Plenty at stake as calendar turns
It would be almost impossible to overstate how many high school sporting entertainment options are on the local menu as the calendar turns today. Wow. ••• Yes, basketball is the crux of March Madness. But this year, organized rock throwing is a lead feature. Catholic Central, with teacher Shawn
LeBleu at the organizational helm, hosts the Alberta Schools Athletic Association Provincial High School Curling Championships Thursday-Saturday. The event takes place at the Lethbridge Curling Club’s new ATB Centre home. ••• The associated Southern Alberta High School Girls and 4A Boys Basketball Leagues (www.SouthHoops.ca) complete their regular season with an overflowing slate this week. There are so many games with potential post-season seeding implications I hesitate to name just a few as standouts. In terms of league titles, the LCI varsity girls and Cardston junior varsity girls have clinched regular-season crowns, with the Cardston boys in the pole position heading into weekend action in both varsity and JV. ••• Next week it’s South Zone High School Basketball Zone Championship time. As I write this tome, final ASAA rankings have yet to come out, but I think it’s very likely this area will earn close to the max allowable number of wildcards. ••• It was nice to hear from Duane
Konynenbelt, who despite taking leave of the classroom almost two years ago, continues to be a central high school athletics organizational figure. He points out the cyberspace home of the 1A/2A Basketball Championships is
www.southzonebasketball.com for those looking to be informed by that route. As for me, I hope many more folks actually go to the event at the Lethbridge College Val Matteotti Gym than follow the perpetually lively multicourt hoopfest online. ••• As for the roundball 3A zones, they are in Medicine Hat McCoy this year. The same school hosts 3A provincials March 16-18. ••• The 4A zones comprise much of my life’s internal video and sound tracks. This is the 21st time I’ve chaired the event. Action starts next Wednesday at higherseed schools, then moves into the 1st Choice Savings Centre at the University of Lethbridge.
Take this as hype if you want, but it would not surprise me if the boys event is one of the most competitive in history. Six of eight entrants are over .500 in league play before Tuesday night’s action. ••• The local 4A programs of both genders are banding together to host those provincials March 16-18. Before I descend into my seemingly annual coma during zones, I want to make sure to thank Chinook vice-principal/athletic director Mike Myndio and Magrath principal Rob Doig for taking the leadership provincials organizational role. I literally couldn’t have done it this year — and even in a year I could, I would never have done the job these fellows have.
Chinook and Magrath co-hosted 4A provincials three years ago. It is serendipitous Mike and Rob ended up by school rotation as presidents of the respective Southern Alberta High School Girls and 4A Boys Basketball Leagues the past two season and blew into this provincials project with gale force.
Dave Wells Dave Wells is the activities coordinator for the Southern Alberta Interscholastic Administrative Council. His column appears each Wednesday.