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1 AdrenalineReginaSports.com September 2011 Regina Red Sox Craig Butler Pat Conacher Regina College

Adrenaline September 2011

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Page 1: Adrenaline September 2011

1AdrenalineReginaSports.com

September2011

Regina Red Sox

CraigButler

PatConacher

ReginaCollege

Page 2: Adrenaline September 2011

September 20112

Sept 2 Sept 167 pm 7 pm Regina vs UBC Regina vs Calgary Sept 30 Oct 227 pm 7 pmRegina vs Manitoba Regina vs Saskatchewan

All games played at Mosaic Stadium

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HOME

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Peter WolduSales Associate

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Page 3: Adrenaline September 2011

3AdrenalineReginaSports.com

September 2011

20 Forever & TodayTom ShepherdThe Saskatchewan Roughriders survived many lean years through the fundraising efforts of Tom Shepherd, a former president and treasurer of the Riders. Today the lifelong fan continues to support the team.

14 Pat ConacherThe Regina Pats see this season as a fresh start. Leading the way is Pat Conacher, recently named the head coach of the Pats. With the season beginning this month, we meet the new coach.

FEATURES

04 From the Editor

06In Regina

Terry Fox Run

08Sports Personality

Clint Norman

10Baton Twirling

17Your Body,Your Mind

18Focus On

Lawn Bowling

22ViTour 4 Cure

24Regina College

26Racquetball

30Y’er Welcome

12 Craig ButlerThe Saskatchewan Roughriders have a new face on the defence: Canadian defensive back Craig Butler. His football experience has prepared him well for this season.

Page 4: Adrenaline September 2011

September 20114

Column photo by Maurice Laprairie

enthusiasts. It makes our activity of publishing a magazine a fun and rewarding experience.

We are pleased to welcome onboard new faces and talent to Adrenaline. Nick Miliokas, an experienced writer and editor, joins our team. Taylor Anderson and Cyndi Cherney join us as sales representatives. And we wouldn’t be where we are today without Maurice Laprairie, our photographer; Jay Roach, creative director; and Allie Folk, as administration manager.

We look forward to continuing to grow with Regina sport, meeting more of our athletes and continually learning about the city in which sport is so treasured.

Cheer hard,

Julie FolkEditor

Contact:Adrenaline: Regina Sports(306) [email protected]

To advertise: [email protected]

In September of 2009, we published the first issue of Adrenaline: Regina Sports.

How far we’ve come in the past two years.

The people of Regina, including the sport and business communities, have supported us tremendously since we began covering all levels of local Regina sports. We have been absolutely amazed by the people we have met and the athletes we have profiled.

We are continually awed by the variety of sport taking place in our city, and the excitement and passion expressed by sport

Growth

From The EditorAdrenaline: Regina Sports

Issue 21: September 2011

Editor-in-Chief: Julie FolkAdmin Manager: Allie FolkCreative Director: Jay RoachSales Representatives: Taylor Anderson, Cyndi Cherney

Contributors: Kiley Bourns, Bob Hughes, Maurice Laprairie, Nick MiliokasPrinting: PrintwestISSN: 1920-4698Cover Photo: By Maurice LaprairieCover design: Jay Roach/AdSpark

Copyright covers all contents of this magazine. No part of the publication may be re-used or copied without the expressed written consent of Adrenaline: Regina Sports.

SUBSCRIPTIONS JUST $21/year! www.adrenalinereginasports.com

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September 20116

Helping a Canadian hero achieve his dream

IN R

EGIN

A

In 1980, Terry Fox began a journey across Canada to raise funds and awareness about cancer research. Today, Canadians continue the run that cancer prevented him from completing.

We all know the story of this courageous young man from B.C. who lost

a leg to osteosarcoma and took on the challenge of running the Marathon of Hope – a marathon a day – propelling himself across the country on an artificial leg. Terry started in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and made it just past Thunder Bay, Ontario where the cancer spread, stopping his progress and ultimately taking his life.

Canadians subsequently bonded together to continue Terry’s journey and move closer to the goal of eliminating cancer worldwide by participating in the Terry Fox Run since 1981.

People of all walks of life relate to the story of Terry Fox, which is continued through the Terry Fox Foundation and the Terry Fox Runs held annually one day in September all over Canada. Some relate to Terry himself, and others to the cause and their own connections to it.

Jade Gritzfeld, a member of the Regina Run committee, was diagnosed with

breast cancer six years ago and has survived.

“When I was diagnosed, my first thought was I want to raise anything and everything I can for research,” she said. “That’s what was important to me, because the research helps figure things out. Then your friends and family, they collect around you and it’s meaningful to them. When you or a loved one has cancer, then there is the driving force to come out (to the run). But it all goes back to what makes this run unique...the story of Terry Fox. Because he’s a real person behind the organization and the run, and a real story of hope and how one person can make a difference. And people do respond to the story and want to come out and be a part of the story as well.”

The Terry Fox Foundation is unique in the way it functions. Every policy of the foundation is based on Terry’s wishes, said Robert Barr, the provincial director of the Terry Fox Foundation. Terry wanted the money to go towards research, as he saw it as the way to eradicate cancer. He also saw the Run as all inclusive – no one should be excluded because of finances. Participants are

invited to pledge what they can. There is no minimum donation or registration fee. The foundation puts 85 cents of every dollar toward research, and is committed to providing funding to all types of cancer.

“As a cancer survivor, when you see people handing over these monies and cheques, you take it personally,” said Gritzfeld. “Thank you very much.”

By: Julie Folk

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7AdrenalineReginaSports.com

Barr added that we are well on our way to reaching Terry’s goal. “We want to realize Terry’s dream of a world free of cancer, but more people today are living with cancer as opposed to dying from cancer.”

Barr said cancer treatment and research has come such a long way in the past 30 years that, had Terry Fox been diagnosed with cancer today, he quite possibly would have not lost his leg and would have lived through his cancer. Many of the advancements made in recent years are due to the money raised by the Terry Fox Foundation. Regina Run organizer Shayna Negraeff said over the past 30 years, the Regina community run alone has raised $787,000.

In addition to the community runs, which are open to anyone who would like to participate, the national school run day is Wednesday, September 28th, when students learn the story of Terry Fox and then participate in a run/walk near their schools. Terry Fox loved children and they have always embraced his story.

