Times Editor

 

Players vying for a spot on the UFA Bisons roster had their first opportunity to square off against potential future opponents this past weekend, as the local triple-A midget team held their annual exhibition tournament.

The Bisons hosted the Calgary Buffaloes, the Calgary Northstars and the Red Deer Rebels in a preseason tournament Sept. 15-18 at the Strathmore Family Centre.

“It went really well, we started a little slow, but the guys got used to the pace,” said head coach Jeremy Friesen. “We made adjustments throughout the weekend – it was good to see the kids adjust and to be able to handle those things and execute them.

“The biggest thing for us was to identify and give kids opportunities to challenge them and see what they can do. We weren’t too worried about the scoreboard … it was just about going through the process, making sure everyone had an opportunity to show us what they can do.”

“We saw a lot of really good things.”

According to Friesen, most of the teams at the tournament brought 30-33 players to evaluate before trimming their roster. The Bisons made their cuts immediately after the tourney, trimming their roster to 22 players. Each team must be down to 20 players before the start of the regular season.

The Bisons lost 4-3 to Red Deer to open the tournament before a 4-2 win over the Northstars. The team was relegated to third in the round robin after losing to the Buffaloes 5-2. 

In the semifinal against Red Deer, the locals won a thrilling double overtime game 5-4, before losing 3-1 in the final game to the Northstars.

“If you look at the scores, with the exception of two of our games, every game was decided by one goal,” said Friesen. “It goes to show the competition within the league and how tight the league actually is. It was a good teaching point for the kids too because it goes to show that if you make one or two mistakes in a game, they end up in the back of your net. Whether they be in the preseason or the regular season – that’s the difference (between wins and losses).

“Attention to detail is critical.”

Friesen was particularly impressed with his team when they used their speed and got into the offensive zone.

“When we play five on five and get the puck deep and establish a forecheck – we’re a pretty scary team,” said Friesen. “We need to create some more opportunities as far as driving the net and crashing (the crease). We’ve got a lot of speed and size up front – guys that will crash and bang, and we’ve got a very, very mobile defence that can put a lot of pressure on the opposition and make it hard for them to breakout.

“We’re going to be a quick transitioning team and I think that is one of our strongest asset(s).”

The Bisons play their final exhibition game on Sept. 25 in Red Deer, before they open the regular season Oct. 2 (2 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre when they host Lethbridge.

 

Times Jr. Reporter

 

It was a good day for the Strathmore Spartans peewee team, right from the kickoff. 

“We had the intimidation factor when we got off to a fast start,” said offensive tackle Johnathan Lemay. The Spartans scored a touchdown on their first two offensive possessions, the second a long run on the first play of the series. Running back Ethan Monaghan ran the ball 81 yards for the touchdown, with 5:18 left in the first quarter. 

The Spartan defense only allowed two points on a safety with five minutes left in the half. The second half was a different story; the Stettler offence started running the ball outside and put up two touchdowns in the half, but it was too little too late, as the Spartans pulled off a 26–14 win. 

In the second game of the day, the bantam team wasn’t so lucky. With most of the team out due to injuries, the Spartans didn’t have the numbers to play against a very talented Rocky Jr Rebels team. 

The Rebels took the lead on their first possession and maintained it to a 75-0 victory. There were a few bright spots for the bantam players, moving the ball down the field, but they were unable to put any points on the board. 

The team put in a good effort with the few players they had available to play. But that wasn’t the only loss of the day, as linebacker Aidan Jones suffered a broken femur, and needed to be taken to hospital by ambulance. Our best wishes go out to him, for speedy recovery.

The senior team played against the Brooks Buffalos on Sept. 13. They lost the game, but again there were many positives to the game. Strathmore’s defense held the very skilled Buffalos offence for the majority of the game, and the Spartans picked up a late touchdown by slot back Josh Stolz in the second half. 

The senior Spartans are in action on Tuesday against the Chestermere Chiefs at home. 

Later in the week, it will be just the peewee Spartan playing at home against the Springbank Phoenix on Sept.24. Both the bantam and senior teams do not have a game this weekend.

 

Times Editor

 

The UFA Bisons wrapped up a week-long training camp with their annual Red & White games Sept. 11 at the Strathmore Family Centre.

The local triple-A midget team carried 45 players going into the game, where the Red Team won 3-0, before trimming the roster to nearly 30 players.

