Kilcona Park in Winnipeg was the scene for the 2021 Chris McCubbins Age Class Provincial Cross Country Championships.
Runners compete at provincial championships
Winnipeg Jets tame Ducks with 5-1 victory
The Winnipeg Jets went on a scoring spree against the visiting Anaheim Ducks as the home team earned a 5-1 victory at Canada Life Centre on Oct. 21.
Our Father
My dad is a wonderful man. My first memories of him are playing sports with me. I remember playing goalie as he took shots at me in our basement hallway. One time, I got a cut over my left eye with the little block of wood we were using as a puck. At school the next day, I proudly told everyone that it was my dad who had done it to me.
I remember another time, as a young teenager, going with him out to a frozen pond to play hockey. I was wearing skates and he was in his boots. He had never skated his entire life and so I was surprised when he said, “Skating can’t be that tough! Here, let me put those skates on!” I took them off and he put them on. As he tried to get to his feet, his feet began to part wider and wider. He yelled, “Whoa!” and as he fell, he cracked the back of his head on the ice. I ran over to him as he laid on the ice, thinking, “He’s killed himself!” Fortunately, he came to and later told me that when he hit the ice, all he saw was stars.
While I was a teenager, I worked with him in the welding shop he ran as a business. He would say to the guys who came to the shop: “Look at Henry’s welding! He welds better than I do!” It was his effusive praise of me that gave me a feeling of self confidence that carries on to this day.
That’s why I was so sad when he died on January 16, 2004 at the age of 92. I really miss him today. I have some of his tools in my workshop and whenever I pick one of them up, it still gives me a warm feeling.
It’s interesting to me, therefore that, in the Bible, God chose to refer to Himself as a father. We see this from the Lord’s prayer which Jesus taught us to pray. He said, “When you pray, say, ‘Our father…’” Jesus Himself, whenever He spoke to Him referred to Him as “Father.”
Did you ever wonder why? It’s because God sees His relationship with us as a being part of a family. He becomes our father and we become His children. As the scripture puts it, “So now Jesus and the ones He makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters.” And we become children of God by receiving Jesus into our lives: “But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
Now, unfortunately, some people struggle with the concept of God as father because, unlike me, they’ve had bad experiences with their earthly father. The great Reformation leader, Martin Luther, himself once said, “I have difficulty praying the Lord’s Prayer because whenever I say ‘Our Father’, I think of my father who was hard, unyielding and relentless. I cannot help but think of God that way…”
If you struggle with that in your life, my suggestion is that you see God as you wished your earthly father had been. Know that whereas your earthly father was imperfect, your Heavenly father is perfect. There are no bad moods, no fickleness, no unkept promises or venting stress by kicking the dog (or you…) If your earthly father always criticized you, see your Heavenly Father as being accepting. If he was unfaithful to his promises, see God as being faithful to His. Indeed, God is the perfect Father!
Therefore, we have a Father to whom we can turn to at any point, for any need in our lives. Say to Him, “Father… here is my situation…” Nothing can be more comforting than the realization you have someone who loves you and cares for you more than anyone else in the world.
“So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into His family—calling Him ‘Father, dear Father.’” Romans 8:15
Former Royals coach being inducted into 2021 Hall of Fame
Volleyball Manitoba is excited to announce the names of five individuals and one team that will be inducted into the Volleyball Manitoba Hall of Fame. Dustin Schneider, Lisa Barclay, and Tabi Love are the three individuals who will enter the Volleyball Manitoba Hall of Fame in the Athlete category. Entering the Hall of Fame in the Builder category are long time contributors Kevin Neufeld and Rick Scott. The final inductee of the 2021 Class in the Team category is the 1992-1997 Goose Lake Raiders Boys Varsity Volleyball teams.
Volleyball Manitoba and title sponsor Brugger Wealth Management will be hosting a stand-alone induction ceremony in Brandon, Manitoba on Saturday, November 27th, 2021 beginning at 1:00pm at the Victoria Inn & Suites to formally recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements of these inductees.
Rick Scott coached at the high school level for 15 years, capturing a ‘A’ title with the Glenboro Panthers, followed by four consecutive ‘AAAA’ titles from 2004 to 2007 with the Lord Selkirk Royals. He transitioned to the university ranks where his Dalhousie Tigers have dominated the Atlantic Conference, being named the National Coach of the Year in 2017.
Dustin Schneider began his career with the Vincent Massey Vikings in Brandon, Manitoba and joined the Winnipeg Wesmen, where he led the Wesmen to a CIS National Championship and tournament MVP honours in 2007. Schneider went on to represent Canada on the international stage and play professionally in various countries across Europe.
Tabi Love began representing Canada on the international stage at just 15 years old and wore the Maple Leaf throughout her volleyball career. She began her post-secondary volleyball with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2009 and transferred to UCLA in 2011, capturing the NCAA Division 1 National Championship that same year, followed by a professional career across the globe.
Lisa Barclay led the Crocus Plains Plainsmen to back-to-back MHSAA ‘AAAA’ Provincial Girls Volleyball Championships in 2008 and 2009. She went on to play for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds where she captured three CIS National Championships and was named tournament MVP on two occasions.
Kevin Neufeld is an icon in the volleyball community. He led the Crocus Plains Plainsmen to two ‘AAAA’ Provincial Volleyball titles in 2001 and 2002. He moved on to coach the Neelin Spartans to the ‘AAAA’ crown in 2012. He also helped Team Manitoba capture the gold medal at the 2009 Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island.
