte encouraged them to write letters to the project committee advocating for a new facility.

“We had over 1,500 students and chaperons here, and it’s a big building, but we need a bigger building,” Hardlotte said. “I asked the teachers to help their students and to write up the letters—either email or however they can do it—and send those letters to myself and the project team to speed up the project so we can get a new building in.”

The Fine Arts Festival wraps up with a dance Thursday evening.

Federal correctional officer union raises concerns about mental health crisis among members, and drug abuse among inmates

Jason Kerr
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Federal correctional officer union raises concerns about mental health crisis among members, and drug abuse among inmates

Federal corrections workers need help.

That was the message members of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO) hoped to deliver by staging a one-day protest in Saskatoon on Tuesday.

Members gathered to raise awareness about the large number of physical and verbal assaults federal corrections officers face. James Bloomfield, the UCCO regional president for the prairies, said COs are routinely subjected to physical and verbal assaults, and the lack of support is leading to a mental health crisis.

“We have a drug fueled institutions which are resulting in a tremendous number of assaults and gang activity,” Bloomfield said during a phone interview on Monday. “There are no repercussions and our employer is not helping us.

“We are basically stuck in a position of basically being the punching-bags,” he added. “That’s how people are feeling right now, and it’s not part of my job to be assaulted.”

Bloomfield is in his 25th year as a CO. He said assaults have always been a concern for corrections officers, but the problem was “miniscule” compared to what it is today.

Bloomfield said the number of drug seizures has radically increased, and inmates face little accountability for their actions.

He said many COs are frustrated with current legislation, which many blame for the lack of accountability.

“(It’s) just ‘write a report and good luck,’” Bloomfield said. “There is no accountability for that person who commits that assault. On the streets, they’d be arrested and go to jail, but when they’re already in jail, that’s where the policies need to take over to help us with some behavioural concerns, and our employer is not helping us with that at all.”

Drugs are one of the biggest concerns, especially in Prince Albert. Bloomfield said COs report drug abuse problems among inmates in almost all federal institutions on the prairies, but the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary in Prince Albert is particularly bad.

Bloomfield said they’ve received reports of COs who can smell Suboxone burning in the cells while on shift. The drug was created to help decrease the severity of withdrawal symptoms patients face when quitting opioids. Bloomfield many inmates are prescribed the drug, but never swallow it. They instead smuggle it back to their cell, he said, and sell it to other inmates.

Bloomfield said there are checks in place to make sure inmates swallow the drug, but those checks aren’t working. He added that inmates continue to receive Suboxone prescriptions even though COs have raised their concerns about its abuse.

“That’s a dangerous work environment,” Bloomfield said. “If we can smell it, we’re inhaling it. It’s a tremendous problem that we’re having up there, and that of course fuels the black market.

“It is highly diverted and very abused at Saskatchewan Penitentiary specifically,” he added.

The Prince Albert Daily Herald reached out to the Correctional Service of Canada for a response. The CSC acknowledged the request, but was unable to provide a response by press time.

Bloomfield said poor mental health rates and a lack of support are making it harder to recruit new COs while also keeping the more experience ones.

“We already have a tremendously difficult time recruiting staff as it is,” he said. “The environment is a very difficult environment. The mental health injuries are through the roof. The physical assaults are high. It’s not one that people come to and look at as the better of the places to apply for nowadays.”

Bloomfield added that the union has reached out to multiple MPs to talk about changing the legislation. He said most acknowledge there is something wrong, but no changes have been made.

According to the UCCO, 55 per cent of federal correctional officers have suffered a work-related mental health injury.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

‘They’re our method of teaching’: mother-daughter duo honoured for creating book of Cree myths and legends

Jason Kerr
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‘They’re our method of teaching’: mother-daughter duo honoured for creating book of Cree myths and legends

Elizabeth and Rose Roberts never expected to receive star blankets for their efforts to preserve Cree stories, but that’s where they found themselves on Monday during the open ceremony of the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) Fine Arts Festival.

The mother-daughter duo were recognized for creating, ‘Myths and Legends of the Woodland Cree’, a new book that aims to teach children stories that previously were only told orally.

