Latest Articles from Nathan Reiter

2023 Esso Cup Host Committee named organization of the year by Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame

Nathan Reiter
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2023 Esso Cup Host Committee named organization of the year by Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame

Not even a global pandemic stopped Prince Albert from hosting the Esso Cup.

Prince Albert was originally slated to host the event in 2020, but the event was canceled just weeks ahead of the April 2020 date due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the bid was originally submitted in 2018, the host committee was together for nearly five years to see the event come to fruition.

The 2023 Esso Cup Host Committee will be honored as the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame organization of the year at the upcoming induction banquet on Saturday evening.

Robin Wildey says the event is something the entire committee will remember for a long time.

“It’s a huge honour. To be recognized for the achievements and the hard work and the success of running an Esso Cup in 2023 is going to be something that most of us will think about and remember for a long time.”

After several years of being in limbo and many reschedules, the event finally came to Hockeytown North in 2023, with the Stoney Creek Sabres capturing the title with a thrilling 5-4 win over the Fraser Valley Rush.

Wildey says there was a lot of uncertainty when the event was first canceled, but he was pleased to see how Hockey Canada stood by the event being held in Prince Albert.

“I don’t think anybody could have predicted how the world was, but then being told by Hockey Canada that they still support us and they still want the championship to come to Prince Albert was a huge feather in our cap and just showed that we had the right people in the right position.”

Over 140 people volunteered their time to make the Esso Cup a possibility with the host committee putting in several hours ahead of and during the event. The host committee consisted of Wildey (chair), Al Dyer, Bruce Vance, Luc Robin, Jim Flynn, Kerry Vezeau, Laura Quesnel, Michelle Grimard, Taryn Svenson and Laurie Huet.

Not only did the committee oversee the organizing of the tournament, but there were several key items that occurred off the ice as well including the opening ceremony with live music from Donny Parenteau, an opening banquet, the Hockey House in the Ches Leach Lounge and visits to games from elementary schools within the city.

As a result of the tournament, a legacy fund of nearly $30,000 was raised to support female hockey within Prince Albert.

Wildey says the legacy fund will support many different initiatives for female hockey in the city.

“That was one of the main goals that we had put in force, striving to gain that momentum for female hockey in Prince Albert. We have a strong program with the Northern Bears here in PA. We do have a strong female program with the Foxes from U5 and U7 and moving up. With that legacy fund, it’s going to go and invest into dressing rooms for the Northern Bears in the new facility. It goes to promote grassroots hockey for coaches and players in Prince Albert. A cool aspect of it in the end is for players who are graduating out of minor hockey, we do have the ability to provide scholarships. Female hockey is always improving, it’s growing with the PWHL. We wanted to make sure that we were on the front lines and we wanted to make sure that we had the ability to promote that.”

At times, it felt the host committee was living through a real life version of the 1993 film Groundhog Day facing the same challenges in a seemingly never ending cycle.

“Bill Murray is a character in itself and it did feel like we’re going through this again.” Wildey says. “It didn’t feel like going through the motions because each year had its own different kind of challenges to get through. The fact that we were trying to keep things refreshed and updated, a new idea being brought in here and there was a cool way that we can not stay with the status quo, but change it and try to improve it and make it better.”

Wildey gave credit to the work ethic that the entire committee brought to the project.

“They put on a lot of work over the years to get this thing up and running. Being the chairman, it was a cool opportunity for me to see what it takes to run a national championship. I had a really solid crew working with me on the board that I don’t think we could have been as successful if we didn’t have the right people in the right positions. They were dedicated.”

The 32nd annual induction banquet for the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame will take place on Saturday, April 27 at the Ches Leach Lounge. The event begins at 6 p.m.

sports@paherald.sk.ca

Like A Rolling Stone – Habitat opens at Mann Art Gallery

Nathan Reiter
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Like A Rolling Stone – Habitat opens at Mann Art Gallery

For the first time in Canada, Like A Rolling Stone will be on display at the Mann Art Gallery in Prince Albert.