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and will proceed rain or shine. Registration begins at 8.30 a.m. at the T.C. Douglas Building, with opening ceremonies at 9:45 a.m. and the run beginning at 10 a.m.. The 5K route is a walk or run around Wascana Lake, but participants are invited to complete as much of the course as they prefer. In addition to the run, the event includes music, speakers, dignitaries, food, an auction table, and activities for children.

“You can feel the emotions of how beautiful it is for the people who have come through the other side and are relishing every bit of life they have. It’s also a time of reflection where you remember the people who are not here with us today because they didn’t come through the other side of cancer,” said Gritzfeld. “It’s a time to celebrate Terry Fox, and the path he started, and we are continuing his journey and celebrating every year since he started.”

The Terry Fox Run is the first run/walk fundraiser of its kind. For more information on how to take part in Terry Fox’s story of courage, determination, and strength, see terryfox.org.

Photos courtesy of the Terry Fox Foundation

Page 8: Adrenaline September 2011

September 20118

Norman has devoted a lifetime to his passion. He is a world-class

athlete, an expert instructor, and a tireless, dedicated administrator.

He has also earned a reputation as an ambassador for this often-misunderstood sport.

“It goes beyond the kick and the punch,” Norman said. “It’s not about fighting. You don’t settle anything by getting into a fight.

“Fighting is not the first solution. Fighting is a last resort.”

There is, of course, the physical fitness aspect, and the sheer thrill of competition.

But there’s more to it than that.

Reduced to its three basic components, taekwon-do is tae (foot), kwon (hand) and do, which could be loosely translated as “the way,” a philosophical concept that speaks to the inherent spiritualism of the sport.

Together, they serve as the gateway to higher values, such as courtesy and respect, self-control and perseverance.

All of these things are addressed daily in the studio, which is to say Norman’s Saskatchewan Tae-Kwon-do located in Regina. But there is an outreach program as well, serving First Nations youth on

Beyond the Kick and the Punch

Regina-area reserves. Norman teaches classes at Muscowpetung School in Fort Qu’Appelle, and also at Payepot School in Piapot, near Edenwold.

The program at Muscowpetung was established three years ago, and consists of a 60-minute session once a week with 30 or 40 students at the elementary and secondary school levels. Occasionally, teachers participate as well.

The focus is on fundamentals and protocol.

Norman presents taekwon-do as an

alternative to other, “potentially destructive” lifestyles.

“They see the benefits of martial arts, both the students and the teachers,” he said. “The philosophies of First Nations peoples are very close to what we teach. The similarities are remarkable. The kids are great. They’re very responsive. When I go there, they seem quite happy to see me.”

Norman’s work at Payepot School is actually the resumption of a program he conducted for a decade and has been dormant for the last 10 years.

No one knows better than Clint Norman the many benefits of the martial arts in general and the study of taekwon-do in particular.

By: Nick MiliokasSPO

RTS

PER

SON

ALIT

Y

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In this case, he spends an entire day at the school, instructing some 150 students class by class.

The program at Payepot School was inspired by Piapot chief and elder Art Kaiswatum, who served as mentor for First Nations youth on the reserve and in Regina’s downtown district.

“He wanted something for the kids to get them off the streets,” Norman said. “He thought taekwon-do would be a good avenue for steering them in the right direction.

“He shopped around and looked at all the clubs, and I guess he liked what I was doing.”

Before he became a teacher, Norman was, of course, a student himself. His own mentor was General Choi Hong Hi, of China, who is acknowledged as the father of taekwon-do, and with whom Norman travelled extensively during the mid-1980s, visiting such places as Argentina, Malaysia, North Korea and Singapore, along with the United States and Canada.

At the time, Norman was a member of the Canadian national taekwon-do team. Later, in 1997, he was one of nine teachers from around the world who gathered in Banff to make an instructional CD-Rom.

“I never thought of myself as a teacher,” Norman said. “Not at first, anyway. Eventually it dawned on me that maybe I am.”

Norman considers himself not only a teacher but a leader as well. And he’s

determined to do what he can to ensure that there are teachers and leaders to carry on in the future.

“You can talk a good story and you can do a good story,” he said. “I’m a doer not a talker.

“There are enough followers in the world – we need leaders. I look at it as giving back. I have all this experience. To keep it to yourself would be foolish.

“For young students to surpass you would not be a shameful thing.”

Photos by Maurice Laprairie

Page 10: Adrenaline September 2011

September 201110

Not so for Regina baton twirlers as they prepared for the

World Baton Twirling Federation’s International Cup Competition, practising up to seven hours a day.

Baton twirling may be considered by some to be an art form, as the beauty of the dance and colour of the costumes create an aesthetic montage of movement. However, with the combination of elements of dance, gymnastics, and figure skating, and the art of tossing, flipping, and catching one to three batons in the air at one time, the athletic aspect of the sport is phenomenal.

The Sundown Optimist Buffalo Gals baton twirling club competed very well at the national trials in Calgary, and 19 athletes from Regina, in addition to twirlers from Saskatoon, made up close to half of the Canadian contingent of 60 athletes at the International Cup in Jacksonville, Florida, which was held in early August.

Mekayla Lindsay, 15, and Kendra Rich, 14, were excited to attend the International Cup. Both twirlers began in dance, but soon moved to the baton twirling classes and loved it.

“We’re just going to try to learn from it,” said Rich during the Buffalo Gals’ send off, adding she

Baton Twirlingwas looking forward to the experience as well as meeting people from around the world. Lindsay and Rich, who competed in solo, artistic twirl, team and group events, were also entered in the pairs competition.

“We’ve never actually seen people twirl except for what’s in Canada,” said Lindsay.

The baton twirlers practice under coach Maureen Johnson, who has been involved in the sport for many years. She said Buffalo Gals have been national team members since 1982, the first year that a World Championship took place. The World Championship is different from the International Cup. The two are held in alternating years.

“At the International Cup, there are more events and it involves many more competitors,” said Johnson, explaining that, while the World Cup has only junior and senior divisions at the elite level, the International Cup encompasses more twirlers. “The International Cup allows B level athletes to be there and get some experience. So some are going for the experience, some have expectations.”

The International Cup has Level B, Level A, and elite athletes, who compete in junior, senior, and adult age categories. In each division, athletes had to qualify in Canada before they could attend the international event. Kiera West attended the International Cup with anticipation of success after a fourth-place in the junior women’s division at the World Championship last year in Bergen, Norway.