“I think we saw a lot – we were looking for some separation from some guys and I think we’ve definitely saw that,” said Bisons head coach Jeremy Friesen. “We were looking for some certain type of players and we saw that.

“I think we’re going to have some speed, some good size up front and our backend is mobile and quick.

“We’ve got some really tough decisions to make in all the positions.”

According to Friesen, the coaching staff was looking for players who have improved during the course of the training camp. As the pace picked up, some player’s level of play stayed the same, while some of the players elevated their game.

Friesen said that the Red & White game was a real eye-opener.

“A low-scoring  (Red & White) game isn’t a bad thing,” said the coach. “The thing is there were quite a few penalties with the new headshot rule coming into effect – we saw that first hand today. 

“It’s a chemistry thing too, when guys aren’t used to playing with each other, the offensive opportunities aren’t quite there. (However) defensively, I think that’s what you have success with, so that is the most important thing. We start from there and the offence comes second.”

The Bisons are now gearing up to host their annual exhibition tournament this coming weekend at the Strathmore Family Centre.

The locals will host Red Deer Sept. 15 (6:30 p.m.), the Calgary Northstars Sept. 16 (5:30 p.m.) and the Calgary Buffaloes Sept. 17 (11:45 a.m.). The four-team playoffs will begin on Saturday night (4 p.m. & 6:45 p.m.), before the final games on Sunday morning (9 a.m. & 11:45 a.m.).

“By (the time the tournament starts), we’ve seen these guys for a couple of weeks now. You start to get to know them a little bit and you have more conversations with them,” said Friesen. “Throughout next weekend, you get to spend some more one-on-one time with them and really challenge them on areas that they need to improve on and showcase themselves. 

“It comes down to work ethic and attention to detail. It’s more or less, at the end of the day, a progression as well. If you’re taking one guy compared to the next, you wanna see where they’ll be come … playoff time.”

 

Times Editor

 

If the first two exhibition games are any indication, the Wheatland Kings should have no trouble putting the puck in the net.

The local Junior B hockey team scored 14 goals in two preseason home games over the weekend, defeating Three Hills 7-3 on Sept. 10, before posting a 7-7 tie with the Okotoks Bisons the following day.

“It is nice to get the offensive output,” said Kings head coach and general manager Doug Murphy. “It is also really good to see the character of the guys to come back (in both) games. They’d score and we’d come back and answer. That is really good.

“There’s a lot of real good things out there – lots of speed, lots of offence.”

According to Murphy, the team will use the next three exhibition games to prepare for the season opener in two weeks time. 

Obviously the offence is in mid-season mode, but the defense needs some work, said the coach.

“We need better defensive zone coverage,” laughed the coach. “We need better positional play. (Netminder) Richie Hubbell has been stunning with some of the stops he’s made, so it’s certainly not an issue of goaltending. For coming out of camp and having one practice and jumping into two exhibition games, it’s going to be a little ragged. That’s the problem with wide-open hockey for a couple of weeks. Everyone thinks they’re playing pond hockey again. 

“We need to get back to good, structured hockey.”

The Kings have tried something a little different for this years exhibition games. Instead of carrying 28-30 players during the preseason, they are much closer to their regular season lineup.

“We wanted to get down to our numbers much quicker,” said Murphy. “We have some more guys coming (from other camps), so with each step along the way, you want to make sure you (don’t have a lot of) guys sitting out of games. 

“If you look at Okotoks, there are 12 guys in the stands. We prefer to cut down sooner and be looking at one or two guys instead of 10.” 

While the Kings roster is nearly complete, the team is looking for help in the front office for the upcoming season. The Kings are looking for a trainer with advanced first aid certification, such as an EMR or EMT.

They are also looking for a manager for upcoming season. If you are interested in either position, please contact Doug Murphy via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 403-934-6493.

Times Reporter

 

While they may not have walked away champions, the peewee Spartans football team still felt pretty good knowing they got to play at McMahon Stadium this past weekend. On Sept. 10 the team faced off against Innisfail on the pro field, something that was a treat for each and every player. 

“I played it (McMahon field) in atom (football) with coach Doug. It’s pretty cool,” said running back Ethan Monaghan.

“I really wanted to play football since my dad played in it and it’s really fun. He played when he was young to old and he said it was really fun.”

Monaghan, 12, has been playing for the past four years, and is considered one of the top players on the team. 

“For the kids themselves it was a nice experience, they really enjoyed themselves and blowing out like they did they still had a good time playing there,” said head coach Doug Klauck. 