The exhibit opened back on April 16 but hosted the opening reception on Friday evening. It is scheduled to be open until June 22.

Previously, Like A Rolling Stone was on display in Soltau, Germany last year. Heike Fink is the artist behind the exhibit and she says she is thrilled to see the exhibit open for the first time in North America.

“It is absolutely exciting. I have been at the Mann Art Gallery at the Winter Festival often, and so it’s all familiar, but seeing the entire gallery with my work is just almost overwhelming, and it’s the first time that it’s showing in Canada.”

The exhibit features several felt sculptures of animals and the primary centerpiece of the exhibit is a large mat in the centre of the room which features 3,000 felted rocks. Patrons are encouraged to make art of their own by rearranging the felted rocks.

Fink says she wants the exhibit to also provide some inspiration for other artists.

“I hope that they kind of get my intent, but I also want it in a playful way so that you kind of see it, the animals are all kind of positive and everybody can kind of relate to it. I called it like a rolling stone because the rocks are rolling, but also because I’m rolling it from one place to the other and it’s interactive. People are allowed to play with it and to make their own creations (and) build something out of those rocks. I do not just want them to see my artwork. I want to kind of make their own and kind of transfer that creative spark.”

“(It’s) basically about our stewardship for the environment. Coming from a European country, the first time I came to Canada 30 years ago this year, and coming to this beautiful nature and wilderness coming from Europe, where we’ve lost so much already, I was very fascinated. I want to express my environmental concerns that we kind of keep it that way and work for a wholesome nature and future.”

The exhibit will remain open until June 22.

editorial@paherald.sk.ca

PA’s Zablocki hoping for Esso Cup success with Regina Rebels

Nathan Reiter
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PA’s Zablocki hoping for Esso Cup success with Regina Rebels

It’s been an outstanding year for Stryker Zablocki and the Prince Albert product is hoping to bring home some more hardware at the 2024 Esso Cup in Vernon, British Columbia.

Zablocki was the leading scorer in the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League (SFU18AAAHL) during the regular season. She posted 40 goals and 25 assists in 27 games for the Regina Rebels, who finished as the league’s top team in the regular season.

The Rebels would sweep their way through the league playoffs winning four games against the Battlefords Sharks and Notre Dame Hounds on route to a league title. In the four playoff games, Zablocki tallied seven goals and six helpers.

After a regional win in two games over the Winnipeg Ice, the Rebels have punched their ticket back to the Esso Cup, which begins on Sunday.

Last season, the Rebels took home a bronze medal in the Esso Cup with a 5-1 victory over the Atlantic representative Northern Selects in Prince Albert.

“As a team, we’re really looking forward to changing our (medal) color from last year and hopefully we can get a gold this year.” Zablocki says. “Even though it’s not my hometown like it was last year. I’ve never been to Vernon so it’ll be a fun experience getting to spend a week with all my best friends and teammates.”

Regina returns a number of key contributors from last year’s Esso Cup bronze medal team, including Zablocki, Kadence Dansereau and Brooklyn Nimegeers.

Zablocki says the veteran core is expected to lead off the start, but she expects the younger players to make an impact throughout the tournament.

“The vets on our team are definitely going to take a bigger role this weekend and set a good example for the rookies. We are expecting the rookies to do lots too because we have depth throughout the lineup so collectively as a team it should be a really good effort from everyone.”

The year hasn’t been without some challenges for the Rebels. Back on Mar. 1, Rebels head coach Mike Merk was suspended indefinitely pending an investigation from Hockey Canada. On Mar. 25, the sanctions against Merk were lifted, but the Rebels opted to remain with interim bench boss Kim Perepeluk.

Zablocki says the period of coaching uncertainty wasn’t without challenge, but the Rebels were able to overcome the period of turmoil due to the strong chemistry the team possesses.

“For our team I feel like it was only a small amount of adversity because our team is so tight knit that I don’t think a coach makes our team and it just brought us closer and I think we just want to do it for Mike (Merk) at the end of the day and our new coaches are super good as well.”