“I love the experience of the worlds,” she said. “From it, I have friends all over the world. It’s good, because there is something to work towards every summer, to get better.”

West began baton twirling when she was four years old, living in Vancouver. When her family moved to Regina, when she was seven, she began taking classes with Johnson. West competes in almost all events available – solo; two-baton and three-baton, which are solo events with additional batons that must be kept moving at all times; artistic pair and artistic twirl, which include more elements of dance and gymnastics; and two teams. There is also the group event; teams have six to eight members, while a group has ten or more.

Summer is often the time for students to rest, relax, and take a break from hard work.

FEAT

UR

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By: Julie Folk

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11AdrenalineReginaSports.com

“We’ve worked hard,” said Johnson, “It really does inspire them to keep going and keep reaching for a personal higher level.”

Joanne Moser, president of the Buffalo Gals, said the competition can be a huge motivator for the athletes.

“I think Saskatchewan has always been a stronghold for the sport,” said Moser. “We have a very strong provincial sport organization and a very strong coaching program and coaching officials development, and as a result of that, strong athletes.”

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Photos by Maurice Laprairie

Page 12: Adrenaline September 2011

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Rookie safety settles into new surroundings

The rookie defensive back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders is likely the

only player in CFL history who, in consecutive seasons, played at two different levels (college and pro) under two different head coaches who happened to have the same name -- Greg Marshall.

Butler played college ball for Greg Marshall at the University of Western Ontario, and then, as a member of the Roughriders, he began his professional career under another Greg Marshall, who was fired by the team in August.

“Weird, isn’t it?” Butler said.

But there’s even more to it than that.

In 2007, Marshall’s first year as head coach at Western, the Mustangs opened the season with four straight losses.

In 2011, the other Marshall’s first year as head coach in Saskatchewan, the Riders, too, were slow out of the gate, losing seven of their first eight games, which prompted the dismissal of Marshall and the team’s offensive co-ordinator, Doug Berry.

The Riders are pleased with what they have seen so far in the player they selected with their first pick (12th overall) in the 2011 Canadian draft.

The 22-year-old Butler, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs just under 200 pounds, has not disappointed them.

“Not at all,” said Richie Hall, the Riders’ defensive co-ordinator. “He’s a good football player.

“His fundamentals are sound. The biggest adjustment will be the speed of the game.”

The operative word is: patience. “He’s

going to get on the football field,” Hall said. “It’s just a matter of how much

-- and when.”

Butler is flattered and pleased by the compliments. At the same time, he understands the importance of keeping things in perspective.

“It’s encouraging to hear that from the coach, obviously,” he said. “But I know

-- and I’m sure he does, too -- that I have a lot to learn yet.”

One thing Butler has learned already is that, in professional football, the meetings are more intense and the playbook is more extensive.

Yogi Berra would call it “déjà vu all over again.” Craig Butler doesn’t go that far, but he is nevertheless struck by the coincidence.

By: Nick Miliokas

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13AdrenalineReginaSports.com

“It can be overwhelming at times,” he said. “Obviously, as a rookie, I didn’t have any expectations coming in. I just wanted to do what I could to help the team. My attitude hasn’t changed at all in that respect.”

An injury to veteran James Patrick moved Butler into the starting safety position sooner than either he or his coaches had anticipated. He was there on opening day against the Edmonton Eskimos, and again the following week against the Montreal Alouettes.

After serving as a backup for five games, he made his third start, against the Toronto Argonauts, when Patrick was shifted to a linebacker position in place of Sean Lucas.

“I had butterflies in my stomach,” Butler said of his CFL debut. “But I’ve had butterflies in my stomach before every game I’ve ever played going back to minor football.”

It didn’t take the rookie safety long to reach a milestone -- his first interception. The details will grow hazy over the years, but there’s one thing Butler will never forget. It came against the Alouettes on a pass thrown by . . .

“Anthony Calvillo!” he said. “Man, I still can’t believe it. I intercepted Anthony Calvillo!”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Craig Butler is a stranger to the Prairies. Until he arrived in Regina for training camp this past spring, he had never been to Saskatchewan.

“I love it out here,” he said, “but at the same time -- I have to be honest with you -- it’s been an adjustment.”

When he moved west from London, Ont., Butler left behind a family he describes as very close-knit. “I miss them,” he said of his mother and father, and siblings Dean, who is older, and Erin, who is younger.

Not only is it a close family, it happens to be an athletic family as well, although Butler alone earns his living as an athlete.

“Even my sister played football,” he said, laughing. “She played touch and a little bit of tackle. She was 14, I think.”

In high school, Butler excelled at football, hockey and basketball. Increasingly, the focus became football. When it was time to select a university, the only choice, in his mind, was Western.

“Home-town school,” he said. “But that’s only part of it. Western has a great football program. I’ve always wanted to win, you know?”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Butler’s enrolment at Western in 2007 coincided with the arrival of Greg Marshall, who had been head coach of the McMaster University Marauders, and then the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and was returning to his alma mater.

Immediately, Butler was moved from quarterback to the defensive backfield, and in the four years that followed, he was placed in whatever position in the secondary the coaches felt best suited his talents.

“Craig is very tough, and very athletic,” Marshall said from London. “Craig could play any position on the football field, except on the line. He can do everything.”

Butler’s contributions to the Mustangs’ success went beyond timely interceptions in key moments of playoff games. He was a leader, and his preference was to lead by example.

“He was quiet in the dressing room,” Marshall said. “He let his play do the talking on the field.

“Craig was loyal and dependable. He never asked for anything, or any special treatment. He just quietly went about doing his job.

“It was easy coaching Craig, and I am so proud of what he has accomplished. He is most deserving, and a great ambassador of our football program at Western.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Roughriders, with vice-president of football operations Ken Miller as head coach, are coming off their bye week now, determined to get a fresh start, beginning with the traditional home-and-home series against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

It may help them to know that in 2007 after opening the season 0-4, the Western Mustangs won eight straight before losing in the national semi-finals to the powerful University of Manitoba Bisons, who went on to win the Vanier Cup.

“You have to stay positive. It’s a long season,” Butler said of the present predicament in Saskatchewan. “If we put a couple of wins together, we’ll be fine. We’re a good football team.”

