Category Archives: Sports

Davidson, Loreburn, Sports

Raitec girls ready as volleyball season begins

Davidson's Cheyanne Nordmarken is seen going for a block in this photo taken during a home senior girls tournament in October 2014.
Davidson’s Cheyanne Nordmarken is seen going for a block in this photo taken during a home senior girls tournament in October 2014.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Spikes and serves are already flying at Davidson School as the senior girls volleyball team heads into its season.

For the second year, students from Davidson and Loreburn are joining forces on a co-op team, and manager Sandra Baldwin said she’s already impressed with what she’s seeing.

“I think it’s looking very good,” she said Thursday. “Based on the first practice, the girls look very strong.”

The team name, the Davidson/Loreburn Raitec, combines the names of the two school teams, the Davidson Raiders and the Loreburn Aztecs.

Baldwin said the team has a roster of 16 girls this year, including six from Loreburn and 10 from Davidson.

Teacher Karen McConnell and intern Hallie Vollmer are coaching the team, along with Tony Baldwin, former Davidson principal and current director of education for Prairie South School Division.

Sandra Baldwin said seven Grade 10 students joined the team this year, making up nearly half of its roster, but she added they already have plenty of experience from playing on the junior team and in club volleyball programs.

“Our focus for the next few weeks is coming together as a new group,” she said, explaining that they’ll have plenty of opportunities to do that.

The team has a solid schedule coming up, with tournaments booked every weekend until Thanksgiving.

This past weekend they were scheduled to compete in Loreburn’s RAVE (Really Amazing Volleyball Experience) senior girls tournament; details will follow in the next edition of the Leader.

On Sept. 11 and 12 they will host a home tournament in Davidson. Their first home game of the season comes on Sept. 9, when the Raitec will host Kenaston.

“We’re looking to get as much playing time for all the girls as we possibly can,” said Baldwin.

Last year the senior girls finished the season by taking bronze in 3A provincials.

Davidson, Sports

Sigfusson leads in CCA high-point standings

Scott Sigfusson of Davidson is pictured in action during the steer wrestling event at the Wheat City Stampede in Brandon, Man., in October 2014.
Scott Sigfusson of Davidson is pictured in action during the steer wrestling event at the Wheat City Stampede in Brandon, Man., in October 2014.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — A quick look at Scott Sigfusson’s odometer will tell you he’s had a busy rodeo season so far, and it isn’t over yet.

The cowboy and Davidson native said last week he’d logged over 21,000 kilometres on his truck this year, just on rodeo business.

He has competed in roughly 40 events so far this year and still has another month and a half to go before the season wraps up.

“She’s a lot of work,” he said, speaking to the Leader on his lunch break in Kerrobert, where he is employed full-time as a rider on the PFRA community pasture.

Despite all the effort and energy required, ask Sigfusson what keeps him going and he’ll tell you, quite simply: everything.

“I love the relationship between cowboy and horse, I love seeing the country,” he said. “I love the adrenalin rush of competing.”

As of last week, Sigfusson was in the lead for this year’s Canadian high-point award, leading by more than 8,000 points, according to the standings on the Canadian Cowboys Association (CCA) website.

In the event standings, he sits in first in tie-down roping, third in steer wrestling and second in team roping.

Should he maintain his standings, this would be his third time claiming the high-point award, which he took in 2012 and again in 2014.

Throughout the season — which lasts from mid-spring to Thanksgiving weekend — Sigfusson’s weekends are usually occupied with rodeo events. He said he typically competes in anywhere from one to four rodeos each week.

This summer alone, he has travelled up to Onion Lake, Sask., as far east as Selkirk, Man., and down to Coutts, Alta., which straddles the border with Montana.

He began the season in Mankota in May, winning the team roping event with his regular partner, Jim Bob Gomersall of Moose Jaw.

The closest event to home was the Lakeshore Stampede, held in Elbow from July 24 to 26, where Sigfusson finished third in tie-down roping.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 31 edition of The Davidson Leader.

Craik, Davidson, Kenaston, Sports

New season, fresh start for senior Raiders

From left, players Hunter Wall, Nicholas Chomyshen and Reegan Taylor are seen doing the crab walk in an agility exercise led by coach Greg McJannet on Wednesday evening, during the fall training camp for the Davidson Raiders senior football team.
From left, players Hunter Wall, Nicholas Chomyshen and Reegan Taylor are seen doing the crab walk in an agility exercise led by coach Greg McJannet on Wednesday evening, during the fall training camp for the Davidson Raiders senior football team.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Hopes are high for a successful season as the Davidson Raiders senior football team looks toward its first game of the new year.

The team has plenty of new faces among its coaches and players, including several students from Craik School, who are joining students from Davidson and Kenaston for the first time this year.

“We don’t know what Craik’s going to bring to us,” head coach Jason Low said last week, prior to the start of the team’s fall training camp.

“Until we actually get the boys on the field, it’s pretty tough to tell for sure what the season is going to look like.”

The Raiders began their training camp on Tuesday, meeting each evening to warm up, train and familiarize themselves with each other and the game. After school starts on Sept. 1, they will continue meeting in the mornings.

The team’s first game will be a home exhibition match against the LCBI Bisons scheduled for Sept. 10.

In addition to Low, coaches this year include Davidson teacher Garrett Bailey, area CWEX teacher Ryan Johnson, Kenaston teacher John Jamieson and Kenaston principal Greg McJannet, as well as parent Trevor Ouellette.

“We have lots of good experience with the coaches we have on staff now,” said Low, adding that they hope to end up with a roster of about 20 players.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 31 edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson, Sports

Local umpire moving up the ranks

DAVIDSON — Rodney Wightman has moved up the ranks of softball umpiring.