Zablocki and the Rebels begin Esso Cup play on Sunday morning against Ontario representative North York Storm. The Ontario representative Stoney Creek Sabres captured the 2023 Esso Cup title in Prince Albert.

“Facing them right off the shoot, I’m really looking forward to it.” Zablocki says. “They’re going to be strong opponents, they could probably be our toughest competition there and hopefully we can start off strong with a win.”

It’s been a strong season for Zablocki on an individual level. She captured the Hayley Wickenheiser Award as the Most Valuable Player in the SFU18AAAHL during the regular season. In January, she took her talents overseas and helped Canada capture a bronze medal at the IIHF Women’s U18 World Championship in Zug, Switzerland.

Zablocki says she is hoping to wrap up her hockey season with a successful finish at the Esso Cup.

“It would really mean a lot to me and I think it would show that our hard work the whole season has paid off and we have the team to do it so hopefully we can do that when it comes down to it”

sports@paherald.sk.ca

1995 PA Optimist Toppers to be inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame

Nathan Reiter
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1995 PA Optimist Toppers to be inducted into PA Sports Hall of Fame

Although they never took home the gold medal at nationals in 1995, the Prince Albert Optimist Toppers certainly turned some heads on the national stage.

Rene Quintal is the current head coach of the St. Mary Marauders boys volleyball team, but suited up for the Toppers as an opposite attacker in 1995.

Quintal led the Marauders to a provincial title in 2023, but credits his time with the Toppers in teaching him what it means to be successful on the court.

“For myself all the lessons learned as a player—and reflecting on those lessons as a player even now as a coach almost 30 years later—I learned so much from my teammates and from the two coaches and our staff allowed me to be a successful coach now.“

The Toppers featured players from Prince Albert, Kinistino, Tisdale, Melfort, Birch Hills and MacDowell. They earned their ticket to nationals in Prince Edward Island thanks to a provincial win.

Derek Smith played left side for the Toppers that year and earned recognition as an all-star at nationals. He currently resides in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where he owns a restaurant and bar.

Looking back on the team, Smith says it was already impressive for the Toppers to win the provincial title, let alone what they accomplished in the national tournament.

“We were a bunch of rural Saskatchewan kids that played high school volleyball against each other. We knew each other over the two to three years of high school competition. We all came together and made our team in Prince Albert. Just winning the province was a little bit of a feat in itself. But then being able to attend nationals in PEI, almost like a bunch of rural Saskatchewan small guys in a big, advanced tournament.”

Prince Albert would make a run to the final in PEI, which included an impressive semi-final win over a big, physical Ontario team in the semi-final. They would finish with a silver medal after losing to Alberta in the final.

Quintal says that team possessed an ability to play strong defence, which frustrated a lot of their opponents.

“It (was) a traditional Prince Albert volleyball team. Our coaches stressed small ball defence, even back then before the advent of the libero, we did a really good job defending. I think our two best defenders were Scott Graham, the setter and Derek Smith, the outside hitter. We were able to really extend rallies and make it tough for them to score against us.”

After earning their spot in nationals, there was still a lot of work to be done by the Toppers to earn their tickets to Prince Edward Island. The team had to raise more then $20,000 in a stretch of three weeks in order to pay for the expenses of attending the tournament. Adjusted for inflation, that is approximately $36,000 in 2024.

Quintal recalls days that included many long hours in advance of the tournament.

“It would be some long days where we’d be working, let’s say a penny carnival at the Gateway Mall, we’d be done, we’d have practice and then we’d head out to the bingo hall and work a shift at the bingo hall that night. We were definitely stretching ourselves both physically and mentally, just trying to keep up with everything.”

The effort was well worth it, regardless of the results on the court. Smith says he still holds the memories of his first trip to Atlantic Canada close because of the fact he experienced it with his team.