“It was very emotional,” Rose said when asked about the ceremony. “It was unexpected because Grand Chief said ‘we want to honour your mother,’ so I was not expecting to get a star blanket. I have never been to a powwow honouring like this where everybody just comes and shakes your hand, so it was emotional.”

Rose was born and raised in Stanley Mission before heading to the University of Saskatchewan where she graduated with a degree in nursing. She went back to get her masters and doctoral degrees in Community Health and Epidemiology, but stayed connected to the traditional lifestyle of the Woodland Cree.

Last year, the PAGC approached Rose about a new educational pilot project to record Cree stories in book form. Rose recorded hours of her mother, Elizabeth who does not speak English, telling traditional stories in Cree, then spent days translating them for the book.

Rose said the stories not only preserve the culture, they help teach young readers about good morals and proper living.

“They’re our method of teaching,” she explained. “I grew up listening to them. When we’d go to bed at night and the kerosene lanterns would be burned out, we’d fall asleep to the sound of my mom telling the legends. When you grow up in the language, it’s an entertaining story, but as you get older and older, you think about it, going ‘oh, that’s where I learned about kindness’, or ‘oh, that’s the lesson.’”

Rose said translating the stories wasn’t easy since it’s easy to lose the message when moving from English to Cree, but she wanted make sure the Woodland Cree dialect survives.

She said the language has always stressed a connection to the land, and that’s something sorely needed right now.

“We are starting to lose our language,” Rose explained. “I’m not the first one to say it. There have been (Cree) language speakers who are saying, ‘we’re losing our language’ so we’re trying to do whatever we can to bring back the morals and values of our culture, and as well, bring back the language so we can maintain our connection to the land and who we are.”

The books arrived from the publisher less than two weeks ago and were on sale at the PAGC Fine Arts Festival on Monday.

PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte said the books will make it easier for Indigenous youth to learn about their culture.

“Our elders in all our sectors in all our communities, they still know the legends and they tell those legends and myths to their grandchildren,” Hardlotte said. “Sometimes the schools will get them in cultural camps and so on. Elders will go there and share their stories, but very seldom are they’re captured and put into a book form.

“It’s something we weren’t really used to doing because we did everything orally, but I think now in this day and age, it’s important to capture that and that we keep it. It’s also a resource for the educators.”

Birch Hills producers renew efforts to support Canadian Foodgrains Bank after travelling to Nepal

Jason Kerr
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Birch Hills producers renew efforts to support Canadian Foodgrains Bank after travelling to Nepal

Two Birch Hills residents had a chance to travel abroad to see how grain grown in Canada helps support humanitarian projects in some of the world’s poorest places.

Steve and Jeannette Tomtene have been involved with Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFB) growing projects in the Birch Hills area for nearly 20 years. In February, they travelled to Nepal, where CFB support has helped provide disaster relief and boost local agriculture.

“We wanted to understand a little more about how all the money that we’ve been generating with our project for the last 20 years is being used, and to learn a little bit about how it’s helping the people,” Steve said. “In this particular area, they’ve been hit with earthquakes in the past, and a big part of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank is disaster relief. After these earthquakes they were able to move in and (provide) some funding to help with the relocation of people and the rebuilding.”

The Tomtenes spent two weeks in Nepal, a country of more than 30 million people living in an area one-quarter the size of Saskatchewan. During their visit, they connected with the Mennonite Central Committee who were finishing an agricultural project in Lalitpur, just south of the Nepalese capital. The second week was spent with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) on a three-year agricultural project just getting underway.

Both Steve and Jeannette said each organization’s goal is to fund local projects and train local workers in agricultural practices that will help feed people long term, with support from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

“There’s already boots on the ground trying to help these people and so they’re not going in to create a whole new system,” Jeannette explained. “They’re going in and they’re partnering with the boots on the ground. It’s just really neat to see those relationships.”

Travelling around Saskatchewan is much simpler than Nepal. Remote areas in the mountainous country typically aren’t that far away, but they can take a long time to travel too because of the high elevation.

