Hanson Steps Up - BIG TIME!

My son is one of the Parkland football players who have spent time at Wabamun this summer, throwing dead ducks for the Labrador Retreiver field trials. It's an important fund-rasier activity for the Parkland Predators football program.

This was the first time that Brad has been involved in throwing dead ducks. It is a fairly un-pleasant way to spend a weekend, but many of the kids have stepped up and some (my kid included) have gone back more than once because in the end, it helps the team.

After a few trips to Wabamun, dropping off and picking up kids, I noticed that most of the players out there throwing ducks were rookies and kids who have just completed their first year of Predators ball. I mentioned this to my son, saying also that the one veteran player who I had seen was Kevin Hanson. Brad reminded me of something I had forgotten - Hanson graduated this year, so he's out there doing fund-raising for a team that he won't even be playing for next year.

Hanson! We've all admired your incredible football skills - you're a gifted athlete for sure. Nobody should ever question your commitment to the Predators program or your work ethic. If we could all support the team to the same level - think where we'd be!

Note: I hope nobody feels offended or slighted by this blog post. There probably have been other veteran players out there throwing ducks this year - I wasn't there every day. And maybe it's reasonable to have rookies "pay their dues" by throwing the ducks - something like that would be pretty common on all sorts of sports teams. Even if they weren't throwing ducks, many of our veteran players support the team in other ways - including lots of fundraising. I just thought that Kevin should be acknowledged - he was the only veteran player that I actually saw out there. He's one of those elite players who also demonstrates "commitment and effort".

One More Rumour - McAllister to Suit Up For Thunderbirds This Year?

I'd say this is more than just rumour - Pierce was at Clarke Park last month, lining up as a tailback with the Ross Shepherd Thunderbirds at the High School Football Tournament! It will be kind of strange playing against Pierce next year - he had a huge part in the Jr. Predators 2006 league championship team. (I'm like you Scotty - never get tired of sayin' that! League Champion Junior Predators! )

Anyone who saw the 2006 semi-final game against Jasper Place will remember - two awesome punts in the last two minutes of the game, kicking the CRAP out of a frozen football. First kick tied the game. Second kick - last play of the game - won it. Pierce also had a great year at tailback - breaking some huge gains with his running speed and catching passes out of the backfield. Apparently he also has a talent for inspiring his team mates with motivational pre-game messages. Would we have won the final without "I Am Cow..." ?

All the best Pierce! Thanks for the memories. Hope you enjoy your grade 12 year at Shep.

Under 17 Tournament - Rumour Mill!

Game scores would indicate that Team Alberta North may have had a tough week in Quebec on the football field. Maybe they'll be able to turn it around in the playoff game today, against Western Ontario.

The Old Blogger heard a rumour though, that Kris Godreau was selected "Defensive Player of the Game" in Team Alberta North's loss to Team Alberta South. Don't know for sure if that's true. Anybody have more information? It would be great to hear about it if if you do - post a comment here in the blog.

It would also be nice if anyone has more information - any web sites that have coverage of the Tournaments? Maybe somebody that has travelled to Quebec and watched the games? Any good threads on the "All Canada Gridiron" forums? Post a comment (Please include URL's if you know of any interesting web coverage.) The Old Blogger is getting tired of doing all the yakkin' here!

National Tournament in Quebec

Most of our Parkland Football players have the summer off, but three of them are suited up this week - playing football in the heat of Sherbrooke/Lennoxville in Quebec. Ryley Richardson and Kris Godreau were selected for "Team Alberta North" to play in the Under 17 tournament, and Jarod Scheideman is in Quebec with the Under 19 "Team Alberta" squad. Congratulations to all three for being selected from a very large pool of talented football players in Alberta. (See this previous Blog Post on the "Under 17" selection camp.) The Old Blogger is pretty sure that all three of these young men will be repazentin' and that they'll be terrific ambassadors for our programs here in Parkland. (The Old Blogger speaks from first hand knowledge in the case of Ryley. Watched him play since Atoms and he's one classy kid with a ton of athletic talent.)