Photos courtesy of the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club

Page 14: Adrenaline September 2011

September 201114

He is congenial, in an understated way. He is soft-spoken, but articulate.

He is thoughtful and intelligent. Perhaps most important of all, he is a communicator.

Presumably, he also knows his stuff, although this was not at the top of the priority list for Pats general manager Chad Lang, who devoted virtually the entire summer to finding the right person to rebuild a storied but struggling WHL franchise.

By his own admission, Lang was less concerned with the X’s and the O’s than he was with the innate ability to reach young hockey players who are more than boys but not quite men -- teenagers in a formative stage of their lives as both athletes and human beings.

“Junior hockey is a different beast than (the professional game),” Conacher said. “Times have changed. It’s not like the old days when it was ‘My way or the highway.’ There is no ‘My way or the highway’ anymore. Every player is an individual and has to be treated as such.”

Rebuilding under Conacher

Born in Edmonton, and raised in Calgary, the 53-year-old Conacher spent nearly two decades in the NHL as a consummate role player with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames.

The highlight, it goes without saying, was the “surreal” experience of playing with Wayne Gretzky and helping an emerging

Oilers team win the Stanley Cup against the heavily favoured New York Islanders in 1984.

“I worked hard as a player,” Conacher said. “I knew my own skills didn’t match the skills of the great players in the game, but I also knew what I had to do, and I did all of those things.”

In terms of coaching, Conacher’s

What happens next is anyone’s guess. For the moment, this much seems clear: Pat Conacher has made a strong first impression as the new head coach of the Regina Pats.

By: Nick Miliokas

FEAT

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resume includes stints as an assistant with teams at three levels of the hockey hierarchy: the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL, the Utah Grizzlies and San Antonio Rampage of the AHL, and the Kelowna Rockets and Chilliwack Bruins of the WHL.

“Student of the game? I don’t know about that,” Conacher said with a smile. “But when you reinvent yourself, the way I did in making the transition from playing to coaching, you take it upon yourself to learn every position. It’s a prerequisite.”

For Conacher, the transition included one season in the broadcast booth as a colour commentator on radio for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. This was immediately following the back surgery that effectively brought a conclusion to his playing career in the NHL. Not that his playing days were over entirely, mind you.

In 1998, although he was pushing 40 at the time, Conacher eagerly accepted Andy Murray’s invitation to join Canada’s national team as a player and assistant coach. He was rewarded with the Spengler Cup.

“Playing hockey, and coaching hockey, is all I’ve ever done and all I’ve ever wanted to do,” Conacher said. “It’s the greatest game in the world.”

As head coach of the Pats, Conacher will be working closely with Lang and with the team’s new director of scouting, Dale McMullin, who joins the organization after nine seasons with the Red Deer Rebels. The Pats also hired two new assistant coaches, Malcolm Cameron and Josh Dixon, and goaltender coach Rob Muntain. The Pats have missed the playoffs for three years in a row, and Conacher

cautions that it may take another three years before they are a bona fide contender. In the meantime, he said, they will be, at the very least, competitive.

“This will be a work-in-progress. I’m prepared for that.”

Conacher is aware, of course, that hockey fans in this market are both knowledgeable and demanding. The operative word is: patience.

“I’m no stranger to that,” he said. “It’s true of Canadians everywhere. It’s our lifeblood. I think the fans in this community will need to see a team that comes out and works hard every night. If they see progress, they’ll be patient -- but not forever.”

At one point in the long-awaited news conference that finally arrived in late July, the GM presented the new head coach with a team jacket.

It was a perfect fit.

Photos: Opposite Page: Clockwise from bottom right: Pat Conacher, with assistant coach Malcolm Cameron, goaltender coach Rob Muntain, and assistant coach Josh Dixon at the Regina Pats Training Camp.

Above: Rookies play at training camp.

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Being born into this world is something entirely out of our control. We as humans feel a need to make our lives count. Maybe even some of us aspire to do something more than just use up oxygen for a few years before turning back to dust. We want to think, create, love, change things, and leave a lasting imprint on the world. At the end of our lives, we want to look back and think, “Hey, I made a difference in this world – my life meant something truly great.”To be great beyond measure takes energy, commitment and persistence. Instead, many of us fall into a trap; we get scared that we’re not good enough, that our ideas aren’t brilliant enough, and if we risk nothing we will not fail. We fall into a cycle of laziness motivated by fear and end up procrastinating, finding excuses, and waste minutes like pennies left on the street.

Invest in yourself to become your greatest good by stepping away from your status quo and take some risks. You may stumble and fall, sometimes leaving a scar. Trust that the mistakes we make, the ones that leave permanent scars, are the ones we benefit from the most. Within each experience of loss, rejection, failure or hurt, there lies the opportunity to confront and challenge the fears and self-limiting benefits you hold. You can choose to either take control of your fears or allow your fears to control you.

What is holding you back?1. Are you afraid of rejection, ridicule, commitment,

responsibility, loss, change, confrontation, or not measuring up?

2. Which fear, if removed, would dramatically change your life today? What is keeping you from changing this?

3. What behaviors and/or habits have you developed as a means to protect yourself from this fear?

4. Who would you be without this fear? What would you be doing differently? What would your life be like?

By: Kiley Bourns, BSc, Exercise Physiologist & Life Coach

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September 201118

Regina lawn bowlers, however, seem comfortable with the stereotype. They

appreciate the activity as both a leisurely pastime at home and a competitive sport in this city and around the world.

Jonathan Pituley, who recently turned 24, has travelled to Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, and the United States as a lawn bowler – and he’s just getting started, because participation in lawn bowling can last a lifetime.

“I’ve played other sports my whole life and haven’t gone out of the country, but with lawn bowling I’ve gone all over the world,” said Pituley, who was introduced to the sport as a child by his parents, Harriette and Murray, both avid players. “It certainly doesn’t take long to get good and once you get going, you’re going to meet lots of friends.”

A typical game of lawn bowling begins when a player rolls a small ball – a jack – onto the green. Players then try to bowl their balls as close as possible to the smaller ball, which can move during the end through contact. The number of ends to be played is decided before the game.

Lawn bowling has been traced back to ancient Egypt. It eventually

Lawn Bowling

moved into Rome, where it became Bocce. The game spread throughout Europe by the 13th century, but was banned in England because it attracted people away from archery, a skill that was used in warfare and thus considered more useful.