“We came up against a team that was much bigger, and they were prepared. It was a little hard to swallow when we walked out there and saw how big those kids were.”

Though the scoreboard didn’t reflect what they were hoping to achieve, the game did give the coaches and the team ideas of what to work on before the next game. 

“It was a good test for us because we got to play against another team finally and we got to know what adjustments we need to make in practice this week to prepare for Saturday. We have to toughen up our defense and work on our offensive line,” said Klauck. 

The peewee Spartans will be a part of the doubleheader happening at Strathmore High Schools field on Sept. 17. 

Times Jr Reporter

 

The Strathmore Spartans senior football team played their first game of the season in Drumheller Saturday afternoon, Sept. 10. Although they couldn’t come home with a win, there were many positives to take away from the loss. 

“The passing game was working for us, and for the first game of the year there were very few penalties,” said head coach Carl Seafoot.  Right from the start of the game, Strathmore’s defense did a great job containing the complex offence of the Drumheller team, something Strathmore’s defensive coach has been focusing on since mid-August, when the team started practice.   

It took a while for the offence to get started after being stopped on the second yard line.  The team did a good job rebounding with the first touchdown pass of the season from quarterback Cory Campbell to wide receiver James Giancola at the end of the first half.  The Drumheller offence scored two quick touch downs midway through the second half and controlled the clock to pick up a 34-10 victory. “We played well in the second half, aside from a couple of big plays they broke open. Our defense did a great job stopping the offense from moving the ball down the field,” said Seafoot.

 

This week in local football

The senior Spartans played an exhibition game against the Brooks Buffalos on Tuesday, Sept. 13.  Results were not available as of press time. 

Also coming up this week, both the bantam and the peewee Spartans will be playing a double header at home this Saturday, starting at 11:30 a.m. The peewee team will start the day with a game against the Stettler Panthers, followed by the Bantam team in their game against the Rocky Mountain House Jr Rebels. 

Having played Strathmore football over the last five years, this writer understands how much the players enjoy hearing all the fans cheering them on.  Come out and support your community football teams!   

Times Editor

 

Eighty-two hopefuls were looking to impress as the UFA Bisons hosted their annual rookie camp Sept. 3-4 at the Strathmore Family Centre.

The 15 and 16-year-old players were put through various drills and scrimmages to see who would catch the eye of the new coaching staff for the upcoming 2011-2012 season.

“Some of the kids are obviously nervous coming in – so skill sessions are always a little uptight – guys are getting comfortable, playing with a whole bunch of new kids and things like that. So I think, going forward with the camp here, as we get into games, guys will get more comfortable and relax,” said Bisons new head coach Jeremy Friesen. “So far so good – I think it’s exactly what we expected. There is a lot of skill on the ice, a lot of size and some decent speed.”

After putting the players through the paces, the local triple-A midget team evaluated the athletes to see who would make the invite to the main camp, which started Sept. 6 and will run through the week.

“What we’ve done is we identified what we classified as our ideal player. In the dressing room during tryouts, there is a list of traits and qualities that we are looking for,” said Friesen. “(We want) guys that never quit, battle, they compete, they’re intelligent, obviously speed and puck possession. 

“Going off of last year, we want a team that is going to play an upbeat style, going to control the pace of the play and the puck. We want guys going to fit into that mould.

“Ideally, you get some kids back (from last year), but we’re not anticipating that, we’re not waiting for that. So whatever we have in camp, we’re going to start building those qualities and those things going forward. Hopefully we get what we’re looking for.”

Friesen said he was looking for players who can play at both ends of the ice and buy into the defensive aspect of the game. 

Despite the emphasis on defence, he is not worried about scoring.

“We’re going to have some firepower, there is no doubt about that,” he said. “The draw-zone and the organizations that feed into this program are always developing kids for that aspect of the game. So it’s just a matter of getting them to buy into the team game and playing defence first.”

The Bisons will play their Red & White game on Sept. 11 (2 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre, before hosting their annual pre-season tournament Sept. 15-18.

 

Mario Prusina

Times Editor

 

Strathmore Minor Hockey will be making adjustments to their evaluation process for the upcoming 2011-2012 season.

“What we’re doing this year is, after Day 1, we’re going to take a total of all the scores that the kids have and we’re going to break them up into two groups for Day 2,” said Wayne Hansen, President of SMH. “It won’t necessarily be split in half – we’ll see where there is a be break in the marks – what we want to try and accomplish through this is getting like players on Day 2 playing against like players. So the same skill level playing against the same skill level.