“That was my first trip out to the East Coast and being able to see how small Prince Edward Island really is, compared to our big Saskatchewan. When you look at the potato fields, there was a different color of soil out in the Eastern part of Canada versus the darker soil that we see in Saskatchewan. Being able to see the ocean and experience all that with my teammates and our great coaches, it made the trip memorable as well as being able to win a medal at the Canadian Nationals.”

Full Roster

Mike Davis, Jesse Ens, Scott Graham, Christian Hudon, Jeff Hunt, Brad Hvidston, Tyler Kabatoff, Dan Lloyd, Rene Quintal, Derek Smith, Joey Stabner, Kent Vermett. Coaches: Griff Pete and Dale Regel

The 2024 Prince Albert Hall of Fame induction banquet is on Saturday, April 27 at the Ches Leach Lounge, the event begins at 6 p.m.

STF to vote on government’s final offer in coming days

Nathan Reiter
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STF to vote on government’s final offer in coming days

The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF) will be voting on a final offer from the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee (GTBC) in the coming days.

The offer is a three-year agreement that would see salary increases of three percent in year one, three percent in year two and a two percent increase in years three with retroactive pay to September 2023.

STF president Samantha Becotte spoke to the media via zoom on Thursday morning.

“There are slight improvements from what was originally offered,” she said. “We did have a slight increase in terms of salary, but as I said, it doesn’t address the significant loss of purchasing power that teachers have experienced and have talked about needing to to see a correction.

“We have also seen improvements to start addressing the challenges around classroom complexity. So from where we ended with conciliation, we have seen the increased funding come within the multi year funding agreement with the SSBA. Teachers have no way to hold the government accountable to that and to ensure that those funds continue, but I strongly hope that regardless of what happens within this bargaining process, that members of the public continue to have a conversation around classroom complexity.”

The proposed agreement will be brought forward to STF members and will be voted upon on May 8 and 9. It will be the first time that the STF has taken a vote on a contract since sanctions were introduced in October.

“Regardless of the outcome of the vote on this offer, the bargaining process has taken a toll on the sector.” Becotte said. “The action that we have seen from the government, the actions from Saskatchewan School Boards Association, and the actions of some division administration have shown the lack of respect and appreciation for teachers in Saskatchewan and a lack of appreciation for the work that they do as professionals in classrooms. Relationships have been damaged and they will not be easily repaired. We need to ensure that we are working together in good faith with a real commitment to improving the experiences of students in all areas of the province.”

The STF is not providing any direction for members to vote for or against the proposed contract and the result will be entirely determined by the membership. Becotte says she is looking forward to talking with the membership ahead of the vote.

“I’m in a unique role here where my voice is not as important as the 13,500 teachers, and I fully respect them. My voice is really their voice, and so I look forward to having the conversation in depth with all of the members across the province. I look forward to hearing their feedback and where they are, I will 100 per cent support whatever the decision is from the 13,500 members across the province.”

There has been a difference in wording from both parties about the proposed deal. The STF has been calling it the final offer while the government has been calling it a tentative agreement.

“If you’re taking something to members, that’s a tentative agreement.” Education minister Jeremy Cockrill said during question period in Regina on Thursday. “I can’t control how the STF chooses to communicate about this…. Our understanding from the GTBC side of things, coming out of yesterday and the last two days of bargaining, is that we have a tentative agreement and that the STF was going to take that to their membership for ratification.

“At the end of the day, the ratification vote is up to STF membership,” Cockrill added. “I respect that process and I do hope that this deal is ratified because I think that’s what’s best for kids in this province is to move forward through this bargaining process. We have a good deal on offer here and it’s an opportunity to ensure that our kids can be back in the classroom and back on the track this spring and to make sure that there’s no sanctions for the rest of the school year.”

NDP education critic Matt Love says the provincial government’s messaging calling the offer a tentative agreement is not correct.

“There are different implications for the Teachers Federation than there are in other labor negotiations. I’ve yet to see clear details on that but we are seeing somewhat disingenuous messaging from the government calling this a tentative deal. It’s not a tentative deal. It will be up to teachers to decide what they think of this offer and that will happen.”