The game continued to grow in Scotland, where, in the mid-1800s, it began to resemble the form we know today.

The Regina Lawn Bowling Club was constituted in 1912. The club moved a few times before 1960 when it settled in its present location, at Victoria Avenue and Queen Street.

Lawn bowling offers various events for men’s, women’s and mixed teams. Play is conducted in singles, doubles, triples and fours, with the number of participants varying in each. Many players take part

in more than one event, and skill level is no obstacle – all are welcome.

Most lawn bowlers become involved as the result of encouragement from family and friends. The Pituleys are one example. Jonathan’s younger brother, Michael, also plays. They compete in singles, and together with their parents, they compete as a family in doubles, triples, or fours. This year Jonathan, Michael, and their dad, Murray competed at the Canadian Championships in the fours event at the end of August in Toronto.

Keith and Jean Roney are another example of how lawn bowling brings family members together and provides potential to take participants to interesting places and introduce them to interesting people. The Roneys took up the sport in the late 1970s and

Most lawn bowlers know how others view their sport - a game of recreation played by senior citizens dressed head to toe in white clothing.

By: Julie Folk

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have competed worldwide – Keith has played on the national team for 25 years – and they now spend both their summers and winters playing and travelling.

“Traditionally, lawn bowling is known as everybody out there in whites,” said Jean, adding that teams play in a variety of colours now. “Yes, it still tends to be an older person’s sport, particularly in Canada, but everybody makes the comment, ‘I wish I would have started this 30 years ago.’ They really love it. For some people, it’s very addicting. You can practice or play at the club twice a day if you want to. We are becoming a younger person’s sport now, more through family than anything.”

Saskatchewan has been strong in lawn bowling recently, in part due to the funding from the provincial body which allows players to compete at a high level. The sport is quite popular in many countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Keith had the opportunity to play as a professional in Australia, where lawn bowlers can make a living as professional instructors and players.

“At the club, you can play at any level you want,” said Jean, adding that every day members of the club can come out, submit their names, and find a game. There are also leagues that run through the season, which lasts as long as the Saskatchewan weather will permit, usually from April to the end of September.

Anyone is welcome to try lawn bowling at the club, and lessons are offered throughout the season. Who knows? It could lead to something thrilling, as it has for Jonathan Pituley.

“Winning my first Canadian championship was a lot of fun, and I won the mixed pairs championships with my mom,” he said. “In Australia, it was unreal. The scenery, and the whole aura is phenomenal.”

For more information on the Regina Lawn Bowling Club, call 757-9033.

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Photos by Maurice Laprairie

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September 201120

Tom Shepherd - A True FanThere are many ways to describe Tom Shepherd. There are two distinguishing characteristics that best define his life’s work with the Saskatchewan Roughriders - not only is he a lifelong fan, but he is also lucky.

By: Julie Folk

Shepherd is many other things. Determined. Persevering. Confident.

Shepherd became a fan of the Roughriders when he was eight years old. It was 1951 and Glenn Dobbs had revitalized the CFL team.

“The whole secret is being a fan,” Shepherd said of his longevity and success as team treasurer and president, and particularly fundraising. “I loved Glenn Dobbs and I’ve been with them ever since – not always rationally.”

After high school at Balfour Collegiate where he played for Gord Currie’s first provincial championship football team, Shepherd earned a commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan. In the spring of 1966, he was approached by Bill Clarke, a senior partner for the accounting firm Clarks and Gordon and treasurer of the Roughriders.

“Me being me,” said Shepherd, “when he asked, ‘What do you want to do with your life?’ I said, ‘I’m coming to work with you and I’m going to take over being treasurer for the Roughriders.’ He must have liked what I said, because he hired me...and one of my first assignments was the audit of the Riders.”

Shepherd became involved in the annual fundraising dinner that year, and he is still involved with what became the Plaza of Honor event.

In 1972 Shepherd began working at Cairns Homes -- later called Dundee Developments/Homes by Dundee -- his lifelong career until his retirement in 2008.

He was also helping the cash-strapped Riders survive.

In 1978, Gord Staseson invited Shepherd to join the team’s executive. Shepherd took on the role of treasurer immediately and remained active on the committee for the next 23 years.

It was a period when the entire CFL went through trying times financially. On behalf of the Riders, Shepherd initiated countless fundraising schemes, by far the most successful being the Touchdown Lottery.

“In 1986,” he said, “I was treasurer and vice president to Keith Critchley, who challenged me to come up with $100,000 in new fundraising. We started the lottery, and in the first year we made just under $100,000. I’ve been running the lottery every since, under a separate company – Friends of the Riders Inc. – and all the money goes to the Riders. We’ve brought in over $14-million (over the past 15 years) and given away over $20 million in prizes to the fans.”

In addition to supporting the Riders, Touchdown Lottery tickets offer substantial rewards, including three prizes of $100,000.

Luck brought Shepherd to the lottery. He was in need of a fundraiser when Saskatoon police officer Greg Walter called to talk to someone about fundraising.

Walter’s partner had been killed in the line of duty and he used a lottery to raise money for the family. He suggested the idea to Shepherd and even helped him with the lottery for a few years.

Among other fundraising projects, Shepherd entered the liquor distribution business so the Riders could benefit from $300,000 in a tax rebate. He also brought professional wrestlers to town, organizing matches for Stu Hart and his colleagues.

“If you bought a ticket to the Rider game, you got a ticket to (the wrestling match),” said Shepherd. “We thought it was a great idea, and it comes down to the day and we’ve only got $30,000 in sales and we have to pay the wrestlers $75,000. I’m sitting in the office with (Riders GM) Bill

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Baker, Stu Hart, and these wrestlers, and they wanted their cheque.

“I had to OK the cheque, and luckily in the meantime people were lining up around the exhibition grounds to get in for the wrestling. We ended up covering our costs and making a few bucks, and the next day had a whole bunch of people at the Rider game.”

Gord Staseson described Shepherd as one of the most giving of volunteers, in addition to being a family man and having a great passion for the city of Regina.

“Stubborn, brash, and opinionated, Tom has an undying love for football and hockey,” said Staseson. “The Rams, the Riders, and the NHL’s Canadiens are his favourite teams along with the U of R women’s Cougar basketball team... Beneath that

brazen front is a very kind man willing to assist any project or person.”