“(For example) it does nobody any good to have a kid who never touches the puck or doesn’t skate as well as another kid because he’s not going to get a pass. We don’t get a chance to evaluate him properly, so we didn’t place him properly (in the past).

“The same thing goes for the better kids – if they’re always skating with the puck because nobody can keep up with them, we can’t see if they can pass, etc.

“The goal of this (new format) is to really narrow down and place the kids where they belong.”

According to Hansen, the board was trying to find ways to improve the evaluation process and looked at methods used in other communities in and around the Calgary area.

“There’s a lot of people on our board – really young and enthusiastic board with wanting to try and take our teams to the next level,” said Hansen. “Five years ago we introduced two practices a week to try and improve skill level. We’re introducing a coach-mentorship program. This is just the next step in trying to refine that process … this change will show rewards for everybody by the time the season is done.”

Times Editor

 

The coaching staff of the Wheatland Kings had the difficult job of telling a handful of players news they did not want to hear.

The local Junior B team made some difficult cuts after the annual Black & Gold game Sept. 5 at the Strathmore Family Centre, which saw the Gold (Whites) defeat the Black team 6-5 in overtime.

According to Kings head coach and general manager Doug Murphy, the game was exactly what he wanted to see prior to making the cuts.

“It was really good – there was a lot of speed and it was really competitive – it’s kind of been that way all through camp,” said Murphy. “We ended up with a few players injured, but things look extremely good for the upcoming season. 

“As good as it looks out there, we still have players in Junior A camp, (so if they come back) it should look even better.”

It was a wide-open offense game, which saw both teams light the lamp five times during regulation time, before the Gold team iced it in overtime.

Murphy said he was impressed with the creativity of his players and it forced him and his coaching staff to make a few tough decisions.

“They’re always tough (to make cuts),” said Murphy. “We were down to 28 players (for) the game and we’ll go to about 22 players after the game. It’s good to have tough decisions to make.”

The Wheatland Kings will now open the preseason this coming weekend when they host Three Hills on Sept. 10 (8 p.m.) and Okotoks on Sept. 11 (4:30 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre.

Wheatland will open the regular season on Sept. 23 in Didsbury.

Times Editor

 

Nearly two dozen 15-20 year old hockey players began their 2011-2012 season when they attended the Wheatland Kings Conditioning Camp Aug. 28-30 at the Strathmore Family Centre.

The four-on-four camp is designed to get the players ready for the upcoming Junior Selection Camp, Sept. 2-4, before the annual Black & Gold game Sept. 5 (1:30 p.m.).

“It’s a sort of a way to get guys conditioned without running them through a whole bunch of drills,” said head coach and general manager Doug Murphy. “You can get guys skating harder when they’re having fun and being a little competitive, rather than when you’re running drills over and over. There is enough of that during the season.”

According to Murphy, the camp is strictly for conditioning purposes, but some players can definitely catch the eye of the coaching staff with a solid performance.

“There are some guys that stand out and we’ll talk to them,” said the coach of the camp. “It’s more just to get everybody back into shape and ready to go for Friday. Some of the guys graduated school and have gone to work for the summer and are working full-time, so they haven’t trained like they may have in other years.”

“After the first session, the thing that stood out is how bad of shape everyone was in,” joked Murphy. “(By the end) of the camp, it should look how it should look.”

With the player selection camp starting Sept. 2, Murphy is optimistic of this 2011-2012 squad. He believes the team is built with speed and has a strong nucleus of defence and goaltending. He hopes to find some players who can put the puck in the net during the main camp to supplement his forward ranks.

“(I hope) we can build on what we had last year,” said Murphy. “This year the schedule is a little more intense and only the top four teams in each division make the playoffs, so every game is an important game.

“I think we’re kind of going in with expectations that we will be in they playoffs … hopefully be battling for home ice advantage.”

The Kings will hit the ice every night from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. (Friday-Sunday), before taking the top 30 players to the Black & Gold game.

The team will open the regular season on Sept. 23 in Didsbury before hosting Coaldale in their home opener the following night.

Shannon LeClair

Times Reporter

 

All three of Strathmore’s football teams have been busy practicing five nights a week to prepare for this years season, which starts next week for some. 

