DAVIDSON—Dakota Wightman hopes to make it to the Olympics some day.
Her dream, should the International Olympics Committee co-operate by reinstating softball in the summer games, is to officiate an Olympic softball game.
The Davidson native is well on her way.
Wightman has swiftly risen up the umpiring ranks.
On Oct. 25 Softball Saskatchewan selected Wightman as its Umpire of the Year. The award recognizes all that Wightman has done for umpiring in the province.
This year she umpired games on all levels as well as taking on a leadership role with the Softball Saskatchewan, serving as deputy Umpire in Chief on the Umpire Development Committee.
“She also went above and beyond by continually recruiting new younger umpires to be part of the minor program in Saskatoon,” Duane Bakken, provincial umpire in chief, said when he presented Wightman with the award. “You could often find Dakota at the diamonds offering feedback to them and encouraging them to improve their game.”
To read more, please see the Nov. 3 print edition of The Davidson Leader. To subscribe, phone 306-567-2047.
Category Archives: featured
Flu clinic runs out of vaccine
DAVIDSON—Heartland Health Region had to turn people away from the influenza vaccination clinic in Davidson Thursday after they ran out of adult doses of the vaccine.
The health region received a vaccine shipment to Rosetown at noon Thursday, but due to logistics could not transport it that quickly out to Davidson, said LeAnne Paproski, communications coordinator for Heartland Health Region.
“We are very sorry we had to turn people away. We have had a few clinics now across the region where the public uptake has been swift and the doses of vaccine run out,” she said.
The next Davidson Influenza clinic is Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Health Centre from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and there will be lots of vaccine available, Paproski said.
Remembrance Day service to pay tribute to fallen soldiers
DAVIDSON—Two Canadian soldiers who were killed by extremists in one week in October will be remembered at Davidson’s Remembrance Day Service Nov. 11.
A tribute to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent is planned as part the local service. Cirillo was gunned down Oct. 22 as he stood guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Two days earlier Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was struck by a car and killed at a strip mall parking lot in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.
Their deaths, which took place on home soil, has Canadians grieving and acknowledging the sacrifices veterans and current military members make for our freedom.
The service begins at 10:45 a.m. with the marching in of the flags by members of the air cadet squadron says Gord McRae, president of the Davidson branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
He said the service will be similar to those held in past years. Davidson Inter Church Association and the Legion are involved in the service. As well, McRae said it would feature a PowerPoint presentation by Davidson School students.
He said the community’s surviving Second World War veterans Alf Stulberg, Meryl Warren and Frank Taylor, Korean War veteran Bob Booker and war brides Jean Fells, Thelma Edwards and Gladys Camber will be recognized.
This year’s guest speaker is Ron Sarich, who served in the Canadian Air Force from 1970 to 1993.
Johnny Cash tribute show set for Wednesday
DAVIDSON—Fans of the Man in Black are in for a treat Wednesday when David James and Big River bring their Johnny Cash tribute show to the Parish Hall in Davidson.
“I speak like him, I act like him…” James said from his cell phone Monday while he and his band Big River were cruising down the Yellowhead Highway, heading from Alberta to Flin Flon for their next show.
James and Big River have been bringing their authentic tribute show to Johnny Cash fans for about six years and he’s had this current line up for three years.
“It’s not only about the voice,” James said. “It’s about living and breathing the man—his posture, his mannerisms, his moves and his quirks. I want our audiences to go home feeling like they just observed the man himself.”
James said his biggest compliment is when people, who saw Cash perform live, tell him how much like Cash he is.
People have a chance to see the man who starts his show by saying, “Hello — I’m almost Johnny Cash” this Wednesday.
David James and Big River are coming to Davidson through agent Trent Schmiedge of Graffitti Music. Schmiedge said a share of proceeds from the show will go to the new swimming pool fund.
Alcohol believed factor in Hwy. 11 crash near Dundurn
DUNDURN—On Thursday, Oct. 23, at 8:20 p.m., Saskatoon RCMP received a report of a vehicle travelling north in the southbound lane of Highway 11 near the community of Dundurn. Shortly after, Saskatoon RCMP received a second report of a collision between two vehicles in the southbound lane of Highway 11.
Initial investigation has revealed that a truck with one lone 63-year-old male from Blaine Lake was traveling northbound in the southbound lane when it collided with a truck with a lone female occupant from the Hanley area that was traveling southbound.
The male’s truck rolled into the ditch. The male driver of the northbound truck was transported via STARS to hospital in Saskatoon with what were described as serious injuries. The female driver of the southbound truck received undetermined injuries.
Road and weather conditions were ideal at the time of the collision and alcohol is believed to be a factor. Saskatoon RCMP are currently investigating this collision.
McNabb new King
By Jamie Harkins
LOS ANGELES—The 2014 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings roster remains virtually intact for the 2014-2015 campaign with the only new plate above a dressing room stall bearing the name Brayden McNabb.
As of press time, the Davidson-born defenceman has appeared in all six Kings games this season where he has recorded zero points, two penalty minutes, 16 hits and a plus-one rating in 17:21 of average ice time each game. Due to an early season injury to Jake Muzzin, McNabb has spent this time on ice playing alongside all-star defenceman Drew Doughty.
“He’s a great player,” said McNabb, 23, who beat out fellow Manchester Monarchs rearguard Jeff Schultz for the sole vacant roster spot in camp. “He’s one of the best if not the best defenceman out there, so it’s pretty fun. He’s an easy player to play with and when you give him the puck you know he’s going to do something good with it. It’s just a good experience to learn from him.”
McNabb said playing with Doughty presents a good challenge for him because the duo are facing the opposing team’s best line each shift. He said lining up with Doughty for one game in the pre-season and black acing with the team during the Cup run has helped him transition to this spot, but there are still areas of the game he needs to get better at and the coaching staff is helping him in this regard.
“I do video with (defensive coach) John Stevens almost after every game,” he said. “We watch over my shifts and he’s really good at analyzing the game and helping me on what I need to work on. But that basically is just playing within the dots and having good angles on players and just being a hard guy to play against.”
The current edition of the Kings is proving to be just as hard to play against as they were during last spring’s Cup run. Los Angeles has a 4-1-1 record through the first six games and sits in second place in the Pacific Division.
McNabb said the veteran laden team is a confident group and should be considering everyone on the roster except himself has at least one or two Cup rings. He said the players in the room are really tight and it is easy for him to see why they win so much with the great chemistry they have.
“It’s good to be around the older guys,” said McNabb. “You get to watch and learn from them and use it for now and for the future of my career.”