Shepherd, he added, loves to debate and is tough to argue with -- if he believes in what he is saying, he won’t give in.

Shepherd has received many accolades for service to the community, including inductions into the Regina Sports Hall of Fame, the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, the Plaza of Honor, and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He also received a doctorate from the University of Regina and a Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal from the Lieutenant-Governor.

There is another ring Shepherd is proud of – the 1989 Grey Cup ring he received as president. He likes to think there was a bit of Tom Shepherd luck involved in a championship that season when the team

was 9-and-9 and barely made the playoffs.

The West Final against the Eskimos in Edmonton was, he said, nearly as exciting as the Grey Cup game itself.

“The Sunday before the Grey Cup, there isn’t one person in the world – other than the players and coaches – who think we’re going to the Grey Cup. In five days, we got all of Saskatchewan there,” said Shepherd.

He remembers standing in the end zone at the SkyDome in Toronto with the injured Albert Brown when Dave Ridgeway kicked the winning field goal. Shepherd said it seemed the ball was coming right to him.

“We win,” said Shepherd. “From the Grey Cup to Christmas, we (sold) a million (dollars) in souvenirs and end up making a profit. To win a Grey Cup and make money was a great way to end (my term) as president.”

Shepherd has celebrated his achievements with his wife, Joan, his daughters Debra and Cheryl, and their families. He is quick to point out that anything he has achieved was due to the volunteers who worked with him -- and he maintains he is the lucky one.

“I’m a very fortunate person to have had the opportunity to do something I enjoy, and receive the rewards of people I meet,” he said.

Shepherd continues to support the Riders through volunteering with the Plaza of Honor, the Touchdown Lottery, and most importantly, as a self-described “fanatical” fan in the stands each home game.

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September 201122

Soon he reached the end of his voyage – which began 60 days and 8100

km before – at Mile 0 at the Terry Fox Memorial in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The moment he arrived, the sun came out and blanketed him, warming him and reminding him of what he’d just completed, and the meaning of it all.

Every journey starts with a destination. For Kaczynski, the end goal wasn’t a place. The reason behind what he was doing began with a friend who he said had more strength than he ever needed during his tour, and the goal was to tell her story.

“(I was raising) money and awareness but the story of Viola’s strength was really what I wanted to take with me,” said Kaczynski.

“Without her illness, I wouldn’t have done the tour. Everyone was saying I was strong, but the strongest person was Viola Hanson.”

Kaczynski works with Glen Hanson at CP Rail. He became friends with Glen and his wife, Viola. Over ten years ago, Viola was diagnosed

Friend inspired cyclist to take a tour for a cure

with leukemia. For a decade, she went back and forth from fighting the cancer to going into remission. Through chemotherapy treatments and a bone marrow transplant, Viola continued to fight, until a tumor developed in her spinal cord and she could no longer walk. It was at that point Kaczynski decided he had to do something to help inspire her, and the ViTour 4 Cure was born. A cyclist, he decided on the bike tour and in October of 2010 he was committed, buying the frame of his bike and an airline ticket to Vancouver.

Kaczynski built his bike over nine months, while friends helped him with his tour. Noel from the Tiki Room established his website. Carlo from Italian Star Deli bought the trailer he used to pull his gear. Dutch Cycle helped with the components for his bike, which he wanted to be sure he was comfortable riding on even the worst of days.

Kaczynski then designed his jersey, committed to fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of

Darrell Kaczynski was cycling through the hills of the Maritimes, rain dripping into his eyes over his helmet, with howling wind pushing his customized bike over the line onto the lane of the highway. His legs burned and his fingers were turning numb, but he knew his destination was near.

By: Julie Folk

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Canada, and finally, he decided to tell Viola.

“She was very happy I was going to do this tour,” said Kaczynski. “I left a jersey for her on the wall, so she would continue fighting and know I’m out there, riding every day. She gave me internal strength and I was going to give her strength... the next Thursday she died. When she passed away, my motivation was over. Then three weeks later, I began planning again.”

Kaczynski said the most difficult part of the expedition was the planning and preparing as it was financially and emotionally draining. But when he mounted his bike at the Olympic torch in Vancouver on May 27th, the motivation was renewed.

“That was really uplifting,” he said. “It was the highlight. You’re physically doing the tour, and you’re actually applying yourself to doing these kilometres.”

With his prior experience in mountain bike racing, road racing, and mountaineering, Kaczynski was physically prepared for the trip, but he said the ride across Canada took all of his skills to complete and by the end, he was in better shape that he had been in his entire life.

“All days were hard,” said Kaczynski, who rode between 130 and 150 km each day, with three rest days over the entire journey. “It was the big mountain passes, the headwinds of the Prairies, the big climbs of Northern Ontario – and what made everything hurt at the end were the big climbs of St. John’s, Newfoundland.... and I felt good. I was really getting fitter and stronger as the tour progressed.”

Kaczynski reminisced on his experiences along the way, from meeting a man from Holland who was walking across Canada, to coming across an Enchanted Forest just outside Revelstoke, B.C., in which the natural landscape was enhanced by and transformed with figurines from fairy tales. He also came across one particular site which was close to home.

“In a small town called Tatamagouche (in New Brunswick), this guy had bought an old railway station and converted it into

cabins, so you can sleep in boxcars,” said Kaczynski, a conductor. “I’ll never look at a caboose or a boxcar the same. He was very welcoming to me and a great tour guide.”

Kaczynski was also overwhelmed by the people across Canada who engaged in his tour, and the way he was able to focus on his surroundings and his riding ability.

“You’re enjoying those moments as you go touring,” he said. “The scenes and the road... and the highway conditions forced you to be a better bike handler. I was riding my bike on (pavement) no wider than the strip of paint on the highway, for days on end.”

Kaczynski keeps a journal of his adventures, and leaves room at the end for more, as he never knows what the next step will be. He said it was on his journey back to Regina that he realized how important his tour was beyond what he had first imagined.

“When I was in St. John’s boarding the plane, the staff at WestJet knew that I had successfully finished my tour of Canada,” said Kaczynski. WestJet made an announcement about Kaczynsi’s tour, his goal, and his motivation. “Then just before I boarded, this lady gave me a big hug and told me her husband had just died of leukemia last year.... Then another lady behind her said her friend had lymphoma and she had a bone marrow transplant and has been in remission for five years. So immediately I had people who were affected. That’s when it really started to sink in and the emotions came out, and I realized I did something very special for people I didn’t even know.”

