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Davidson

RM of Dundurn deals with population boom

For better or worse the Rural Municipality of Dundurn is changing.

The RM’s population is increasing daily due to the rapid growth of Saskatoon and the desire of the city folk to escape the concrete jungle that obscure their vision during the hours of 9 to 5 to a place more in tune with nature for the rest of their day.

Fred Wilson, Reeve of the RM of Dundurn, confirmed the municipality’s population grew by around 81 per cent between 2006 and 2011 to about 1,148 citizens. He said the growth has been a challenge, but they are prepared for even more people moving to the municipality in the near future.

“We’ll take it as it comes,” said Wilson. “We have made preparations for future expansion. It’s like everything else. It’s changing the perspective of our municipality considerably. When change comes you have to adapt to it, so we’re adapting.”

Wilson said the RM has increased their fire protection services, outside staff and equipment base in the past few years to meet the needs of the increased population. He said they have been able to cope primarily due to their dedicated staff who is working to keep the municipality moving smoothly along and because of the locations where the majority of new residents are moving.

“Everything that has been happening has been in fairly close proximity to Highway 11, which is our main artery to Saskatoon,” he said. “That has helped the development quite a bit. We’re not having to build a lot of extra roads. We are refurbishing our roads all the time, that is a cost, but the expansion of the tax base has helped cover the cost of that.”

The majority of the subdivisions being developed are at the north end of the RM, said Wilson, noting that land is not friendly to large farm operations, so when the farmers that were there retired nobody was around to take it over.

“That’s how the developers came in,” he said. “They sold the land to developers and that is how it actually started happening. The developers were prepared to pay considerably more money for the land than what the local farmers were prepared to pay for it.”

Wilson said to meet the growth experienced in the past seven years the RM has been increasing the residential subdivisions in the municipality considerably and they are now filling in with houses. He said two more subdivisions have been recently applied for and approved with 30 lots per subdivision and construction is beginning on those already.

To read more please see the Sept. 16 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson, Sports

Morrison takes home gold and bronze at 2013 World Martial Arts Games

Despite battling nerves, a bloody nose and a big fighter from Bosnia earlier this month, Davidson’s James Morrison overcame the difficulties facing him and emerged a Canadian gold medalist.

James, 14, won gold in the hand form of kata as well as a bronze medal in the continuous sparring competition at the 2013 World Martial Arts Games held Sept. 4 to 9 at Schendlinger Hall in Bregenz, Austria as a member of the Canadian National Martial Arts team. The annual tournament brought together over 500 of the top martial artists from 17 countries to compete in various events from kickboxing to karate and kung fu to numerous others.

“I got pretty nervous a lot of the time,” said James, who represented the Sagayo School of Martial Arts at the Games “It was a big tournament. There were lots of countries there and lots of kids there. It was a really good experience (and) I met a lot of nice people who are also part of Team Canada.”

James said the competition at the Games was “pretty intense” as most of the martial artists there had been practising their sport for a long time and displayed many different styles that he has never seen before. He said winning gold in kata among these competitors was a great feeling, but getting bronze in continuous sparring was extra special.

“I’ve never actually done continuous sparring before,” he said. “I got a nosebleed at the beginning of it and you get really tired because you have to go get as many points as you can in two minutes. Then I was going up against a fairly big guy for the first time. He was a brown belt too (and) he was older. I don’t know how old he was, but probably about 16.”

After patching up the nosebleed caused by a punch from the big Bosnian, James stepped back onto the mat to finish off the two-round fight. He said the adrenaline was flowing, so he wasn’t really frightened and that helped him better his opponent and take home his second medal.

In order to make it to Austria for the tournament, James held a fund-raising drive earlier this summer to try and make the $2,825 that was needed for the trip. He said the drive was a success as he was able to collect enough donations to hit the target and wants to thank everyone who helped him by donating funds.

James said the 2014 World Martial Arts Games are being held in Richmond, B.C., and his plan is to once again represent Canada at the tournament and hopefully win another medal or two.

Sports

Football teams take the field for exhibition action

High school football in the area got into full swing earlier this month when teams from Davidson, Hanley, Loreburn/Kenaston and Central Butte got into some pre-season game action.

In their only pre-season game of the season Sept. 6 the Hanley Sabres beat the Davidson Raiders 85-13 at the Ranch in Davidson while the Loreburn/Kenaston Aztecs came from behind for a 44-30 victory over the Central Butte Bulldogs at The Dog House in Central Butte.