One project the duo visited was just 85 km away from where they were staying, but the drive out there took four hours because of the roundabout road they needed to travel.

Regardless of where they went or how long it took, the Tomtenes say they were greeted by friendly people everywhere. Most residents are eager to learn about new farming methods, and introduce new crops to the area.

“I was amazed at the generosity and the hospitality from the people,” Jeannette said. “They welcomed us with open arms.”

“It was quite satisfying to know that the works that’s been done really empowered them and gave them hope for their future,” Steve added.

Now back home, the Tomtenes say the trip has convinced them to redouble their efforts to see Canadian Foodgrains Bank projects continue in the Birch Hills area, but that’s going to be a challenge.

The Tomtenes were part of a group that donated their time to farm a quarter section of land for the Foodgrains Bank near Birch Hills. The proceeds from the crop sale were donated to the Foodgrains Bank, with the federal government matching the donation.

However, in 2023 the resident who donated the land sold it, leaving the group without a quarter section to farm. Steve and Jeannette hope they can change that in time for the 2024 growing season.

“It’s not something we can do alone,” Steve said. “We need to work with our community and see if we can inspire some others to get involved.”

Council to vote on new Paratransit and Seniors Transportation Services contract at Monday meeting

Jason Kerr
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Council to vote on new Paratransit and Seniors Transportation Services contract at Monday meeting

Prince Albert city council will vote on a new Paratransit and Seniors Transportation Service contract between the City and the Community Service Centre (CSC) at Monday’s council meeting.

The contract will see the CSC receive a total budget of $872,335 in 2025, and $892,171 in 2026. That marks a respective 15.6 per cent and 18.5 per cent increase over the CSC’s 2024 budget.

The year-to-year increase is based on an estimated 2.5 per cent inflation rate.

City administration has also recommended council approve an additional $52,971 to maintain paratransit status quo service levels for 2024. Those funds will come from the Fiscal Stabilization Fund.

The CSC had originally requested $103,521 to help maintain services levels. However, the City recommended the CSC conduct a review of its current financial position, according to a report written by the City’s operations manager, Mohammad Kraishan.

Kraishan wrote that after the review, the revised funding amount to maintain status quo transit service in 2024 was “significantly less than the original requested funding amount.”

Kraishan’s report is included in Monday’s agenda package.

As part of the agreement, the City will pay fuel costs directly. Kraishan estimates that will cost around $100,000 in 2025 and $105,000 in 2026.

“One of the main points discussed during negotiations was the pricing volatility of fuel that largely impacts the budget for paratransit and subsequently creates a shortfall that could lead to reduction in service,” reads the report. “To eliminate the impact of fuel pricing on the paratransit service, the City will be paying the fuel cost directly as part of the approved overall paratransit budget as set in the Contract. One of the advantages to this approach is that the CSC, when providing paratransit service, will benefit from the discounted fuel price the City has under its existing fuel contract.”

The City of Prince Albert and CSC have been in a war of words over the issue of seniors transportation and paratransit. The CSC held a press conference in January, arguing that paratransit services faced a funding crisis and would be forced to cut services if they did not receive more funding.

The CSC provided 37,145 rides in 2023, an increase of 11,405 from 2022. Paratransit riders use the service to attend everything from religious services to doctors appointments to Prince Albert Raider hockey games.

The City countered with an ad campaign, arguing they could not finalize funding amounts until a contract was in place. The ad campaign also criticized CSC CEO Bill Powalinsky for allegedly failing the organization by not disclosing plans to run for mayor.

The CSC later released a statement from vice-chair Shelley Gordon backing Powalinsky, and accusing the City of trying to shift focus away from paratransit services with their ad campaign.

Monday’s meeting begins at 5 p.m. in the council chamber at City Hall.

Reigning SCMA Emerging Artist of the Year still surprised by award recognition

Jason Kerr
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Reigning SCMA Emerging Artist of the Year still surprised by award recognition

Nearly 10 months after being named the Saskatchewan Country Music Association (SCMA) Emerging Artist of the Year, Adam Johnson is still a little surprised.

