The Senior Titans flexed their muscles in their season opener, trouncing Olds.
    League play officially began for the Senior Titans last Saturday afternoon when they headed to Olds to play. Resistance was futile as the Titans buried Olds 52-19.
     ‘That was the outcome we were looking for,” said coach Ken Fournier. “We went in with a game plan, having the offence balanced; trying to keep the passing and running to the same amount. We missed the first couple balls, but we started to catch and were moving the ball down the field great with a nice combination. I think we caught them off guard passing that much.”
    In the first quarter the Titans were up by 21 points, and didn’t let up against the big physical team.
    “We just executed. You could tell we had a game under our belts already, and they (Olds) just hadn’t.  They were still adjusting and playing catch-up and our guys were ready to go,” said Fournier.
    Spencer Fournier continued where he left off last year with four touchdowns. Rookie Josh Weeteringen also had one, as did Tanner Borowicz, who is playing in his first year as a Titan. Kordell Sykes had a fumble recovery for a touchdown. This year the team introduced a new kicker, and after only three practices, he was able to score 10 points.  
    Defense was strong as well. Thomas Borst has an interception.
    “As coaches we really worked with them on a game plan… and we worked really hard on it in practice. We told the linemen ‘you really could get an interception.’ These are plays you like,” said Fournier.
    The regular season continues this week as the Titans host Canmore on Saturday at 11 a.m. This is the team’s home opener.
    Because there is less than a handful of team in the league, the Titans have lined up a number of exhibition games with tough competition to fill their schedule.
    This includes tough games against teams such as a Cardston and Bowness of Calgary.
    “Win or lose, these are tough games we have to play to get better,” said Fournier. “Because they are exhibition games it gives us a chance to work on what we want and we want to executed at a higher level.  By the time we get back to the league games at the end of the season we should be a different team.”

    While school buses are back on the road, there are concerns about where they  are parking.
    Currently the Town of Drumheller allows school bus drivers to park their busses in close proximity to their homes. While it is a convenience for the driver, for some neighbours, it can be an issue.
    Mayor Terry Yemen says he typically begins to hear complaints about school buses in residential neighborhoods when school commences.
    “There is a transition period where everyone has to get used to it again,” said Yemen. “Usually there are complaints this time of year. They talk to the driver and it takes care of itself.”
    He said the town has allowed drivers to park near their homes to help the school divisions attract and retain drivers.    
    “They did have a storage area, where the drivers had to drive over and pick up their buses, and they had such a hard time getting drivers. Here there is some convenience where a mom can start her bus and take her preschooler on the bus with her and go and do pick ups,” said Yemen.     
    According to The Town of Drumheller’s Traffic Bylaw, only school buses are allowed to park on any highway within the Town of Drumheller and that, “no person shall park a school bus on any highway within the Town, except that an owner or driver of a school bus may park a school bus in the immediate vicinity of their home unless otherwise directed by a Peace Officer as a consequence of a bona fide complaint by a directly affected person.”
    Director of Community Services Paul Salvatore says there are clear rules and they take in to consideration whether the bus is causing a hazard or obscuring traffic.
    One resident told The Mail, she made a complaint to the Town of Drumheller and felt it was not dealt with to her satisfaction.
    Cindy Spencer lives on Riverside Drive, and feels the buses should not be left on residential roadways.
    She says there is a bus in close proximity of her home and a playground zone. This obscures visibility, making it a potentially hazardous situation.    
    “I would prefer they were parked at a school, not on the street, because you can’t see past them,” she said. “I have to pull out past the pedestrian walk to see past the school bus and the front of my car just about gets nailed. It’s not fun."
    She also sees it as a double standard where large commercial vehicles are not allowed to park because of weight restrictions, however, school buses’ weight is just as damaging to the roadways. She adds there are stains all over the ground from leaks from the school bus.
    She made a complaint to the Town of Drumheller about a year ago, and received correspondence from the department of community enforcement saying it appears there was not a problem.
    Spencer said she is tired of making complaints, but if another resident were to start a petition she would gladly support it and even go door-to-door to collect signatures.