While all are excited to battle on the gridiron, the peewee team is likely looking forward to their first game the most. The team will be facing Innisfail at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Sept. 10.

“It’s all they can talk about. I’m having a hard time getting the focus on playing football, rather than just playing football at McMahon Stadium,” said coach Doug Klauck. 

“We’re playing Innisfail and they initiated it. They looked it into it, and we’re able to rent the field for the day, for the three hours, and we’re splitting the cost on it. Just something a little different, something special for the kids.”

Klauck said when he coached the Atom division in Calgary, every Atom team had a chance to play at McMahon. He said for this team to be able to play there as peewee is special for the kids. 

While it can be hard to believe for those who have been to McMahon and seen the field, it is a regulation-sized field, something Klauck said they are trying to get across to the parents. 

“It just looks so much bigger.  I was there on Saturday, and it still looks so much bigger,” said Klauck. 

This is the third year Strathmore has had a peewee team. Last year it was a tentative start for the team, who by the beginning of November were not quite where they wanted to be in the standings. 

The team came out on top, pulling off two playoff wins by the end of the season. This year Klauck is hoping they will do the same, but with only five returning players, he said, only time will tell. 

“We’ve got a rookie team, and it’s going to take us a few weeks to get going but, I think once we get a game under our belt it’ll be okay,” said Klauck. 

If the team makes it to the provincial finals they will be able to play on their home turf, which is a goal Klauck said they have set for themselves this season. 

Times Reporter

 

Strathmore Minor Hockey, SMH, held their annual Girls Hockey night on Aug. 25 beginning at 7 p.m. It was open to girls of all ages and skills levels. 

“What Strathmore Minor Hockey is doing with girls night is to just give some girls the opportunity to try hockey before they register to see if they want to join up,” said Fern Pagenkopf, one of the female hockey directors. 

She said they give them the opportunity because sometimes girls are a little more tentative about registering. SMH wants to give them an opportunity to give it a try with no obligations before registering. 

They had to have minimal equipment - helmet, gloves sticks and skates. 

“We just provide some basic instruction on what they can expect at a regular hockey practice,” said Pagenkopf.

This year there wasn’t a spring girls night, though Pagenkopf said they try to hold them twice a year, providing the opportunity at both the beginning and end of the season. 

“There’s been girls that have played in the mainstream program switching to the female program, there’s been girls in ringette that have come over to play hockey and there’s girls that decided they just want to play hockey, and it’s just an opportunity for them to do it without being intimidated by the boys,” said Pagenkopf.

In Strathmore there is a peewee, bantam and midget female team. Registration wrapped up at REVS on Sept. 1 but SMH will still take registrations after that date. More information about SMH and any of their programs can be found at www.smhockey.com.  

Shannon LeClair 

Times Reporter

 

Strathmore resident and horse show jumper Tamie Phillips recently competed in the Rocky Mountain Grand Prix on Aug. 27. She may not have taken home the $50,000 prize, but was still happy to see her name in both second and third place with her two horses. 

“It was really fun, both of my horses did really well. My old partner Lucas was the one that was second just by three tenths of a second, so that was pretty good,” said Phillips. 

“For both of the horses to do that well, and be that consistent was fantastic, it’s a really nice way to end the summer. It was extremely exciting because I went first in the jump off with my horse, and there were 11 other competitors to follow. It was the second to last competitor that just ended up sneaking in under my time, so it was very exciting, it was a great class.”

Eric Martin and his horse Kumano from Oakbank, Manitoba were the ones who took home first place. This year Phillips was named the Western Canadian Champion of the Jump Canada Talent Squad Series.  At the Rocky Mountain Classic there was a talent squad who was scouting the team, and they chose Phillips to win the Western Division of the squad this year. 

“It really recognizes sort of the success that I’ve had basically over the entire season, so I’ve been really consistent and that consistency has paid off and won the western division of the talent squad so that was great,” said Phillips. 

“What that does is, it means that we become, or whomever wins it becomes a carded athlete for sport Canada.”

These days Phillips is mostly focusing on competition and said she might put her name in to see if she can go to Buenos Aires to take part in the Nations Cup competition. She may also head to Las Vegas and California for the fall and compete in some of the world cup qualifiers. She said her competitive future is a little bit up in the air at the moment but there are suddenly a lot of opportunities out there. For now, though, Phillips said she will likely take some time for herself and her horses after having such an intense season, and regroup in the fall. 