The Davidson plumber and father of three, umpired the gold medal game at the U16 Western Canadian Softball Championships in Regina July 31 to Aug. 3.

Wightman has been umpiring softball games for years, but this was his first experience calling the shots at a championships.

He wound up behind the plate thanks to his daughter Dakota, a top-level umpire, who has umpired at national championships.

“Dakota told me I need to do a championships to see that different caliber of ball,” Wightman said.

He applied to ump at the Western Canada Championships and ended up working with 13 other umpires from Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta during the four-day tournament.

“I really enjoyed the weekend. I learned lots being with different umps,” Wightman said. “The first day, we were pretty rusty, then the second day, you could see us pick up in the system.”

At this level of ball, Wightman said umps have to be sharp and on their game because the coaches will be all over them, challenging calls.

Wightman’s quality of work behind the plate was noticed. He was chosen to umpire the gold medal game between Victoria and Manitoba.

The Westman Magic from Brandon, Man., won 6-1 over the Lakehill Blazers from Victoria in the girls’ final.

Davidson, Kenaston, Sports

Royals win silver in 16U “C” provincials

Seen here is the Watrous Royals bantam girls softball team.
Seen here is the Watrous Royals bantam girls softball team.

By Joel van der Veen

WATROUS — The Watrous Royals bantam girls softball team overcame multiple injuries to win silver at provincials last weekend.

The Royals hosted seven visiting teams in the 16U “C” event, which ran from July 10 to 12 at the sports grounds in Watrous. The team played four round-robin games on Friday and Saturday, defeating Muenster, Kindersley and Moosomin, and losing to Kerrobert.

In the semi-final on Sunday, the Royals defeated Muenster and went on to face Langenburg in the finals, in which they lost 7-2.

Coach Jason Shaw said the team did well over the weekend despite both of its main pitchers, Alexa Koupantsis and Breanna Shaw, coping with injuries.

Koupantsis was injured by a returned ball that bounced off her glove and struck her in the face during the semi-final against Muenster. Shaw had injured her wrist but filled in for the remainder of that game and the final.

“It took us a little bit to regroup and keep going,” said the coach, noting that the team had aimed to reach the playoffs. “We tried to get everybody in (for) a bit to get ready for Sunday.”

Shaw estimated that between 300 and 400 people attended the weekend tournament, which featured teams from Muenster, Kindersley, Moosomin, Kerrobert, Macklin and Langenburg.

He said many of the team parents assisted the town staff with tending the grounds, as well as scorekeeping, announcing, and running the 50/50 draw, the gate and the concession stand.

The provincial tournament marked the end of the season for the Royals. Shaw said the team got along well, and that the season was an educational experience for the players as well as the coaches.

Local players on the team included Jocelyn Millham, Sarah Allan, Caroline Seidlik and Breanna Shaw from Davidson, and Kylee Evans from Kenaston.

Hanley, Sports

After nationals win, Suttie has sights set on Rio

Hanley native Taryn Suttie, seen in this file photo, took first place in the women's shot put event at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Edmonton this month. (Photo by Dave Eagles/Courtesy of Kamloops This Week)
Hanley native Taryn Suttie, seen in this file photo, took first place in the women’s shot put event at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Edmonton this month. (Photo by Dave Eagles/Courtesy of Kamloops This Week)

By Joel van der Veen

KAMLOOPS — Taking a national title at the Canadian Track and Field Championships earlier this month marked new territory for shot-putter Taryn Suttie.

But the Hanley native said it’s the natural result of the conditioning she’s been doing, and the target she’s worked toward for years.

“I’ve been training hard,” she told the Leader last week. “It was time for that to happen.”

Suttie, the daughter of Don and Deb Suttie, took first place with a throw of 16.88 metres at the national competition, held July 2 through 5 in Edmonton.

Her next competitive stop is the Pan Am Games, currently underway in Toronto. And if Suttie can qualify, this time next year she’ll be getting ready for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

It has taken Suttie several attempts to reach this threshold. She has competed at the senior Canadian championships every year since 2009, placing in second or third each time.

She said a change in coaching was a major factor, as last August she began working with former Olympic shot-putter Justin Rodhe.

“It was a change that was needed, and that’s really paid off,” she said. “And my results definitely showed that. . . I’ve seen lots of improvement since switching coaches.”

Suttie graduated from Hanley Composite School in 2008, the same year she set the Saskatchewan senior girls shot put record (13.58 metres), which still stands today.

For three years she studied kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan, but then decided to put her academic life on hold to pursue her athletic dreams. Since 2011 she has lived, worked and trained in Kamloops, B.C.

In April she achieved a personal best, winning the shot-put event at the Sun Angel Track Classic in Tempe, Ariz., with a 17.61-metre throw.

Suttie, now 24, is currently in Cleveland, Ohio, spending a week training at the SPIRE Sports Academy before she flies to Toronto on July 20 for the Pan An Games, which will be her first international competition as a senior.

After the season ends, she’ll continue working and training, though her conditioning will stay largely the same.

“It doesn’t change too much in or out of season,” she said, adding that she reduces the number of repetitions for throwing and lifting in season so she can compete without being tired out.

Once the season is over, she explained, she can ramp it up again and enjoy the results later on.

To qualify for the Olympics, she’ll need to meet the minimum requirement of 17.80 metres, in addition to reaching the top three next year at the national championships.

Even two provinces away in Kamloops, Suttie said she still feels the encouragement from her friends and family in Hanley, explaining, “I’ve received lots of support from everyone back home.”