The Saskatoon-based musician has had plenty to keep him busy since winning the award in June 2023, but when he stops and thinks about the honour it’s still a little surreal.


“It’s still pretty crazy to think about the fact that I was able to win an award for music,” Johnson said with a chuckle. “The fact that I get to step on stage and play songs I wrote for people, to me, is still the craziest thing ever and I’m cherishing every single moment and every single show I get to play.”

Johnson hasn’t slowed down since his win. Over the past year he’s released a series of singles for his new album and continues to perform across Saskatchewan. His next show is planned for Saturday night at the Rock Trout Café as part of the Blue Moon Tour.

“I’ve been looking to play in PA for a while and just looking for something that’s the right fit,” Johnson said. “I saw some video of a performance there and it looked like a really cool venue and something that can be a really fun place to play.

“Everyone I’ve talked to has had nothing but good things to say about it, so I’m really excited for Rock Trout.”

Johnson’s music and style are flown blown country, but it didn’t start that way. His first love was rock music and artists like The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, but he became a country music fan after listening to Deirks Bently, Kenny Chesney, and Waylon Jennings.

That mass of influences all found a home in his new album.

“I sat down and wanted to just explore the country genre and see what I could do with it,” he said. “There’s a little bit of everything…. (It’s) exploring my musical tastes and putting that into an album and creating something that I can look back on, hopefully, in 20 years and be really proud of.”

Saturday’s show will be Johnson’s first in Prince Albert, but he’s spent plenty of time in the area over the years. His family has a cabin at Emma Lake, and he’s performed at a few events in the Lakeland Area, so a tour stop in Prince Albert almost feels like home.

He’s even bringing a familiar Prince Albert voice with him in Josh Stumpf.

“In May of last year he did an acoustic opening show for us,” Johnson said. “I’d known him before that and he’s just insanely talented. We’ve done some writing together and I have nothing but good things to say (about him).

“When I’m doing shows with people, I just try to find artists where I really respect their music and respect them as people and there’s not many better than Josh, so it’s awesome to have him.”

Johnson will be back performing in the PA area this summer. He’s scheduled to play Country at the Creek Music Festival in July—a gig he’s long looked forward to.

“I’ve been following the festival for a long time,” he said. “I’ve never been able to get out to it, but it’s always been a bucket list thing for me, so I’m really excited.”

Adam Johnson’s Blue Moon Tour with Josh Stumpf is scheduled for Saturday, April 20 at the Rock Trout Events Centre. The doors open at 7 p.m., with the music starting at 8 p.m.

Hard work pays off: Prince Albert wrestler nabs bronze double at nationals

Jason Kerr
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Hard work pays off: Prince Albert wrestler nabs bronze double at nationals

Prince Albert’s Owen Ferchuk made the most out of his trip to the 2024 Canadian Wrestling Championships in Mississauga.

The 125 kg grappler from the Prince Albert Wrestling Club took home bronze medals in the U19 Men’s Freestyle and U19 Men’s Greco-Roman competitions.

It was Ferchuk’s first trip to nationals after he was forced to sit out the 2023 tournament due to injury. He said just competing at the event was an honour.

“The level of competition at that tournament was crazy,” he said. “It was pretty awesome to see a lot of those guys competing. The level of skill is the highest I’ve seen, and being able to compete in that means a lot—especially being able to place.”

Ferchuk took the long route to the Freestyle bronze medal. He lost his opening bout in the 125 kg class to eventual gold medalist Jagroop Dhinsa of B.C., but rattled off back-to-back wins to earn a spot in the bronze medal match.

Once there, he defeated Ontario’s Sarthak Gaikwad 16-6 over two rounds to take third spot.

“I would say that was for sure the harder tournament to wrestle,” Ferchuk said of the Freestyle competition. “I lost my first match, so I immediately got put on the B Side and I had to work my way back to get the bronze.

“It was definitely more of a mental battle than a physical battle once I lost that first match, knowing I was out of the gold. For the Greco Tournament, I was pretty beat-up from Freestyle.”