For more information, to donate, or to learn more about Darrell’s journey across Canada through his blog, please see www.vitour4cure.com.

1611 Victoria Avenue306.757.6733

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“Congratulations Darrell on a successful tour!”

Page 24: Adrenaline September 2011

September 201124

Athletes are honoured through the Awards of Cougar Excellence

(ACE). That excellence is founded on the tradition of the Regina College.

“Regina College started in 1911 as a high school,” explained Dick Stark who, with Dr. Ernie Nicholls and Marlene Hoffman, is a member of the Regina College committee of the University of Regina Athletics Hall of Fame. “In the mid-20s they started teaching some first year university classes. That carried on as Regina College until 1961, when it became the full-fledged University of Saskatchewan Regina Campus.”

The last weekend of this month will mark 100 years for the University of Regina – 51 one of them as Regina College, which was created by the Methodist church and served as a residential high school for students from rural areas.

The 2011 Homecoming is the perfect opportunity to unveil the Regina College Wall of Fame in the Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport.

The idea for the Regina College Era Hall of Fame was born when teams and individuals of that time period of 1911 to 1961 were proposed for ACE. Regina College athletes often played in

Honouring a College

exhibition games within the city, and did not have the same access to facilities, leagues and equipment as do today’s teams.

“We couldn’t compare them,” said Hoffman. “We felt, how do you put them on the wall beside today’s athletes, who are competing against other universities at a different level than what the 1920s and ’30s (athletes) were competing in. We came up with the idea of honouring them separately rather than trying to compare them.”

Through research at the University of Regina Archives, the Saskatchewan Archives, and in Regina Leader-Post microfilm, along with early University of Regina publications, the committee discovered interesting stories, photos, and athletes from the early years.

Kenneth Moore played basketball, hockey and rugby for Regina College before

winning the 1930 Memorial Cup with the Regina Pats Hockey Club and playing with the Canadian hockey team in the 1932 Winter Olympics, becoming one of the earliest First Nation Olympians.

Max Bell, a businessman, entrepreneur, and newspaper publisher who financed the University of Manitoba hockey arena, attended Regina College and played hockey and rugby in 1927 and 1928.

Jerry Adams played for the men’s basketball team from 1943 to 1945, when the Cougars selected their name. And Merrill Weicker, who will be present at the Hall of Fame unveiling, was the leading scorer for the basketball team in the 1939-40 season while also playing hockey.

Successful teams were also uncovered. The 1919-20 and 1920-21 men’s baseball team went 31-0 over two seasons.

The University of Regina has a proud history - one of distinction, dedication, and perseverance.

By: Julie Folk

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“We really think that the current University of Regina ACE is outstanding. We have a lot of people in there who are really tremendous athletes and teams,” said Nicholls. “But it didn’t just happen. It grew from something. So it’s really our intent to honour those people who started it all as (far back) as 100 years ago.”

The committee set forth induction criteria for individuals, teams, and coaches.

For teams, their records of performance and achievements were to be “exceptional.” Coaches were to have provided leadership over a significant amount of time with records of success. Individuals had to meet one of three criteria: to have played more than one sport at Regina College, or participated for more than one year, or were a Senior Athletic Award recipient. It was also mandatory that there be a record of the athlete’s enrolment as a student at Regina College.

“We were looking for a little bit of excellence and outstanding commitment,” said Hoffman.

The committee conducted their research for three years. Many challenges arose when researching information from 100 years ago. Some sports, particularly women’s sports,

were not well covered. Reports on all sports in the newspaper often included simply a score and a team line-up, with at times only first initials and last names.

Another step was scrolling through registration cards for Regina College, which go back to only 1917 and are often incomplete.

“It’s a good part of the University of Regina, Regina College history,” said Stark.

“We like to think we’ve made a respectable contribution to the history of the institution,” added Nicholls.

There will be 12 teams, six coaches, and 173 individuals honoured on the Wall of Fame. The unveiling will take place Friday, Sept. 29th at 2 p.m. in the foyer of the CKHS. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. Additional information on Homecoming Weekend is available at http://www.uregina.ca/alumni/homecoming.

The University of Regina Rams host the University of Manitoba Bisons on Sat. Sept. 30th at 7 p.m. at

Mosiac Stadium as part of the homecoming events. The game will follow a 5 p.m. pep rally and bbq on the practice field at Mosaic Stadium. Information on former athletes of Regina College is welcomed, as are donations for continuing research. Please contact the University of Regina Athletics Department.

Photos courtesy of the University of Regina Archives and Special Collections. (L-R) 1920-21 men’s baseball team;

1934-35 women’s senior basketball team; 1920-21 men’s hockey team.

Join us for Alumni HomecomingSeptember 29 - October 1, 2011More than 50 activities to choose from including the Pep Rally BBQ before the U of R RAMS take on the Manitoba Bisons on Friday, September 30.

For more information and to register, visitwww.uregina.ca/alumni/homecoming

– photo by Sierra Chrysalis Imaging Services

Page 26: Adrenaline September 2011

September 201126

The Regina Red Sox finished the 2011 baseball season as champions of the Western Major Baseball League.

They beat the Okatoks Dawgs three games to one in the best-of-five final to win the first championship in franchise history.

Photos by Maurice Laprairie

Congratulations to the Regina Red Sox

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2011 WESTERN MAJOR BASEBALL

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

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September 201128

RacquetballZoe Hanson and Ashton Duda are just getting into the swing of their racquetball careers.

They recently competed in the Junior World

Racquetball Championships in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic.

Hanson and Duda are both 17, but, due to their birth dates, they competed in the 16-and-under division. They were among five Saskatchewan athletes on Team Canada – and they enjoyed the experience both on the court and off, experiencing the culture and lifestyle of the Dominican Republic.

“Santo Domingo is huge and it’s really different,” said Hanson, who faced an additional challenge of having to get along for six days without her luggage. It was lost for nearly a week, and arrived at last on the first day of the tournament. “You had to take the metro everywhere, to the courts and back, and there was always security. It was pretty cool – the driving there is crazy. They don’t believe in street lines or stop signs.”

