A new event is coming to Prince Albert this fall as the Prince Albert Raiders will host their first ever Raiders Run event in support of the team’s education fund.
Raider business manager Michael Scissons says the team decided to form the event to complement the already existing events schedule in Prince Albert.
“There’s just some incredible events, we thought there was room in the community and in the area for doing another one a little bit later in the year, almost like a fall run. We got a great day on October the 6th, and it’s just a way of promoting the healthy lifestyle and living and celebrating our community and everything that’s great about it.”
Participants in the Raiders run will have the option to sign up for a 2km, 5km or 10 km loop. The Raiders are hosting the event in collaboration with 321 Go Running, a company based out of Saskatoon that organizes other running events including the Saskatoon SPCA Jog and Stroll and Step Up For Mental Health.
Early bird registration will cost $58.50 for the general public and $35 for students ages 6 to 18. It is free for children under five to attend. The event will also feature a 0 km option for those who want to support the event, but not participate in the run.
All members of the Raiders, including staff, players and coaching staff will be full participants in the run.
Scissons says there was a bit of a light hearted exchange with some members of the organization, but they are all looking forward to the event.
“It was kind of funny. I just got a text message from Jeff Truitt saying ‘I wish we were consulted. My knees are already hurting.’ I was joking with them a little bit. The players and coaches and entire staff are excited to participate. I think you’ll see our players probably taking part in the 2K run along with our mascot with the families that sign up. Our guys love being out in the community and being part of it and then you get them doing some active events. They’ll get out there and be as competitive as ever with each other, but at the same time, have fun. The entire organization is looking forward to taking part.”
Whenever a player signs with a WHL team, they sign a Development and Scholarship agreement. For each season spent in the WHL, a player will receive full coverage of tuition, compulsory fees and textbooks. According to the WHL website, more than 405 WHL Scholarships were utilized by alumni during the 2018-19 season.
Scissons says being able to provide the funding for those scholarships is something the Raider organization is proud of doing each and every season.
“It’s one of the flagship projects of the Western Hockey League. Every year you play in the league, you get a year of education and books paid for it. That education and books doesn’t get cheaper through time, and the costs are significant, and so we always look for ways to contribute to that education fund to continue to pay for the schooling of our former players and our alumni. It’s something we’re really excited to be able to do every year, because to see the growth in our individuals as they go out and become part of the workforce and get that trade outside of hockey or while continuing to play hockey is something I think is incredibly important, and so we’re happy to be able to do that.”
Registration for the event is now open online.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
