Sports | DrumhellerMail

Dietrich joins University of Regina Rams

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   He took the long road, but a former Titan is headed to play college football.
Last week Travis Dietrich signed with the University of Regina to join the Rams.
   The former St. Anthony’s student began his football career with the Drumheller Titans, playing for two years, and was a member of the provincial winning squads. Upon graduation, he went on to play junior football in the British Columbia Football Conference for the Valley Huskers in Chilliwack.
   The 6’ 3”, 235-pound lineman played for four seasons, and while the Huskers struggled on the field, he shined. He was named the lineman of the year in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, he had seven solo sacks and in 2017 he had 32 solo tackles. He was on the list of the top 10 defensemen in the league.
   He had the opportunity to go to college for a couple of years and entertained a number of offers, including the University of Saskatchewan, and Simon Fraser. The Rams seemed like a good fit.
    “There were some familiar faces there, and it just felt like home going to Saskatchewan,” he said.
   He will be on the squad with two other players he played junior football with, and met the coaches a couple of years ago when he had his official tryout.
   “They like my motor, I keep going and I never quit,” he said.
Dietrich has three years of eligibility in U Sports (Formerly CIS), and he hopes to play CFL. There have been a number of players drafted from the Rams to the CFL and the NFL. His draft year is projected to 2020.
   He has the opportunity to earn scholarships, depending on how he plays. He is planning on studying business.
   Dietrich continues to train in the offseason and is planning to work out with Titans Coach Ken Fournier before heading east in the next couple of months.

Softball back into the swing of things

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The Drumheller Girls Softball Association (DGSA) has begun putting their leather gloves, bats, and cleats to good use as the softball season starts to ramp up.
   The Town of Drumheller promised to let the teams on to the diamonds in Newcastle on Tuesday, May 1.
   One of the two U14 teams has a double header scheduled for Sunday on Diamond 1.
   Kent Jensen, DGSA president, explained the Newcastle Beach Diamonds had seen better days before the flood but the diamond that was not affected will be used for the time being.
   The year is stacking up to be a good one in his eyes.
   “I’m pretty confident that it’s going to be an excellent year again,” said Jensen.
   The U16 opted out of regular league play to compete in tournaments this year where they hope their hard will work will pay off at provincials. Both U14 teams are planning on attending provincials as well.
   The association is in desperate need of umpires in the area for games. Each person interested is asked to pay $100 to the Red Deer Umpires Association then the DGSA will reimburse them.
   The updated schedule on the website can be found at http://dgsa.ca/index.php/schedule/

Minor Hockey ponders new Hockey Canada rules

   Drumheller Minor Hockey is still looking at how best to implement new rules from Hockey Canada.
   Hockey Canada is adopting cross-ice games for five and six-year-old players. This is said to allow young players more touches, more puck battles, more passing and more shooting. This was discussed at Drumheller Minor Hockey’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, April 11. Minor Hockey President Lyle Cawiezel says they will have two seasons to make the transition.
   “The first year, they allow teams or associations to transition to either go full in, and divide novice teams into major or minor teams,” said Cawiezel.
   He says Hockey Alberta has a couple of meetings coming up to work out the changes. There has to be a decision reached league-wide, so they will all be on the same page. They also need the infrastructure, such as dividers for play.
   “There are a quite a few things to work out, but we hope to have some answers by fall to see if it will be a full transition, or if we can wait a year to get the bugs out and jump in next year. Nothing is mandatory until next year,” said Cawiezel.
He sees it as a positive, developmentally.
   “This is making the ice rink smaller, so it is a more confined game making it more apt for those ages. Developmentally it is supposed to help aid and develop these players,” he said.
It was a great season for Drumheller Minor Hockey. The Association successfully hosted the Bantam C Provincial Tournament, and the Yavis Atom Raptors won provincials. This year, seven out of eight teams made the playoffs and three went to the banner finals.
   “Overall it was a great success,” he said.
   There were four new board members selected at the AGM. Joining the board are Bern Mackey, Stephanie Holman, Lisa Jacques and Darryl Hern. Cawiezel explains they have made some changes to make way for two-year terms.
   “We switched over to create more continuity, so whatever happens we aren’t losing our whole board in one year,” said Cawiezel. “So this year, half of the new members were put into a one year term, and the other half will serve two. At next year’s AGM we will put them into two-year terms.”

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