The STF has previously sought binding arbitration with the government. Binding arbitration would see a third party arbitrator brought in to decide the terms of the new deal.

Love says that the STF had good reasoning to seek that option.

“This government and Sask Party has always been willing to promise big on education and then fail to deliver. Teachers know that especially well. They were there in 2016 when the Sask Party promised things for our classrooms and then in 2017 when they cut it on classrooms with over 50 million dollars in cuts. They were there in 2020 when the government did the same thing, promised big in an election year and then gutted it the following year. Teachers know this well so the fact that they’re calling for accountability for a government that has failed them time and time again is a very reasonable approach.”

CFIB survey says one third of Saskatchewan businesses hurt by teachers’ strike

According to a press release, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says one third of Saskatchewan small businesses have been negatively affected by the ongoing Saskatchewan teacher’s strike.

The survey found that of the businesses impacted, 74 per cent said they are experiencing staffing challenges as employees with children have to leave work at odd hours or take days off to take care of their children.

“The ongoing teachers’ strike is disruptive for everyone, including local entrepreneurs,” said Brianna Solberg, CFIB provincial affairs director. “Business owners aren’t just worried about their operations, but they’re also worried about the wellbeing of their employees and their families.”

Nearly 70 per cent of business owners polled agree that the government should use all the tools available to end the strike as quickly as possible to avoid further disruptions.

editorial@paherald.sk.ca

Prince Albert hosts archers from across Saskatchewan for JOP Championships

Nathan Reiter
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Prince Albert hosts archers from across Saskatchewan for JOP Championships

The Alfred Jenkins Field House was packed with archers and spectators on the weekend.

The Timberland Bowbenders Archery Club played host to both the Junior Olympic Program (JOP) Championships and the Indoor Target Provincials on the weekend.

“It’s huge.” said Tiffany Jones, the JOP Program Coordinator for the Timberland Bowbenders. “This is one of the biggest events here in Saskatchewan that is going on today.”

More than 400 archers from all over Saskatchewan made the journey to Prince Albert to shoot in one or both events.

Jones says it was an honour for Timberland to get the opportunity to host the event.

“It’s awesome. We get to shoot in our hometown and we get to promote it to everybody what archery is. I don’t think there are very many people in the city that knows about it, but we’re promoting it.”

Lemmy Knudsen, Ferris Walters, and Carl Bothma were the top Timberland competitors on the weekend.

Knudsen defeated four other competitors to take first place in the Junior Archer category. Knudsen shot a 143 in round one to advance to the finals where he shot a 161. Cohen Dewald of Battle River Archers in North Battleford finished second with a final round score of 148, while Lukas Meyer of the Bowbusters Archery Club in Vanscoy took third.

Walters took first in the Olympian 240 category out a field of more than 20 archers. Walters shot a 243 in round one to earn a spot in the finals by a single point. Once there, he shot a 265 to take home the gold medal. Ella Garrett of Lloydminster shot a 258 to finish second, while Thomas Rakochy of the Frontier Bowmen in Regina took third.

Bothma took first in the Olympian 297-300 category, with fellow Timberland Bowbender Gage Malenfant finishing second. Both Prince Albert archers scored 292 in the final, with Bothma taking first by scoring two points higher in round 1. Samantha Renneberg of Saskatoon finished third.

Timberland archer Skylar Franco also medaled. Her final round of 255 was good enough to win silver in the Olympian 230 category. Hunter Banga of Langenburg took gold with a final round of 261, while Sam Betskal of Saskatoon earned bronze.

Prince Albert hosts second annual Winter Thaw Classic Pickleball tournament

Nathan Reiter
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Prince Albert hosts second annual Winter Thaw Classic Pickleball tournament

Players from across Saskatchewan made their way to the Alfred Jenkins Field House for the second annual Winter Thaw Classic pickleball tournament on Saturday.

The sport of pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. According to information released by Pickleball Canada in January 2023, 11% of Canadian households reported at least one member who played the sport at least once a month.