Aztecs vs. Bulldogs

Aztecs coach Lloyd Tulp said the game provided him with a somewhat good idea of where his team stands heading into their first regular season game at LCBI versus the Bisons. He said there were some positives to take out of the game, but his team will have to improve their timing both offensively and defensively if they want to make it to the playoffs.

“Some players surprised me,” said Tulp, noting Grade 9 quarterback Dawson George and Grade 10 middle linebacker Clayton Jess had strong games where they showed off their athleticism and intensity on the field.

The Aztecs were down 22-20 to the Bulldogs heading into the fourth quarter when the two coaches decided to put in their younger players to give them a taste of game action.

Troy Wist, coach of the Bulldogs, said the coaches had agreed beforehand to put in the rookies and treat the fourth quarter as more of a junior style game.

“The coaches were in the huddle,” said Wist. “We did do some specialty teams because they scored some touchdowns, so they did do some kickoffs. It was a good learning experience for them.”

Wist said his team felt good about their game because they were able to find their groove and battle back to take the lead after going down early to the Aztecs. He said fitness is an area his club would have to work on as they are going to have a few guys playing both ways, but all in all he is happy with how his boys played.

“It was a great game,” he said. “Both teams had good sportsmanship (and) it was a friendly game.”

Sabres vs. Raiders

Raiders coach Blair Frederickson said his players should look at their 85-13 loss to the Sabres on home field Sept. 6 as a good learning experience for the three-year-old club. He said it is important for Davidson to compete against these tough teams early on in the season to give them an idea of what they need to do to become a top team in this league.

“By playing (Hanley) early in the season, it makes my boys rise up to a higher level, which is going to benefit my program and my kids,” said Frederickson. “Football is very much a long haul. Sometimes we get caught up in that day-to-day (thinking). By the end of the month, by the beginning of October…that’s when we’ll see if the boys are making progress and pulling together.”

To read more please see the Sept. 16 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

featured

Sarich welcomes fresh start with Avalanche

Cory Sarich is excited for a fresh start this season patrolling the blue-line for the Colorado Avalanche, but knows he’s in a battle with some young guys to earn a spot on the team.

“I can bring some grit and some consistency to their defence,” said Sarich, 35. “Just from being an opponent last year (and) playing against them, they definitely have some guys who can put the puck in the net and as far as defencemen they have a lot of guys who are geared to get up the ice and provide offence along with the forwards. I think they’ll probably need somebody to stay at home and that is something that my game is geared towards.”

The Calgary Flames traded the 6’4″ 207 lb defenceman and forward Alex Tanguay to the Avalanche June 27 for David Jones and Shane O’Brien. Sarich has one year left on a two-year $4 million contract he signed with the Flames on June 29, 2012.

“This move will either extend my career or it could potentially be the end of things (if it) doesn’t go as planned, as far as the NHL is concerned anyways,” said the veteran rearguard who entered the league as a 1996 second-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres. “It is something that I need to do. I feel I have something to prove. I did prove that over the course of the last two years to my coaches and to people that were doubting me in Calgary. I would play really well when they finally decided to play me and then the next season would start and they would give up on me.

“I finished the season strong again last year and was doing exactly what I needed to be doing, but I didn’t want to go in and have everything back to square one and (have) to try out again to fill the team. If I’m going to do that I’d rather do it somewhere else where I might get a better shot.”

Sarich suited up for only 28 games with the Flames last season in a condensed 48-game schedule. He had two assists, was a minus-eight and tallied 16 penalty minutes while averaging 14:51 of ice time.

The Bladworth native said he has been asking the Flames for a move at certain points over the past few years due to frustration with his situation on the team, so he appreciates general manager Jay Feaster giving him a chance to go somewhere else this year.

“It stared off great (in Calgary),” said Sarich, signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Flames in the summer of 2007. “We made the playoffs a couple years in a row and we were on the cusp, but (then) we had a change in coaching. I’m not blaming anybody there. We had a lot of personnel change over the last few years too and it couldn’t seem to click. You go three or four years without making the playoffs, that gets tiresome too.

“Maybe we were to blame as players, you could point a finger at coaching, (but) it’s usually a collection of both. We just weren’t getting the job done. I’m not sure what exactly our problem was in Calgary, but it was just time for a change for a lot of people.”

Sarich said he can provide leadership and “some age” in the Avalanche dressing room, which the young team may need making it to the next level. Colorado finished nine games under .500 and in last place in the Western Conference last year with a total of 39 points, but he said if the team gets set in the right direction and off to a hot start this season they could make a run for a playoff spot.

