Sports headlines galore in 2014

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Taber Times

The whirlwind sports year of 2014 saw many local athletes come to the forefront not only on the local, but provincial and national sports scene as well. Here is a look at the local sports bests of 2014.

JANUARY: Another successful Taber Fish and Game Association Measuring Day is had as Jason Wiebe is selected as Taber Fish and Game Sorgard Memorial All-Around Sportsman of the Year.

The town agrees in principle to provide a loan to the Taber Gymnastics Fitness Club for construction of a proposed gymnastics building to be located in downtown Taber.

Calvin Swanson, Cole Nakamura, Ryan Tessemaker, Dillan Kelly, Logan Wiebe, Ace Wenbourne, Dylan Nevil, Darian Virostek, and Carl Tetachuk are selected for the all-star game for their respective age divisions in the South Central Alberta Hockey League.

The rink of Bob Blackshaw, Dave Quinn, Dave Cholka and Elwin Smith are crowned men’s bonspiel champions in the first event.

FEBRUARY: Taber Recreation Board reverses a decision by town administration to deny an ice extension request made by 4-on-4 Hockey Tournament organizers, but not without several caveats attached to it.

Rae-Anne Vayro, Kennadi Bodnar, Jobert Cruz, Kaleb Muller and Mason Muller are St. Mary’s School athletes who qualify for the 2014 Alberta Winter Games.

W.R. Myers Rebels varsity boys basketball team are crowned champions of its 11th annual Rebels Classic basketball tournament. The team defeats Ponoka 88-84 in the championship final, fending off a late comeback.

The southern Alberta sports community remembers Kalvin Odland who loses his life to a car accident. Odland’s influence was far reaching in the baseball and hockey arena in both Taber and Vauxhall.

Taber midget Oil girls hockey team qualifies for provincials by beating Lomond 3-0 and then tying 3-3 in the two-game, goal differential series.

Brothers Kaleb and Mason Muller win gold and bronze medals respectively in their age categories for speed skating at the Alberta Winter Games.

W.R. Myers Rebels varsity girls basketball team wins the tournament title at Hunting Hills High School.

Taber midget “AA” Golden Suns move onto the second round of South Central Alberta Hockey League playoffs by defeating the Medicine Hat Venom in a first round, best-of-three series.

MARCH: Midget “AA” Golden Suns pull off a huge upset in the second round of SCAHL playoffs by sweeping the Okotoks Oilers who had only lost four games all year prior to the playoffs.

Taber Football Association makes its call out for volunteers as the board will have its changes as Howard Kehler resigns from his presidency duties.

Southern Alberta Summer Games officials remember Joe McMurdo who passed away in 2014, a man whose influence over southern Alberta cycling was wide ranging over a 30-year legacy.

Vauxhall Academy of Baseball receives a glowing endorsement from Major League Baseball legend and Sandy Alomar Sr. who had a MLB career that spanned 14 year. Alomar Sr. speaks his words of wisdom as the guest speaker for the academy’s awards and scholarship night.

Taber midget Oil girls hockey team wins the championship of the Rocky Mountain Female Hockey League with two shutouts of the Red Deer Chiefs.

Taber Skating Club presents ‘Broadway on Ice’ at the Taber Arena to cap off its season.

W.R. Myers Rebels varsity boys basketball team earns a berth at 3A provincials with a solid showing at zones at McCoy.

Barnwell Trojans girls basketball team wins its fourth straight 2A zone banner.

Tanner Wilson makes a triumphant return to the amateur boxing ring, winning three fights in the 69-kilogram division. Wilson had taken a year off recovering from elbow surgery.

Kaleb and Mason Muller compete at the Canada West Short Track Championships in Lethbridge IN which both post personal-best times in events.

Taber Recreation Board members are informed how recreation management services will be restructured as Aline Holmen takes on extra recreational duties.

W.R. Myers Rebels varsity boys basketball team earns the bronze medal at 3A provincials in Lethbridge with a 67-61 win over Holy Trinity from Okotoks.

APRIL: W.R. Myers Rebels girls rugby hits the field for the 2014 season with a road game against Cardston as practising is limited with Mother Nature not co-operating for outdoor sessions.

Taber novice Oil Kings win the Spud League ‘B’ banner.