Ferchuk lost his first two matches in the Greco-Roman competition, but rebounded to beat B.C.’s Sartajveer Gill for his second bronze medal of the tournament.

“It was a lot of relief knowing everything paid off—all the time on the mat and in the weight room, making sure my diet was wright, making sure my body was right,” Ferchuk said. “When you medal, it makes you really feel like everything paid off.”

Ferchuk will graduate from St. Mary High School this spring, and plans to enroll in the SUNTEP education program next fall. He also plans to keep wrestling with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Ferchuk was one of four Prince Albert wrestlers who competed at nationals. Kayley Clarke, Noah Remy and Jonah Sanderson also wrestled in Mississauga, with Clarke bringing home a gold medal from the U19 Women’s 61 kg Greco-Roman event.

All four athletes also represent Saskatchewan at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG).

New exhibit celebrates work of Prince Albert’s unofficial poet laureate

Jason Kerr
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New exhibit celebrates work of Prince Albert’s unofficial poet laureate

One of Prince Albert’s most celebrated artists will have his work front and centre for the next month at the Margo Fournier Arts Centre.

‘Drawn from Words’, the newest Arts Centre exhibit, focuses on the poetry of John V. Hicks, with illustrations from Hicks’ good friend, George Glenn. The show coincides with National Poetry Month and the 25th anniversary of Hicks’ passing.

“It’s great to have an opportunity to reflect on the fact that we had an international poet in Prince Albert—just a regular guy, a neighbour, a friend, the guy who rang the bell at the Art Centre,” Glenn said during an interview on Thursday. “I hope the exhibition conveys to people who never had a chance to meet Jack that he was just a regular guy and his poems are very accessible.”

John V. Hicks, or Jack to his friends, published 10 books of poetry in his lifetime and received a number of accolades, including a Lifetime Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Saskatchewan Arts Board in 1990, and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 1992.

In Prince Albert, he is remembered as the City’s unofficial Poet Laureate who would facilitate meetings with other writers to read and discuss their creations.

“Jack was always ‘in residence’ at the Art Centre,” Glenn remembered. “He would ring the bell once at three and once at four, and in between he’d make a big pot of tea and everyone would come in and visit.”

Glenn met Hicks shortly after moving to Prince Albert in 1975. The two became close friends, bonding over their shared sense of humour and musical tastes. That friendship deepened when Hicks asked Glenn to create artwork for one of his poetry books that was about to be published.

Glenn eventually illustrated book covers for four of Hicks’ poetry collections, and the preliminary sketches from those efforts form the basis of ‘Drawn from Words’.

“When (exhibit organizer) Jesse Campbell was here at my studio, I had a box of stuff that we were going through, and all of the preliminary drawings for those book covers were in that box,” Glenn explained. “It coincided with the time when she was just putting together an idea for the John V. Hicks Gallery and she wanted to do something related to the 25th year since his passing.

“When she saw these pieces, she thought it would be a great idea to put them together with the books of poetry and some of the poetry, which was great. It just kind of happened. The box kind of fell into our hands and we went with that. It brought up all kinds of memories.”

Glenn will be at the Margo Fournier Arts Centre on Saturday to give an artists talk at the exhibit’s opening reception on Saturday. Local poet Lynda Monahan will also be there to read some of her favourite selections from Hicks’ work.

Monahan was an early student of Hicks’. She remembers visiting his house on the East Hill as a budding poet to discuss her work.

“I shared some of my early poems with him, and I kind of cringe when I think of that now,” Monahan said with a chuckle, “but Jack was nothing but gracious to me. He encouraged me to look at the importance of everyday things and he taught me about being still and listening for the poem.

“I learned a lot from Jack about what makes for a good poem. He was very much a mentor to me as he was to many, many other Saskatchewan and Canadian poets.”

Since then, Monahan has gone on to publish multiple poetry collections. She also continues Hicks’ legacy of working with budding poets in the Prince Albert area by running creative writing workshops and serving a term as the writer in residence at the John. M. Cuelenaere Public Library.

