www.estevanmercury.ca
January 6, 2016 B3
SK Games wants you at Hold ‘Em By Jamie Harkins
Red Wings Alumni Ride Late Surge
sports@estevanmercury.ca
The Weyburn Red Wings alumni team found their groove when it mattered most in a 10-7 win over the Estevan Bruins alumni Jan. 1 at Affinity Place. The Red and White earned their second Challenge Cup in seven years on a late surge when Red Wings defenceman Brett Molde flipped a rebound into the open cage to break a 7-7 tie with the Bruins. Weyburn’s Josh Lees found the back of the net a little over two minutes later before the Red Wings’ Reid Patterson scored into an empty net with 3 seconds remaining to give the visitors the win. Estevan’s Payden Benning recorded a hat trick in the game, Wyatt Garagan scored two goals for the home side and Riley Tetreault (right, trying to skate past Molde), Lorne Tytlandsvik and Payden Benning each potted a single. Weyburn’s Brendan Vertefeuille, Woody Borys, Lees (twice), Shawn Cowie, Bryan Fleck, Taylor Balog, Rhys Thomas, Molde and Paterson each lit the lamp for the Red Wings. Derek Tendler manned the net for the Bruins, while Tanner Erickson earned the win in goal for the Red Wings. Photos by Jamie Harkins and Bruins’ alumni.
Inside Pitch resumes baseball action By Jamie Harkins sports@estevanmercury.ca
The cold weather outside isn’t putting a stop to baseball in Estevan. After a successful November to December winter session, the Inside Pitch Baseball Academy winter training program will continue to help develop the pitching mechanics of kids aged 14 and over beginning with its first spring session Jan. 18 at Westview Elementary School. The spring session, which is run by Southeast Legacy midget AAA Twins coach Blaine Kovach with help from Inside Pitch owner/director of player development Morgan Reiter, focuses on giving
its students the proper skills they need for pitching through a weighted ball program that lets kids graduate from one ball weight to another in an effort to develop arm strength and durability. “For the first go-round, we actually had 12 kids out, which I was surprised to get,” said Kovach, who noted kids interested in signing up for the spring session can contact him at insidepitchse@gmail.com. “Every single kid who we had (came) from not much baseball experience and not much coaching to having the mechanics that we worked on nailed down.” Kovach said the spring sessions are an opportunity for ball players to get ahead of the game and by the time
the program wraps up in April the kids who participated will go into their training camps having been throwing for three months already. He said the mandate of Inside Pitch Baseball Academy is to help kids learn the proper way to pitch as well as make their arms stronger, so they don’t run into any injury problems later on in life. “It’s really fun to see that (improvement) from the kids,” he said. “It’s fun for them because they can see a lot of the changes, but it’s good for the parents to see that the program is actually working. That’s what they want to see. Their kid wants to get better and we want your kids to get better and they are getting better.”
All current and aspiring card sharks are being invited to play in a “Deep Stack” 10,000-chip Texas Hold ‘Em Poker-Energizing the Games Tournament in Estevan later this month. The Estevan 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games committee is hosting the fundraising tournament Jan. 23 at Estevan Exhibition Hall, which was made available through a partnership with the Estevan Exhibition Association, and will require a $100 buy-in entry fee for a player’s first 10,000 chips. The evening will feature 30-minute blind levels, raffle prizes, a silent auction, a 50/50 draw and tournament winning prizes of up to $2,000 for the first place champion based on a $5,000 prize pool as well as smaller prizes for those finishing second to fifth. Brian Senchuk, co-chairman of the Estevan 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games, said the main objective of the night is to provide an event that will be fun and relaxing for everyone who participates. He said the deep stack tournament means there will be a lot of chips available for people, so a player can play to their ability and style while enjoying their time and getting value for their donation to the Games. “Then there is a chance for re-buys for the first one-and-a-half hours and then at the end of the oneand-a-half hours you can ante up another $40, which gets you another 5,000 chips,” said Senchuk. “It gives you a lot of time to play.” Senchuk said the hope is the tournament will help the committee raise $3,000 to $5,000 for their operating expenses, while also building more awareness of the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games that will bring approximately 2,000 athletes, coaches, managers and officials to Estevan for competition in 13 different sports from July 24 to 30. He said the committee has been trying to find different avenues to raise the money needed to host the event and it was decided a poker tournament would be a fun way to give people value for the money they donate to the Games. “The more people we get, the more money we’re going to raise,” he said. “We’re really hoping to maximize the tournament and to have 100-plus people, which is important. People are attracted to a big event where there are a lot of people and I think it (will) be a lot of fun and a lot of good conversations.” People can pre-register for the tournament by calling Senchuk at 421-6508 or contacting the Games office at 687-2016. Interested players can also register the day of the tournament beginning at 3 p.m. at Estevan Exhibition Hall before the games begin at 4 p.m., but there is a cut-off limit of 120 players so pre-registration is the best way to guarantee a spot.
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