2021: A year in sports

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/12/2021 (1376 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While the first half of 2021 in the world of sports was chock full of turbulence — with cancelled games and abbreviated playoffs — many teams did what they could to compete, despite the challenges they faced, as quickly and as safely as possible.

Hockey goes virtual

Reece Cretton, coach of the St. James Canadians AA U13 White hockey team, found new ways to connect with burgeoning players and coaches.

“When we were no longer able to use indoor ice at the end of October, shutting down all practices and games, we as a coaching staff and team decided to move to Zoom team meetings, like so many others, as our form of communication and interaction,” Cretton said.

Cretton arranged four 45-minute Zoom calls per week for the team. Winnipeg’s own Cody Glass of the Vegas Golden Knights joined the team for a question-and-answer session.

Coach wins national award

Earlier this year, Janelle Forcand got a call from Hockey Canada notifying her she had been named Manitoba’s top community coach.

“I was quite speechless. I couldn’t stop crying,” she said, with a laugh. “It was really unexpected.”

When Forcand received a call from Hockey Canada a few weeks later, she didn’t think much of it. But, when she picked up the phone, she was greeted by Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Cassie Campbell. The sports legend told Forcand she had now been chosen as Hockey Canada’s female coach of the year in the national community coaching category.

“I had a little fangirl moment,” Forcand said. “Being able to speak with Cassie Campbell and for her to acknowledge my hard work behind the bench was pretty surreal.”

New team attracts first-time athletes

Crestview’s John Taylor Collegiate participated in its inaugural football season in 2021, more than 50 years after the school first opened its doors.

The Pipers brought home its first win of the season against the St. John’s Tigers at Nomads field on Oct. 6.

Wins and losses aside, head coach Jared Boville found another way to measure the Pipers’ success.

There were 43 players on the team’s roster this season. Out of those 43 athletes, only nine were previously registered through the Manitoba High School Athletic Association, meaning 34 team members had never before played a sport with John Taylor Collegiate.   

“That’s the beauty of football, there’s a spot for everyone,” Boville said.

Curling makes a comeback

Many curling clubs were eager to welcome players back in full force this season.  

“COVID hit us pretty hard, as it did all curling clubs in all of Manitoba, all of Canada,” Ken Onagi, president for Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club, said.

“When code orange restrictions went to code red in November of last year, it effectively shut our season down.”

Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club was founded 92 years ago and, for the first time, the club was in jeopardy of shuttering. Fortunately, AMCC was able to cover its costs during the hiatus thanks to grant funding and the generosity of its members.

“There are so many of us that live close or nearby the club, so the community means a lot to us,” Onagi said.

Local women’s hockey league turns 25

The Winnipeg Women’s High School Hockey League celebrated its 25th year in 2021. Coincidentally, the league’s three divisions features 25 teams for its 2021-22 season.

The Sturgeon Heights Huskies AAAA varsity girls counted themselves among the teams that rustled up a roster and took to the ice.

“Getting back out onto the ice has been refreshing. I felt so disconnected from hockey,” Nevaya Bate, a 15-year-old forward, said.

The Huskies’ senior players hope to match the success they achieved during the 2018-2019 season as they entered into this year’s playoffs.

Westgate Wings take flight

The Westgate Mennonite Collegiate Wings AAAA varsity boys volleyball team went undefeated this season. The Wings’ clean track record secured its victory during December’s provincial finals.  

The Wings defeated the Vincent Massey Trojans (25-22, 25-23, 25-21) in the last game, after beating the Steinbach Regional Sabres (21-25, 25-11, 25-15, 25-22) during the semifinals earlier in the day at Sturgeon Heights Collegiate.

This championship win marked the first time the Wings have won the title in 43 years.

The team’s libero Nolan Gawne and left side hitter Rowan Krahn were named tournament all stars. Sam Ludwig, a setter, was recognized as the tournament’s most valuable player.