Monahan said it’s an honour to participate in the opening reception for the new exhibit. She hopes it will bring new attention to Hicks’ work.

“I always think his poetry is pure music,” she said. “That’s what really stands out for me—and the influence of the older poets like Robert Frost. He certainly carried on a tradition. He always said that he stood on the shoulder of giants.”

The opening reception for ‘Drawn from Words’ is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Margo Fournier Arts Centre on Saturday, April 20. The exhibit runs until May 23.

STF members to vote on new bargaining committee offer

Jason Kerr
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STF members to vote on new bargaining committee offer

Saskatchewan teachers will vote on a new offer presented by the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) said in a press release late Wednesday afternoon.

According to the press release, the offer is a three-year agreement that would see teachers receive salary increases of three per cent in year one, three per cent in year two, and two per cent in year three. Teachers would see retroactive pay to September 2023.

The offer also includes a reference to “the accountability framework in relation to a Memorandum of Understanding among the three parties.”

STF president Samantha Becotte will hold a press conference at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday to discuss the offer.

The offer comes what the STF described as “two days of difficult negotiations.”

Prince Albert bowlers excited for shot at national title

Jason Kerr
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Prince Albert bowlers excited for shot at national title

Prince Albert bowlers Taryn Dumont and Bella Mulhall hope to do something no local bowler has done in a long time: bring home a national title.

The 19-year-old Dumont and 17-year-old Mulhall are headed to the Ottawa-Gatineau region to represent Saskatchewan in the Youth Bowl Canada (YBC) National Championships from May 6-8. The two bowlers will compete in the Senior Girls Doubles competition.

“It’s exciting (and) nerve-wracking,” said Mulhall, who will be competing at nationals for the second time. “I’m beyond happy that I get to experience it again. It’s a feeling like no other. There’s just so much adrenaline. It’s awesome.”

“I’m excited but I’m also nervous,” added Dumont. “It’s my first nationals so I’m excited to have that experience.”

The duo will bowl 24 games over the three-day event, which features competitors from every province bowling in bantam, junior, and senior age categories. Mulhall said they’ll both need to be mentally tough to be successful.

“We just have to keep our minds straight and really just live in the moment,” she said. “I think we have to stick to how we feel. We know we can do good and we know we can win. We just have to stick to that feeling.”

The Prince Albert duo qualified after beating eight other teams at provincials in Regina. Each team bowled four games, with the highest scoring team representing Saskatchewan at nationals.

Dumont and Mulhall found themselves trailing by 86 points after the first three games, but rallied in the fourth to take the provincial title.

“We struggled a little bit, but we pulled through and won and now we’re going to nationals,” Dumont said.

“It was nerve-wracking because we were watching the other team who had a chance at beating us. We knew what they needed to beat us…. It sounds really bad, but seeing that they didn’t get it was an indescribable feeling.”

Team coach Michael Pelechaty credited the duo’s ability to stay calm under pressure for the provincial win.

“We knew going into the last game it was going to have to be a big comeback if we wanted a chance to go to nationals,” Pelechaty said. “Of course, the girls came out strong. Taryn started off with four strikes in a row, and then right after that, Bella had probably four strikes of her own too. They came out clutch when they needed to be clutch and got the job done.”

Pelechaty said having two Prince Albert bowlers representing Saskatchewan in a big boost for the sport locally. He’s hopeful it will translate to more bowlers trying the sport’s competitive side.

“Any time we time we get bowlers from Prince Albert going to nationals, whether it’s the kids or adults, it’s always good,” he said. “Every once and a while when you see new bowlers coming out to the bowling alley, it’s always good to see. We all have that end goal of getting a national banner someday. It hasn’t happened in a while, so that’s always a goal.”

Regardless of what happens at nationals, this will be the last YBC Championship for Dumont, who will not be eligible for youth competitions next year. She bowled in a few adult tournaments during the 2023-24 season in preparation for her first full year of adult eligibility next year.

Mulhall is in Grade 12 at St. Mary High School, and has at least another year of eligibility. Like Dumont, she plans to keep bowling competitively after graduation.

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