The 16 Pure Venom girls softball team has been performing well and last week it learned that five of its players have been selected to go to the Alberta Summer Games.
     Brooklynn  Hartman, Tenlee Jensen, Gabby Thomson, Brooklyn Lutz and Randi Gill will be representing Zone 2 at the games in Grande Prairie. U16 head coach Ciena Sands is also going to the games as an assistant coach.
    “This is huge news for Drumheller Girls Softball Association (DGSA), and huge for Drumheller as a whole to have that kind of representation at the Summer Games,” said Pam Hartman of DGSA.
    The girls selected have been playing together for a number of years and they went to two tryouts in early May. Zone 2 encompasses communities surrounding Calgary, from Banff on the west, to the Saskatchewan border, taking in Olds, High River, Trochu, and Hanna. About 30 players tried out.
    Pure Venom have been having a strong season so far, and in three tournaments they have attended this year, they hold a gold, silver and a bronze.
    “When you have girls of that calibre playing, the team just reaches new heights,” said Hartman.
    The City of Grande Prairie and the County of Grande Prairie are hosting the Games this July. There, young Albertans will compete in 14 different sports and the hosts are expecting 2,800 athletes, coaches and support staff at the competition.

The Dragons family sticks together, and this year a former Drumheller Dragons defenseman is coming back to the team as an assistant coach.
 Kenton Levesque played defense for the Dragons from 2009-2012 and racked up a number of honours including the Jeff Hendricks Memorial Scholarship and was the two-time Hardest Working Dragon. In his final season, he was captain of the team.
    “I have always wanted to go back to (the Dragons). It is going to be a good time,” said Levesque.
    He played for a short spell at SAIT, before he got into coaching. Based in Cochrane, he has been coaching for the last five years, most recently as head coach for the AC Avalanche in the Alberta Midget Hockey League. He is also a skills development coach for P3 Sports, a hockey development company.
    “I have been a skills coach for the last  five years working with guys in the AHL, the  Western League and AJHL, all the way down to five and six-year-olds, so it has been a large variety of hockey but it is what I do every day, so  it is awesome to come back to Drumheller and continue the passion.”
    Dragons head coach Kevin Hasselberg likes the fit.
    “Kenton is a natural fit within the Dragons’ Organization. He has earned the community’s trust providing fans with inspirational play on the ice, and dedication to the community off the ice. Kenton is extremely passionate about developing players and is excited to contribute to the success of the Dragons Hockey Team,” said Hasselberg.
    Over the years Levesque says his connection to the community and team have remained strong. He billeted with Arlene Turner, and he still sees his old teammates.
    “We still have Drumheller Dragons reunions in Calgary with guys I played with from 2009-2012. So the Dragons still runs in our blood and always will, we made some lifelong friends there and to be able to go back and see people I haven’t seen in a few years is going to be a great experience,” said Levesque.
    He is slated to start on August 1, however, he was able to get a good look at the team at the Dragons development camp in Cochrane last weekend.