Stefan Graner is one of the organizers for the Winter Thaw Classic. He says the sport of pickleball has grown significantly within Prince Albert. 

“It’s been around since the 1960s but it really has been starting to spread in the last four or five years here in Prince Albert. I think within the last two years we had probably a hundred percent increase in our membership and it’s just taken off all over the world.”

On Saturday, there were participants from Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Regina and Melfort competing in the tournament. Graner says there was also a wide age range of athletes participating in the event.

“Pickleball has come a little bit into different age groups, so we have the youngest ones here are 11 and the oldest one is probably in their early 80s and they have been playing in the tournament as well, so all age groups, it’s still tricky to find time for court time for people who are still working, but we’re working on that, so it’s coming together slowly, but steadily.”

The Winter Thaw Classic was organized by Pickleball Prince Albert alongside the Saskatchewan Senior Fitness Association. Graner says one major point the organizing committee was aiming for was the ability to have every player play a significant number of games, regardless of result.

“We started organizing this in January, we figured out a play format that would be a little bit different from what usually happens in tournaments where you get eliminated pretty quickly. We wanted to make sure that this tournament has a lot of gameplay. Everybody who played the first round moved on to the second round split into the winners and the consolation bracket. Everybody got at least seven, eight or nine games.”

sports@paherald.sk.ca

Stanick hopeful for pro opportunity after WHL career comes to close

Nathan Reiter
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Stanick hopeful for pro opportunity after WHL career comes to close

From the time he arrived in Prince Albert, all Sloan Stanick did was improve.

Raider head coach Jeff Truitt says Stanick was a huge presence in the team’s dressing room in his final season.

“With 84 points this year, his energy was infectious. The leadership in practices, he set the tone for us.”

The Rapid City, Manitoba product was originally drafted by the Everett Silvertips in the seventh round, 145th overall in the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft..

Stanick would never sign with the Silvertips organization and found himself on the move to Regina on January 10, 2019. The Pats acquired the rights to Stanick, a 2020 second round pick (selection was later dealt to Seattle for Roddy Ross and used on goaltender Scott Ratzlaff) and a 2022 sixth round pick (selection was dealt back to Everett and used on forward Lukas Kaplan) in exchange for forward Robbie Holmes.

After spending the 2020-21 bubble season and the first five games of the 2021-22 season with the Pats, Stanick would find himself on the move for the final time in his WHL career.

The Prince Albert Raiders acquired the services of Stanick on October 12, 2021 from the Pats, sending physical defenceman Adam McNutt back to the provincial capital.

Stanick would hit the ground running with the Raiders, posting 45 points in 61 games for the Raiders following the move.

The next two seasons, Stanick improved on his numbers registering 64 points in 67 games as a 19-year-old and having an impressive overage campaign with 84 points as a 20-year-old.

Stanick says he was thankful to play in front of a passionate Raider fan base for the final three years of his WHL career.

“The coaching staff and Curtis (Hunt), they made it fun to come to the rink every day and nobody works harder than them. Someone came up to me at Tim Horton’s yesterday and just thanked me, and that was pretty special. The community is always rooting for us and watching. They’re the most passionate fans in the world. I look forward to coming back and cheering on the Raiders and just watching them succeed over the next few years.”

Stanick and the Raiders saw their season come to an end last week as they fell to the Saskatoon Blades in five games in the first round of the WHL playoffs.

Stanick says it was special to have his last games in the WHL come in a rivalry playoff series.

“We wanted to win obviously and it didn’t work out for us. They’re a good rivalry and made it fun for us and I hope the fans really enjoyed it because everyone in our room did.”

Now that his junior career has come to a close, Stanick says he holds quite a few moments close to his heart as something he will remember for years to come.

“There are quite a few (memories). The overtime winner in Brandon, close to my hometown, doesn’t really beat that but there are a couple of great ones making the playoffs with this team. Just the memories in the dressing room pranking guys having fun; those are memories that will last for sure.”