The athletes enjoyed meeting other racquetball players from all over the world, although most are from

Latin America. Mexico and Bolivia are very strong in the sport, as is the United States. South American countries and Ireland were also represented.

“For some of the kids the courts are their home,” said Duda. “Racquetball isn’t very well funded, so usually it’s more upscale families, especially from Bolivia and Mexico, who hire a personal tutor and the kids have their school at the courts.”

Competing internationally has helped Duda and Hanson progress in the sport. They have both played at the international

level previously, but this is the first time they had qualified for the Junior World Championship, by placing first or second at the Canadian Junior National Racquetball Championship. Previously, Duda and Hanson played in the Esprit Cup, for younger players, and in the Friendship Cup, which invites athletes who finish in top positions at the national level.

“The advantage of international competition is I learn from my success and I know the things I have to change,” said Hanson.

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Duda added that playing for your country always generates a feeling of pride.

Hanson lost in the quarterfinals of the competition and finished in ninth place. Her loss in the single-elimination playoff format was to the eventual winner of the female singles division. She placed sixth in the doubles division with Sivan Dinur of Vancouver. Duda finished ninth in singles and fifth in the doubles competition, which he played with Sami Harb of Ontario.

The Junior World Championships are generally held in November, but the event was moved due to the senior Pan American championship. The Regina players found the timing a bit challenging, as typically their own season is in the winter. Hanson worked with her coach, Ross Richardson, while Duda spent a lot of time working on his game with his dad, Ron, who not only coaches him but also introduced him to the sport.

“I could barely hold a racquet,” Duda said with a laugh. “But my dad is one of the biggest reasons I keep improving.”

Hanson began racquetball when she decided to try a new sport. She also participates in sprint kayak but had to choose a focus this summer.

“Sprint kayak is really peaceful, but with racquetball it’s always intense and upbeat,” she said. “During a rally, the adrenaline is so high. A racquetball rally is really short, but it’s exciting because you’re diving and moving. Then after you rally you can relax and then get up again.”

Both Duda and Hanson would like to continue improving in racquetball to see where it takes them. Hanson said she would like to be on the podium next year, and eventually play with the senior national team.

“It’s a really great sport,” said Duda, who encourages more people to try racquetball. “Everybody who plays has some fun.”

Our Purpose:

Ensure Crownsremain public entities

Educate citizens onthe importance ofCrown Corporations

Support the growth and preservation of our Crowns

Visit us at:www.soscrowns.ca

Ensure basic servicesremain affordable & accessible inSaskatchewan

Photos: Opposite page: Saskatchewan athletes Danielle Drury, Callie Drury, Zoe Hanson, Ashton Duda, Abby Drury.Above: (L-R): Hanson, Duda.

Page 30: Adrenaline September 2011

September 201130

THE GRIM REAPER IS STILL

By Bob Hughes

The Grim Reaper had been hanging around the dark cloud that hovered ominously over the heads of the Big Grim Machine almost from the beginning of the 2011 Canadian Football League season.

Armed with a new head coach and a staff including

three previously fired CFL head coaches, the Saskatchewan Roughriders wobbled into the season uncertain of just what awaited them. Yes, they had been in two straight Grey Cup games. Yes, they had lost both those Grey Cup games. Yes, they were being picked by many to battle it out with B.C. and Calgary for first place in the West.

Yes, eight games into the season they were adrift upon the rocks, winners of only one game, losers in virtually every other aspect of the game, and facing a future wrapped in dressing room turmoil and onfield ineptness. And, so, the Grim Reaper descended from the clouds in a move that shocked the Rider Nation and carried waves of disbelief throughout the CFL, and fired head coach Greg Marshall and offensive co-ordinator Doug Berry. Surviving family members included former head coaches Richie Hall and Steve Buratto, who have seen this movie before.

The Riders had played a miserable game on a Thursday night in Toronto, proving there really wasn’t a day in the schedule they could win on. When the team flew home to Regina on Friday, Marshall was summoned into general manager Brendan Taman’s office and told he was fired. The Grim Reaper chuckled from above, and said he would be back. He will be. This thing is far from over, and somebody is going to have to either clean up the mess, or take a hit from the Grim Reaper for it.

Some of the players will tell you that Berry was neither well liked nor respected and that Marshall was looked upon as a “Loose cannon,” someone you could never be sure in which direction he would fly. He also infuriated more than a few players by “throwing them under the bus” after losses, of which there were many.

But anybody who buys that the decision to fire them was made in the hours after the loss in Toronto is in another world. The decision had to have been made before the team even left for

Y’E

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ME Toronto. Win or lose, Marshall and Berry were

done. After all, a win over Toronto, the other lousy team in the league, would have served notice to nothing. And, after the Toronto game, the Riders had more than two weeks off to settle everybody down.

Marshall was undone by a lot of things. One of them was that after nearly 20 years as a gypsy assistant in the CFL, this was his first head coaching job. And, like Richie Hall in Edmonton the year before, he had no idea about what the job really entailed.

And the shadow of Ken Miller was everywhere. Miller was a three-year head coach of the Riders, resigning in December of 2010. He was promptly named Vice-President of Football Operations, a move that baffled everybody because in a 45-year coaching career in such football hot spots as the University of Redlands, Dickinson State, Yucaipa High School and Toronto, he had never been in a management position. Not only that, but he also was put above general manager Brendan Taman in the pecking order of the football authority line. That was stunning.

Now, Miller is back as head coach, just months after he said he had enough of coaching, and he is heading for his 70th birthday on October 15. They say the players “love” him. Marshall didn’t love him. Everywhere he turned, whether it was on the practice field or in the dressing room, there was Ken Miller, taking notes, talking to players and coaches and effectively preventing Marshall any opportunity to establish that this was “his team and his team alone.” Miller violated one of the first rules of management – the people you promote cannot do their jobs if you are constantly looking over their shoulders. But, then again, Ken Miller had never been a manager before.

Who knows what will happen the rest of the season? Changing head coaches in mid-season rarely works.

But, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have done things their way for a number of seasons, and it has worked. Yet, there is this growing belief that this mess has been coming since Eric Tillman left town, and nobody has done a thing about it. And, now it’s all hitting the fan. Thus, the Grim Reaper will not be straying too far from the debacle that has come upon the unsuspecting Rider Nation. It is not pretty.

Y’er welcome!

Column photo by Maurice Laprairie

CIRCLING

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