SSSAD honours Saskatoon high school sports coaches
After coaching high school sports for the past 31 years, Mark Andrews has his next year of retirement all planned out at age 53.
He’ll take the summer off and follow his son around the baseball diamonds. Come fall, he’ll swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He’ll hit the gym on the other days.
“When everybody goes back to work, I’m going down to buy a city leisure pass,” Andrews said Monday before he and others were honoured at the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate’s 23rd annual Coaches Appreciation Awards Luncheon.
“In January of 2019, I’ll see what’s falling my way and probably find a part-time gig doing something.”
Andrews was joined by Mark Loehndorf, Dorothy Van’t Hof, Lawrence Hounjet and Patricia Rowley as coaching merit award winners and SSSAD retirees for 2018.
Andrews coached football and track at Bedford Road, Aden Bowman and Marion Graham.
Loehndorf, 57, taught for the past 35 years. He coached football and wrestling at E.D. Feehan, Bishop James Mahoney and Holy Cross. Highlights included a close second in the city wrestling championship and sending “a whole pile of kids to the provincial championship;” and football-wise, “probably the first provincial championship at Bishop Mahoney as an assistant coach,” he said, adding “I was lucky to move over to Holy Cross and we won a lot of city ’s and provincials.”
Rowley, 57, spent 17 years as a high-school coach in girls’ basketball and volleyball, as well as track and field. She began her career in Swift Current and then moved to Bedford Road, Mount Royal and Walter Murray.
“That was fun — you have to be uber-organized to coach track and field,” said Rowley, who went on to coach her daughter’s softball teams.
“I remember at Bedford Road, we ended up to going to Hoopla and it was the first time in 22 years that Bedford Road qualified to go to Hoopla. I had some wonderful athletes. They were just a pleasure to coach.”
Among the SSSAD service award winners were Johnny Marciniuk, who was presented a service excellence award, along with the Mantyka yardstick crew and Al Jeffrey.
Theresa Brossart and Terry Graham were honoured as Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association coaching award recipients.
Andrews and Murray Taylor were recognized as SHSAA official award recipients.