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News Advertiser
January 13, 2021
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President’s Message Tina Warawa Submitted There is no denying that this year for any minor hockey executive and for me as a president is unlike any season faced by a group before. As a club, we were able to start our season in September with some modified regulations. Coach and team selection took place and many teams had already begun a few exhibition games. These games required some cohorting rules and 14-day breaks between your 2-3 team cohorted groups but the tiering season was underway. This halted when the provincial regulations were put in place. While this seems like a lot of work for the association and the families, we are still so happy that we began the process. We had many parents reach out to us to tell us that having hockey even for the short time was some sense of normality for the kids. We were able to provide 2-3 ice sessions for a few months for most of the groups. Team pictures did not happen due to the timing of the shutdown, but the kids still had time to bond and create a few memories. I can say that I am more convinced about the importance of the sport now more than ever before. I see it by the fact that the kids were so happy to come, they were willing to accept additional rules just to be able to play and now every time I go uptown, I see so many of those kids on the outdoor skating surfaces. As an association, I want to thank the Town of Vegreville for their hard work to provide additional outdoor spaces for residents of all ages to still have access to ice. Canada is, of course, a hockey country but that is even more true I believe in rural communities and Vegreville is no exception. There is a long history of hockey in senior, junior, minor, and other recreation leagues. These levels of hockey have been supported by the residents, the town, and the businesses and it has created a strong sense of community. Many non-for-profit groups have donated over the years to allow us to keep fees lower than in most communities which makes the sport more accessible. Groups like KidSport and many others have done their part to keep players on the ice. Vegreville and District Minor Hockey has been the hub and home to players from many surrounding towns and we have a record of being a team to be reck-
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oned with which can be seen by the many league, division, and provincial banners hanging from the rafters in the arena which is now known to us as the Wally Fedun arena. The arena was renamed after a donation was made by the Fedun family to honour Wally who was a long-time minor hockey coach, manager, league director, and president of the association. The fact that the family spoke of how happy this would make him and how the arena was like a second home, is another affirmation of the positive impacts of the sport.
The words, “a second home”, is the very reason why I am so proud to be the president of Vegreville and District Minor Hockey. I feel blessed by the memories and support being part of minor hockey has given my two sons and I. Their late father was crazy about the sport and I sort of jumped in headfirst after he passed to try to keep the kids involved. Our years of minor hockey have provided a sense of discipline for the kids, for my sons it was also additional male role models, over a dozen extra sets of parental eyes, best friends, a sense of belonging, and of course physical fitness. As a newcomer to the community, the arena was truly our second home and I am grateful to the families we have met. As president, I would say that I am very fortunate to have executive members that care very deeply for the health and wellbeing of all the players and have provided me an amazing amount of support over the year. As to what the rest of the season will look like, the reality is we do not know yet. I have had many meetings with members of our league and Hockey Alberta and we have had discussions on what a season could be, and many options have been put on the table including a possible extension to the season. We will be waiting for updates and will share those with our association as soon as we have them. I love the smell of the ice and the sounds of the players and I will be happy to walk through the doors of the arena again regardless if we can do that this season or when it is possible in the future. Members of the Vegreville Minor Hockey Executive for the 2020-’21 season include: President Tina Warawa, Vice President Mike van der Torre, Past President Zenith Komarniski, Treasurer Carmen Ogrodnick, Secretary Cheryl Calinoiu, Registrar Tammy Ferguson, League Liaison Ryan Warawa, Development Director Colin Klassen, Equipment Director Kris Dumanski, U7 Director Brian Bilyk, U9 Director Ryan Reynolds, U11 Director Malcolm McNiven, U13/U18 Scott Lankow, U15 Director Troy Weinkauf, Tournament and Travel Co-ordinator Michelle Gladys, Referee Assignor Stephanie MacComish, Referee in Chief Michael Sturrock, and Website Coordinator Rob Ewanchuk.
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