To read more please see the Sept. 9 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson

Student enrolment up at majority of area schools

Summer is out and school is in for children, teachers and staff across this area.

The kids headed back to class or to class for the first time last Tuesday for the first day of the 2013-2014 school year. Although the first week is always hectic for teachers and staff at the numerous schools to get to know the names that go with the new faces that are suddenly staring up at them, everyone seemed to be excited to get going.

Enrolment numbers at each of the schools remained fairly constant with those from last year and despite a few subtractions and additions to the teacher ranks at each school those who occupied a certain classroom last year are for the most part occupying the same one this September.

Now that the first week is over, it is full steam ahead for the schools to implement any new and previous initiatives that are in place to get the kids learning to the best of their abilities.

Dundurn Elementary School

Jason Hill, principal of Dundurn Elementary School, said there are 151 students enrolled at the pre-Kindergarten to Grade 6 school including 27 kids in the Kindergarten class. He said the school is also welcoming one new intern to their teaching ranks this fall as Julie Belina would be helping out with the Grade 5/6 class.

“One of our new goals this year is to provide tools, skills and opportunities of inquiry to improve student engagement and achievement,” said Hill. “Inquiries is a newer focus within the curriculum and we’re hoping (to focus) on technology and use of technology as tools in relation to inquiry.”

Hill said the school got off to a great start this year with their annual opening day pancake breakfast. He said close to 300 people came out for flapjacks smothered with maple syrup including representatives from most of the families that have children enrolled at the school.

Loreburn Central School

Loreburn Central School principal Jill Long said 100 students are enrolled at the Kindergarten to Grade 12 school this year including four in Kindergarten. She said there are no interns at the school this fall, but they do have a new teacher in Blair Frederickson, who is taking up the career development position at schools in Loreburn, Kenaston and Davidson, and a new custodian in Michelle Lafontaine.

Long said there will be a focus on reading and physical health and wellness during the 2013-2014 school year. She said they are also continuing with their Leader in Me initiative this year where priority is placed on teaching kids the seven habits of highly effective students in the 21st Century.

“Our first (habit) is be pro-active,” said Long. “The second is begin with the end in mind. The third is to put first things first. The fourth is think ‘win win’ and seek first to understand and be understood. Habit six is synergize and habit seven is sharpening the saw.”

The principal said they would be hosting a Leader in Me day later this year where they invite people from around the area to come to the school and see what the program is all about. She said the students run the whole day including the assembly and the planning of it.

To read more please see the Sept. 9 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson, Sports

Junior Raiders prepare for upcoming jamboree

Jason Low, head coach of the Davidson Raiders junior football team, has “high expectations” for his second-year club as they head into their first jamboree of the season this Saturday at the Ranch.

“There are a lot of really good athletes in that age group (with) lots of passion for football,” said Low. “Those are the boys when we started the team that we always saw out on their own time on the weekends and evenings playing football in the field. They’re all very excited.”

The Raiders are lining up against squads from Watrous and Outlook at the Ranch, but there is a possibility a fourth team could be added to the bill. After this weekend, the Raiders would head to Watrous for a jamboree Sept. 21 and Outlook for a mini-tournament on Sept. 28.

Low said the junior football program is different from the senior team as coaches are on the field with players during game action and everything during the game is geared towards a developmental process. He said the games are also not structured the same as in senior football, so fans coming out to watch the junior Raiders this Saturday should expect a few differences.

“Davidson offence would have 10 plays in a row against the other team’s defence and (then) they’ll switch,” he said. “The other team will then get 10 plays against (our) defence. They just go back and forth like that. That is how the style of game goes and there is no kickoffs or field goals. It is all running and passing plays. If you get a touchdown the first play, you still get nine more plays.”

Raiders associate coach Trevor Ouellette said games usually last around 45 to 50 minutes and the first one this Saturday should start at about 10 a.m. with the next game at 11 a.m. and the final one at noon. He said there is no score taken during the games and there are no winners or losers.

“The players know the score, but the coaches don’t,” said Ouellette. “We don’t care. It’s purely developmental. The kids play some games and that’s all. There are no standings.”

Ouellette said the junior program is mainly about getting players ready for the jump to senior action. He said these games give the kids an introduction to live contact and also enables the coaches an opportunity to stress safe practices.

Low said these three jamborees should provide a “pretty full day” for the kids involved and he hopes more games would make it onto the schedule before the season ends.

“We should have quite a few games for the boys this year,” he said.