After a successful inaugural event, Sports On Central will take over downtown Prince Albert once again.
Sports On Central director Meghan Mayer says the event last year exceeded her expectations, so they decided to bring it back on May 25.
“Last year, we had a big vision, not really knowing what it would look like and it came together amazing (with) different sports organizations that were showcasing what they have to offer and it was a tremendous success.”
Sports On Central will see Central Avenue in Prince Albert closed to motor vehicle traffic and all sorts of different sports organizations will set up areas for kids to try their hand at introductory activities for each event.
Last year, the event was headlined by special guest and former Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Derrick Moncrief. Mayer says the 2024 edition of Sports On Central will be larger then the first ever event last year.
“We decided that we were going to go ahead and do it again this year, but we were going to make it even bigger, assessing some of the things we could change. We’ve added another soccer field and we’ve taken up more of the downtown space. The city let us shut down Central and 9th, and now we’ve taken up another street on Central.”
The event will begin at 11 a.m. and will feature a main stage with speeches from various individuals in the local sports community. Stryker Zablocki will take the stage at 12 p.m. Zablocki is coming off a season where she won the Esso Cup with the Regina Rebels and earned a bronze medal with Team Canada at the IIHF Women’s U18 World Championship in Switzerland in January.
At 2 p.m, the Prince Albert Police Service will square off with the Prince Albert Fire Department in a highly competitive street hockey game.
This year’s featured guest at Sports On Central will be Greg Hendricks. Hendricks is a former professional basketball player and currently serves as the team chaplain for the San Francisco 49ers.
Mayer says Sports On Central is thrilled that Hendricks will be making the journey to Prince Albert from his home in California for the event.
“We’re so excited. I have heard him speak a couple of times and he’s an incredible speaker. He also has written books for men, so that’s why there is a men’s dinner. He played college basketball as well so he has a sports background. I know that whenever I mention his name, because he is coming from the 49ers, people are so excited that he’s coming. It’s an actual privilege to have him in Prince Albert.”
Hendricks will also speak at a Men’s Dinner at 6:30 p.m. after the conclusion of the Sports On Central event.
Sports On Central runs from 11 a.m. through 4 p.m and is completely free of charge.. Participants are encouraged to pre-register for the event at sportsoncentral.ca
sports@paherald.sk.ca