The 1992-1997 Goose Lake Raiders Boys Varsity Volleyball teams dominated the ‘AA’ volleyball, capturing five titles in six seasons, kick starting the dynasty in 1992 when the Raiders captured their first ‘AA’ Boys Provincial Volleyball Championship in 20 years.
More detailed biographies of all inductees can be found on our website here: https://volleyballmanitoba.ca/2021-volleyball-manitoba-hall-of-fame-induction-class-announced/
A limited number of tickets will be available to purchase to attend the induction ceremony. All attendees will then be encouraged to attend the Brandon University Bobcats Women’s and Men’s volleyball matches later that evening at the Healthy Living Centre in Brandon where the inductees will be further recognized.
Gurney competes at Bison Open
Local runner Scott Gurney competed at the Bison Open at Kilcona Park in Winnipeg on Oct. 16.
Bombers qualify for playoffs
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers show no signs of slowing down as they continue to excel during the 2021 Canadian Football League season.
The Bombers earned a victory over the hometown Edmonton Elks, which improved the team’s record to nine wins and one loss thus far.
The Bombers came away from Commonwealth Stadium with a 26 to 16 win over the Elks.
Winnipeg had a total of 18 first downs compared to Edmonton’s 15. Winnipeg ended the game with 385 yards of total offense compared to Edmonton’s 258.
Bombers quarterback Zach Callaros was 15 of 24.
Royals showcase running talent at cross country meets
The Lord Selkirk Royals competed at the final Kilcona Peguis Athletics Conference meet of the season at Birds Hill Provincial Park on Oct. 13.
Bombers winning ways continue
By Jim Bender
A pair of Oak Park grads made the difference on offence for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Winnipeg running back Andrew Harris rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries to lead the Bombers to a 30-3 trouncing of the Edmonton Elks in a Canadian Football League game before 27,388 fully-vaccinated fans at IG Field on Friday night.
Fellow Oak Park grad Nic Demski caught five passes for 79 yards, including a 16-yard TD in the first half, to lead the Winnipeg pass catchers.
Winnipeg improves to 8-1 and leads the CFL West while the Elks fell to 2-6.
The Winnipeg offence could only muster an 11-3 lead in the first half, which included Demski’s touchdown and two of three safety touches conceded by Edmonton punter Hugh O’Neill. But the Bombers outscored the Elks 19-0 in the second half.
The Bombers missed a number of opportunities to score more in the opening 30 minutes.
“We came in at half time and offensively, we weren’t really pleased with the way that we were playing,” Harris said. “We definitely left some things out there and obviously, our defence has been lights out all year …
“Offensively, I think we were kind of displeased with how we were playing. But especially in the fourth, but in some of the third, our O-line just put it together and started to open some big holes there. We really wore that defence down, so able to accumulate some big yardage and have them test the run.”
The defence forced four turnovers and three conceded safeties while the special teams blocked a punt.
“It’s massive what our defence does and how stingy it is, and with the plays they make,” Harris said. “It’s incredible. But, as an offence, we can’t rely on them all the time. We’ve just got to be more keen and better with our assignments and focus and whatever it may be that’s stopping us from getting more touchdowns.”
Bombers middle linebacker Adam Bighill led the defence with five defensive tackles and a number of huge hits that didn’t appear on the stats sheet. But he denied that the defence was determined to pick it up when the offence was off in the first half.
“It’s always important that all phases be clicking but, at the end of the day, as a defence, we’re not gonna rely on offence or special teams to get the energy going, or try to pick us up,” Bighill said. “We’re going to go and do what we do, no matter the situation. So, it’s really irrelevant what any other phase does because we’re gonna go out and do our thing either way.”
Bighill was proud of the way the D played.
“We didn’t want to give them anything,” he said. “We’re not giving away anything, you’re gonna have to come in and earn it. There’s great players in this league that are gonna challenge us, no doubt about it, but they best believe that we’re gonna be full-stop on what we bring to the table and we’ve got to keep pushing the bar higher.”
Elks placekicker Sean Whyte kicked a 32-yard field goal after a 70-yard interception return by safety Jordan Hoover for Edmonton’s only points of the game.
“We got physically manhandled tonight,” said Elks head coach Jaime Elizondo. “We were physically beat in every phase of the game and that’s the truth, so we’re not making any excuses. We got our asses whooped and we need to bone up and be a better team and find some better answers.”
Winnipeg placekicker Ali Mourtada kicked a 24-year-old field goal and added a single on one of three that he missed. He also kicked two converts and had one partially blocked.
It was the first of back-to-back games between the two teams with the Bombers playing in Edmonton next Friday.
HASHMARKS – The Bombers played without their leading receiver, Kenny Lawler, who was suspended one game after being charged for driving under the influence … Both the Bombers and Elks wore orange New Era jerseys for the pre-game warmup to recognize Orange Shirt Day. The jerseys were made available for an online auction after the game. Funds raised will go to each team’s charity of choice (WASAC) and Spirit North).
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New temple opens in Manitoba
It was a long time in the making, but Manitoba has its very own Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Jets put out visiting Flames
The Winnipeg Jets earned a 3-2 victory over the visiting Calgary Flames at Canada Life Centre on Oct. 6.