As for future plans, Stanick is hoping to get a shot to play in the professional ranks but hasn’t yet heard any news.

“(I’m) not too sure yet.” Stanick says. “Hopefully in the next few days we’ll see what happens and go from there. I’m looking forward to an opportunity and you just got to take advantage of that and I just want to thank my billet Nancy too. She’s the best and she made it easy the last three years and thought I’d give her a shout out here.”

sports@paherald.sk.ca

PA Sports Hall of Fame to welcome Jenn Ferguson

Nathan Reiter
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PA Sports Hall of Fame to welcome Jenn Ferguson

For more than 20 years, Jenn Ferguson has been a fixture as a coach in Prince Albert sports.

Ferguson, who is currently the principal at Carlton Comprehensive High School, began coaching back in 2002 when she started coaching senior girls’ soccer and basketball at the school. Ferguson then began coaching softball in the spring of 2003.

Ferguson says seeing the passion that each athlete brings to their sport is what keeps her coming back.

“It’s definitely the kids of course. I’ve been so lucky over the course of my coaching career to work with hundreds and hundreds of young women. Just the joy they bring to the diamond or the court or the field, the energy that they feed me with and the lessons they’ve taught me you can’t replace those in any other volunteer way.”

Ferguson began coaching senior girls soccer for Carlton beginning in the fall of 2002. She held the post as head coach until 2016 and in that time, Carlton was crowned regional champions five times. Ferguson would lead Carlton to provincial gold medals in 2009 and 2013, silver medals in 2015 and 2016 and a bronze medal in 2012.

The Carlton seniors girls’ basketball program has been putting Prince Albert on the map for several years and Ferguson has been a major reason why. She has been a member of the coaching staff since 2002 and in that time, Carlton has won the regional title nine times. The Crusader girls’ have won five provincial medals in that time frame including a gold medal in 2010, a silver in 2007 and a trio of bronze medals in 2009, 2016 and 2018.

Kelsey Pearson has coached alongside Ferguson for the past six seasons on the Carlton seniors girls’ basketball team. She says Ferguson has been a successful coach because of her ability to give players advice that expands well beyond sport.

“For me what makes Jenn so special is what she teaches the kids behind closed doors. That’s what makes her the best coach. I’m lucky that I get to sit next to her and just be a sponge and I get to witness this greatness which not everyone gets to see. She’s so inspiring and she teaches so many life lessons besides what to do on the court.”

“It’s the way she teaches them those important things, like how to be a good teammate, how to sit on the bench when you’re not playing and be a good person, how to talk to your teammates when you’re like not on the court, what to do in the hallways, how to keep your marks up and time management. She is so inspirational and has lived through it. She can honestly tell the girls that these are the skills that you’re going to take and move on with and use for the rest of your life. I think that just speaks to her not only as a coach, but as a person.”

Ferguson says the most rewarding aspect of coaching for her is seeing her former players succeed once they graduate and move onto the next chapter of their lives, whether in sport or professionally.

“I think the bigger success or the more joy that I find is watching these young women learn the skills that they need to be successful after high school, whether that be in university or in the career they choose or just being part of our community and seeing them develop the relationships amongst their teammates that they do. Watch them struggle, watch them overcome that struggle, succeed and be stronger and better because of it. I just really find it so rewarding when those kids come back to visit or find a way to contribute to the current team that I’m coaching or want to get involved in a club program that’s happening in Prince Albert”.

Ferguson’s first taste of coaching came in her teenage years. While she was living in Saskatoon, she coached fastpitch softball alongside her uncle for teams that had some of her younger cousins.

The itch to coach stuck with Ferguson as she went into education. While she was already coaching soccer and basketball at Carlton, Ferguson approached Prince Albert Minor Softball about coaching a team in the summertime.

In 2003, she led a Squirt team to a provincial championship and the success kept coming on the diamond.

Ferguson would lead Prince Albert to a Western Canadian bronze medal in 2005 when they hosted the championship. She would lead the Midget Aces to back to back provincial championships in 2009 and 2010. The 2010 squad also won gold at the Western Canadian championships.