Manny Everett

Times Contributor

 

The objectives of the CRA Society are to organize rodeo contestants, contractors and committees for their mutual benefit and protection, to promote the sport of rodeo in all its avenues.   

The Chinook Rodeo Association is a non-profit organization formed in 1968 in Southern Alberta by a group of volunteers, with the purpose to assist and govern the sport of rodeo in a sanctioned manner.  Since that time the CRA has been successful in sanctioning rodeos in over fifty locations throughout Alberta, into Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Their annual membership exceeds 350, from Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Montana. Many Canadian and World Champions have started their Careers in this Association.  

Throughout each season contestants via for a position in the Sudden Death Finals, held in Lethbridge each October. The season leaders in each major event receive a trophy saddle. The top 10 in every major event, including the junior events are eligible for the finals, and the top six in the Wild Horse Race and Break Away Roping are also eligible. Timed event contestants also must have entered and competed in five other association rodeos to be eligible for CRA finals.

Gleichen held its FCA (Foothills Cowboy Association) and CRA (Chinook Rodeo Association) Rodeo on Aug. 19 and 20. The Grand Entry on both days consisted of the singing of O’Canada led by Jayden Wilson,  while the Canadian Flag was rode in by Rylee Wilson.

A special event that has become very popular in local rodeos is a kids scramble and catch (usually done with chickens and pigs) and is always a fun event to watch. The participants who are lucky to catch one of the ‘keepers’ are often thrilled at the prospect of a new pet (or dinner for some families).

The following are the top three contestants from each category over the two day event.

Bareback : Ross Dowling 67, Tom Willemsen 67, Lane Jamieson 65.

Novice Horse Riding : Dylan Bilton, Lane Jamieson.

Calf Roping : Nick Travaglia 8.9, Dallas McDougall 8.9, Riley Warren 9.2.

Steer Riding : Bryce West 76, Dayton Johnston 76, Cooper Zur 75.

Ladies Barrel Racing : Bobbie Goodwin 15.22, Aurea Munro 15.28, Melissa Daines 15.32.

Junior Barrel Racing : Kipty Terry 15.29, Lakota Bird 15.57,

Tara Wilkinson 15.67.

Lil’ Rascals Barrel Racing : Kelby Terry 15.84, Maysa Powelson 16.33, Rylee Wilson 16.63.

Allan Yule Memorial Saddlebronc : Beau Water 67, Reed Sparks 67, Chance Harman 66.

Steer Wrestling : Jeff Heggie 4.8, Justin Wagner 5.0, Steve Roy 5.4.

Junior Bull Riding : Wace Pallesen 73, Lonnie West 70, Tristian Carlier 63.

Team Roping : Weston/Lucas 4.5, Wigemyr/Wigemyr 5.4, Smith/Bird 5.9.

Bull Riding : Todd Chotowetz 67.

Special events during both days included the Smokin’ Aces Trick Riding duo of Kirstie Rougeau and Bradi Dunn, sheep riding and the ever popular Wild Pony Races. The rodeo wrapped up with Calcutta, Local Wild Cow Riding where local cow riders were auctioned off in the middle of the arena and set to ride under the lights as a featured event. Two fun-filled days of rodeoing with an enthusiastic crowd can’t be beat. 

 

Times Contributor

 

It was a great day for golf as the Siksika Youth Council held a charity golf tournament at Speargrass Golf Course, just south of Carseland, on Aug. 18.

The morning started off a bit chilly, but eager golfers set to the course for a good cause. Special guest and former CFL Calgary Stampeders wide receiver Tom Forzani came out to play and show support.

The whole goal of this charity golf event was to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House charity. 

“We wanted to raise money towards a cause that effects youth in Siksika and the Ronald McDonald House charity was a cause we felt affects many children [all over]” said Youth Chief Candace Backfat. 

Originally, the organization wanted to raise funds for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation but with many protocols to meet for this charity and only a few weeks to prepare and raise funds in time for the golf tournament, Ronald McDonald House was their charity of choice. 

The Youth Chief and Council is a summer student program that provides youth role models in the community of Siksika. 

“We try to hold functions for kids. Just recently we held a culture day and music festival. The music was [focused around] our culture and was a variety of genres” said tournament organizer and Youth Councillor Richard Sparvier.  

This was the first charity golf tournament for the Youth Chief and Council. However Siksika Youth Council organization has been around for over 20 years. 

The final numbers for the total donations was to be determined after the golf event took place but organizers anticipated a great outcome.