Sports | DrumhellerMail

Club revitalizes tennis in Drumheller

    A familiar sight for residents taking a stroll by the Drumheller Curling Arena is that of the tennis courts often standing empty or only with a scant few players utilizing them.
   The new Drumheller Tennis Club is aiming to change that. At their meeting on April 3, tennis players in the valley had a chance to meet one another and decide what their goals were.
   “There was people who came to our meeting who were saying that they were so glad they finally found people to play tennis with,” said Marcel Augey, one of the founders of the club. “We have a couple goals. The first is raise awareness for the sport. Second, we want to relocate the courts.”
   The current courts were built years ago and have fallen into disrepair.
   “The condition of the courts is steering people away,” said Augey. “We’re driving to Standard to play tennis. They have nice, new courts. We need new courts.”
   The fate of the current courts is uncertain as well. Phase 2 of the Badlands Community Facility is beginning and to make way for new hockey and curling arenas, the tennis courts may be removed.
   The tennis club is already searching for potential sites to build three courts and are hoping to get the support of the Town of Drumheller There are a few factors the club is considering.
   “It can’t be too close to trees. The roots of trees will easily damage courts. A prime example is the courts already in Drumheller,” said Augey. “We want to try to have a good public accessible, open location.”
   The goal is to have new courts built and ready to play on in 2013, Drumheller’s centennial.
   However, the club is not just about building new courts. One of the goals is to raise awareness and get residents out having fun.
   “It’s not just about new courts. With the tennis club I wanted to have, once or twice a week, having mixed nights, doubles nights, or evenings for kids,” said Augey.
   Augey has been playing tennis for years. Trevor Chan sparked his interest and Augey watched the stars of tennis, such as Andre Agassi, play. During the summer, Augey and several others try to play three or four times a week, but have to go elsewhere to play sometimes.
   “I belong to the Medicine Hat Club and I saw what they do. I talked to the guys I play tennis with here and we decided to put our heads together to see what we could do,” said Augey. “It really started with the [Sports, Recreation, and Arts] expo. We wanted to see what interest is out there and it’s snowballed from there.”
   Support has been growing for the club and the club will be playing on the old courts by the end of the month. On April 23, the club will be cleaning the courts.
   For more information, visit the club’s Facebook page. To get involved, contact Augey at marcel.augey@gmail.com.
   “It’s fun for everybody and it’s affordable,” said Augey. “Everyone is welcome, just come out and have fun.”

Golf Association tees up helping schools teach golf

Tom Zariski, former principal of DCHS and a current Town Councillor, is giving new meaning to the phrase “going clubbing.”
   In an effort to make teaching golf affordable for local schools, Zariski is collecting golf clubs, through the Pioneer Trail Centre, to donate to local schools. The program is called Clubs for Kids.
   Last year, the Drumheller Community Golf Association helped provide golf education to Greentree and St. Anthony’s elementary students through the National Golf in Schools program. Through the program both schools were given sets of plastic clubs and balls to help students learn the basics of golf.
   From there, Zariski wanted to give junior high and high school students the tools to learn the sport as well.
   The problem was that golf clubs are prohibitively expensive. For example, a moderate quality set of new clubs can cost $500. Schools would need to buy multiple sets to accommodate students.
   Zariski, with support from the Golf Association, started an initiative to bring golf to the area schools and do a little housekeeping at the same time. Residents are encouraged to donate their old golf clubs to the Pioneer Trail Centre. Then, the Golf Association will pay for the clubs, thereby donating to the Pioneer Trail centre.
   Zariski also bought all of the Salvation Army Thrift Store’s clubs.
   The Newcastle Recreation Association and the Royal Tyrrell Museum Cooperating Society donated the funds needed to buy the clubs.
   “With all these golf clubs sitting around collecting dust, why not donate them to schools, who can’t afford them,” said Zariski. “For example, the Salvation Army had a basement full of clubs, so I figured let’s get them out of there and send them somewhere they will be used.”
   Golf has many advantages explained Zariski.
   “Golf is a great sport. It gets kids outside and walking around. It’s also a social occasion and a nice time to get our with friends,” said Zariski.
   Zariski first was introduced to the sport when he was a teenager in Edmonton. He and his friends would go shoot some golf in the river valley. Soon after though, Zariski stopped playing. It wasn’t until coming to Drumheller that he and fellow teachers picked up some clubs and the hobby again.
   Since then, Zariski has become an avid golfer, so much so that if the golf course was open in winter, he would at least consider playing a few rounds.
   “Golf is a sport for life. I used to play hockey, but couldn’t do it anymore as I got older. I can still get out and get some exercise playing golf,” said Zariski.
   For more information about the golf program, residents can contact Zariski at 403-823-4399. Residents who have unused clubs can take them to the Pioneer Trail Centre in downtown Drumheller.

Alumni sweep second annual St. Anthony’s games

    The new St. Anthony’s gym hosted the first competitive basketball games last weekend as former St. Anthony’s cagers took on this season’s squad.
   This was the second annual alumni games and was well attended as the school builds the new tradition. There was camaraderie in the court as well as in the stands.
   Athletics director at the school, Gavin Makse, said it was great to see the turnout.
   “It went over very well, it was good to see kids come back and nice to show off the new, beautiful gym,” said Makse. “The big thing was how any alumni had their parents come, it was good to see.”
   While St. Anthony’s did not put a senior girls squad on the court this season, junior high school players came up to participate. About seven alumni came out for the game and it was a close one. The alumni won 46-39.
   About a dozen former men returned to play this year’s St. Anthony’s squad, and age and size won out as the alumni cruised to a 61-27 victory.
   In all it was in fun and for a good cause. During the event they held a silent auction to sell the aging basketball uniforms, and so far they have raised $400 to purchase new uniforms. Former players and parents were snapping them up.
   “We only have 10 left; six of the boys and 10 of the girls,” said Makse.
   He said the uniforms are still available and for a bid of $25 a fan can pick up a jersey. A bid of $50 gets the shorts as well.
   They are continuing to build the tradition. Next year’s alumni game is already slated for the weekend after the provincial finals. They are looking at adding more events to the contest.

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