In 2013, Ferguson led a bantam Aces team, who were perceived as an underdog to a gold medal at the Western Canadians in Winnipeg. The success continued into 2014 as the Bantam Aces would win provincials. The next year, they took home a provincial silver medal in the midget category.

Ferguson says she enjoyed the experience of coaching some championship teams, but the most special part for her was seeing her players spend time together away from the field.

“I’m a competitive person. I enjoy winning just as much as everybody else that plays on the teams that I coach. When you get there, you quickly learn as an athlete or a coach that playing on a ball diamond in British Columbia is fairly similar to playing on a ball diamond in Saskatchewan. The talent level has increased that you’re competing against, but you’re still trying to do the same things that you were here.”

“It was always my objective to make sure that the girls were creating memories off the field as much as they were creating them on the field. When we get together again, whenever that is, we won’t necessarily be talking about the games. We’ll be talking about the things that we did together. That’s definitely one of the things that I enjoyed most about the travel that we’ve got to get to do together with all the teams I’ve coached is the time we’ve spent together, not competing.”

When asked about hearing the news of Ferguson’s upcoming induction, Pearson says she is incredibly excited that Ferguson will be honored and that she is looking forward to coaching with her for many more years to come.

“I’m so proud of her and there’s no one I can think of that’s more deserving. She deserves it every year and I wish I would have been the one to nominate her because I didn’t even know that she had not won that award yet and definitely so well deserved. I couldn’t be more proud of her and I don’t think there’s anyone more deserving than Jenn.”

“I could tear up talking about Jenn. I think I could go on and on. It’s an honor learning from her and being able to sit beside her for the last six years coaching. Hopefully she has another 30 years left because I ain’t letting her go.”

Ferguson and the rest of the 32nd Induction Class in the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame will be honored at the induction banquet in the Ches Leach Lounge on April 27. The event begins at 6 p.m.

sports@paherald.sk.ca

Ivkovic re-signed as PAYSA technical director

Nathan Reiter
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Ivkovic re-signed as PAYSA technical director

The game of soccer is growing in Prince Albert and one of the major people behind it will remain involved for the long term.

Dragutin Ivkovic will be the technical director of the Prince Albert Youth Soccer Association (PAYSA) for the foreseeable future after renewing his contract for another five years, the organization announced on Wednesday.


“PAYSA is very excited to extend (the) contract of our Technical Director Dragutin (Dragan) Ivkovic for a few more years. He has been an asset and successful in helping us achieve the highest level of soccer for our Club in the Province.” President of PAYSA Nnamdi Ndubuka said in a press release.
Ivkovic has been the technical director for PAYSA for the past eight years and is originally from Serbia.

Ivkovic says he was humbled to get the opportunity to continue serving as PAYSA technical director.

“Honestly, I see that as a recognition for everything I did in the past year and for showing the effort with me and all the soccer families, players, First Nations, sport directors, and the board that we built the biggest soccer club in the province.”

During the indoor season, PAYSA had more than 900 athletes competing across all levels. In the upcoming outdoor season, Ivkovic is expecting more than 1,000 athletes to be playing soccer. He says he would like to see soccer continue to grow in the Prince Albert community.

“Moving forward, we would like to keep the same numbers as we have now and try to improve our Celtic level, that’s our highest competitive level to be able to compete on the divisional level with all the other clubs in the province. We are doing so well for now but the biggest challenge is to keep that level. It’s much harder to stay on that level than to reach it.”

Ivkovic credits a lot of the success PAYSA has experience to every member who has contributed time to the organization.

“I really think we all did a good job, not me, this is teamwork and definitely cannot be done without all support from my coaches and my board. Building a good program attracts the kids. We made the biggest soccer club in the province, so that’s a huge achievement for the community size of Prince Albert.”

PAYSA is still accepting registrations for the upcoming outdoor season

sports@paherald.sk.ca

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