Transition time on the high school sports scene
Your correspondent is still trying to recover from the end of the 2016-17 high school basketball season. I’m the Southern Alberta Interscholastic Administrative Council’s activities coordinator. Hoops are the last sport SAIAC runs every school year. Beyond question the recent SAIAC basketball post-season, from 4A Zones, through hosting 4A Provincials as a group for the first time since 2003, capped by the combined Southern Alberta 4A Boys and Girls High School Basketball League
all-star games and individual awards night, were a massive success using a variety of metrics. My word it was amazing!
Hopefully, the athletes, undoubtedly the most important constituency, head a vast array of folks who gleaned a lifetime of positive memories. So many others deserve fond recollections, too.
The fact that all eight SAIAC 4A basketball schools administrations, led by Girls League president Rob Doig (Magrath principal) and 4A Boys League major domo
Mike Myndio (Chinook vice-principal), worked so diligently and cohesively on provincials in particular (where I played a support role), was totally unprecedented in my local high school sports organizing experience which extends back to January 1984, with one 13-year break, where I was still quite close to the scene.
The efforts were absolutely remarkable and selfless. Kudos to everyone involved. Wow.
••• There appears to be very few sports on the area high school calendar this week which is understandable, I presume, in large part because most of the rest of the province is in the midst of spring break season, so outside competition would be unlikely.
I do see the Lethbridge High School Badminton Invitational is scheduled for Saturday in neighboring spacious Chinook and Catholic Central Campus West gyms.
Next weekend, April 7-8, the Alberta Schools Athletic Association Cheerleading Championships take place in Athabasca. I know Cardston entered ASAA cheerleading this year and I hope they are off to provincials.
I note the ASAA team handball provincials are scheduled for April 28-29 in Edmonton. Unfortunately, from my perspective, no local schools accepted my perennial challenge to initiate team handball programs again this year. Of course, it’s much easier for me to say than for them to do.
••• I know for a fact plenty of area schools are taking the ASAA badminton, track and field and rugby routes again this spring. As well, there’s a swack of slo-pitch and baseball on the docket around these oftwindy parts. I’ll have much more on these activities in the weeks to come.
My suspicion is they are all somewhat scheduling challenged this campaign by the fact most, if not all schools around here, take Easter Holidays, which are much later than spring breaks around Wild Rose Country this year.
WELLSIE’S WORLD
- I really hope the Lethbridge Hurricanes can go on an extensive playoff roll. No other local sporting activity in this region comes anywhere close to generating the collective sporting passion of a deep spring Canes run.
But, if you’re looking for a number two on such a list, our just completed area high school hoops March Madness certainly must be a high consideration.