Game Results
The two national tournaments began on July 7th for U-17 teams and July 8th for U-19, so some of the game results are in. There's information on the Football Alberta site, as well as on All Canada Gridiron. (See links here and here.) For those who just want the facts, here's how it shook out for our guys this week...

UNDER 17 TOUNEY
Game One: North Alberta 6 - East Ontario 17
Game Two: North Alberta 6 - South Alberta 51

North Alberta will meet Western Ontario today (Friday the 13th!) in a playoff game. There is also a Gold Medal game between Manitoba and Quebec.

UNDER 19 TOURNEY
Game One: Alberta 40 Saskatchewan 7
Game Two: Alberta 55 Manitoba 13

There is a Gold Medal game on Saturday, July 14th between Ontario and Alberta.

Once again, congratulations to all the athletes and especially our Parkland guys! Hope you are having a great experience in Quebec. Be very very proud!

What? Karhut Again?

More from the "Where Are They Now File".

I'm thinking of renaming this thing the KarhutBlog. Seems he's always finding new ways to get his name mentioned in my blog.

So where is Ryan now? I'd been wondering why he didn't show up on the Roughriders training camp roster. Turns out he got traded last week from my favorite professional football team to one of my LEAST favorite professional football teams! Read all about it here.

If you don't know about Ryan and his connections with Parkland Football (obviously you'd be a newcomer to this Blog) then check out the trail of previous posts, starting here.

Parkland Football Events

Wow - that last post was a wicked long one. Here's a nice "shortie".

We've got Parkland Predators Spring Camp this week, June 5th, 6th and 7th from 6 - 8 pm at the SGCHS Practice Field.

There's supposed to be a "Mini Jamboree" on June 9th. Details haven't been worked out yet as far as I know, but stay tuned here or check with the Team Managers, Karen and Olenka.

You can still register for the Parkland Predators High School Football Texas Scramble Golf Tournament. Should be a fun event and it runs June 23rd at Cougar Creek Golf Course. I don't know how many spots are still open - check this previous Blog Post for more details.

More on the Spruce Grove West District Sports Park

Parkland football fans - if you happen to meet up with Coach Kaplan in your travels about town, the Old Blogger suggests that you might want to give him a slap on the back and a big "THANKS DOUG!" The West District Park is going to be a huge benefit for the City of Spruce Grove in general, but it's a REALLY HUGE DEAL for Parkland Football fans. For too many years we've had to play and practice on Spruce Grove fields that are totally inadequate for tackle football at any level, or we've had to travel to Edmonton or other communities to watch our kids play the game. All that is about to change.

I know that there have been a lot of people over the years who have worked for and supported the idea of this premiere sports facility in Spruce Grove. Executive, parents and volunteers from minor football, minor soccer, and other sports organizations worked hard to keep the project "on the radar". Gord Montgomery wrote about this issue extensively in the Reporter/Examiner. (Gord has been a great supporter of minor sports and our local athletes.) But ever since I've known about this issue, Coach Doug has been the one constant - rallying support, making phone calls, contacting aldermen, attending council meetings, asking others to attend council meetings... and doing it all over and over again each time the issue resurfaced. Doug refused to quit on the idea. And when the sports fields came right down to the CRUNCH last month - with some fairly influential people campaigning to stop or delay the project - Doug refused to roll over or give up. In fact, when the going got tough, Doug seemed to step up his game to another level!

The Tailgate Party was fun, and the vote in Council Chambers was very dramatic. There were many eloquent appeals to City Council for a "Yes" vote on building the fields. Ryan Karhut - Parkland Football alumnus (and Saskatchewan Roughrider draft pick) - was one of the people who attended and spoke in support of the fields. Spruce Grove City Administration made a terrific presentation outlining the many benefits of building these fields and showing how it really is in the best interests of the community. (Did you know that Spruce Grove was one of only two Alberta Communities that managed to qualify for the maximum in CAMRIF grants? What an EXCELLENT job by the City government and administration.) City Councillors had their say before the vote - showing how the Park fits in with the documented planning strategies and stated goals of the community.

In the end, City Council made a bold decision and the Old Blogger thinks they made the right decision. I think they deserve a lot of credit. But, the Old Blogger wanted to put this out there - Thanks Doug!