In memory of the legacy of Joe McMurdo at the Southern Alberta Summer Games, his adopted niece Patty Moyer sets up an essay contest for children asking what cycling as meant to them in which winners get gift certificates to use at cycling shops.

Dylan Nevil, Ace Wenbourne, Brock Palmer, Seth McCulloch, Reed Odland, Blake Kondor, Brock Palmer, Kolby James, Macrae Setoguchi, Cody Turner, Cole Nakamura and Calvin Swanson are recognized in their respective age categories for their accomplishments at the Taber Golden Suns Athletic Association awards banquet.

Taber Minor Hockey hands out its awards for its various age groups at its awards banquet at the Taber Community Centre. Daryl Shimbashi is recognized for his outstanding service to minor hockey. Ryan Rombough is selected as Coach of the Year.

Former Taber hockey products Fraser Stang and Taylor Stafford earn the league championship and the Cyclone Taylor Cup for their Beaver Valley Nitehawks in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. The duo also move on to help their team win the Keystone Cup.

Tanner Wilson scores a welterweight TKO against Cole Farrell at boxing provincials in Red Deer.

Joel Mills takes to training several members of the Taber Police Service who will be participating in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics in early June.

Administration addresses the concerns of the Taber Recreation Board over the backlog of swimming lessons, citing lack of available time slots for the huge demand and also trained personnel.

St. Mary’s School athletes win the County of Lethbridge Junior High Athletic Association midget badminton banner.

MAY: W.R. Myers Rebels varsity girls rugby team win a tournament at Ross Sheppard in Edmonton with shutout victories against McNally, Jasper Place and the hosts.

Bo Levi Mitchell and Charleston Hughes from the Calgary Stampeders play a round of golf at the Taber Golf Club with a lucky group of links enthusiasts who win the honour from a charity bid at the STARS charity auction.

Wyatt Thurston is voted the Southern Alberta Minor Football Association Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman. Thurston along with Keegan Wesley, Jaxon Shimbashi, and Josh Groft are also selected to play in the SAMFA all-star game.

Taber Rally Girls Club Volleyball team prove themselves provincial powers by gold in the Division II, 15U division.

St. Mary’s School threepeats at 3J zones for badminton.

W.R. Myers Rebels junior varsity girls rugby team goes undefeated 4-0 at a tournament in Lethbridge with wins over Raymond, Winston Churchill, Vulcan and F.P. Walshe.

W.R. Myers Rebels football team go 3-0 at a jamboree in Medicine Hat with victories over Strathmore, McCoy and Medicine Hat.

Roger and Marlene Hansen are recognized for the 2013 Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of Alberta Claim of the Year for their horse King of the Rockies.

Taber bantam Rebels football team go undefeated at a jamboree in Medicine Hat with a 3-0 record.

W.R. Myers Rebels junior varsity girls rugby season cap off a perfect undefeated season with a 4-0 record at a tournament in Medicine Hat.

JUNE: Southern Alberta Summer Games registration is extended to get those last-minute registrations in for the even in Pincher Creek.

The first ever Bernice Giroux Memorial Golf Tournament at the Taber Golf Club is a huge success with registration filling up to the maximum that was anticipated.

The Southern Alberta High School Rugby League hands outs its all-star awards in which Rebels Mason Merkl, Paige Wood, Chelsea Hubble and Amanada Oseen are recognized.

Taber Viper Swim Club earns eight aggregated medals among the 60 local swimmers that competed at its home meet at the Taber Aquafun Centre.

W.R. Myers School recognizes its local athletes in which Tom Johnson and Sam Terry are selected as Grade 12 Athletes of the Year.

St. Mary’s School holds its athletic awards banquet in which Kaleb Muller and Rae-Anne Vayro earning Storm Athletes for the Year.

Nearly 60 people compete in the inaugural Run for the House marathon.

Andrew Llewelyn-Jones is voted Coach of the Year at the W.R. Myers athletic banquet.

Ten Taberites with special needs are awarded with medals for their hard work by keeping to a regimented training program by Joel Mills in celebration of the Special Olympics.

JULY: Taber earns the Norcrest Major Division championship in baseball as the team beats Coaldale 8-5 in the championship.

Autistic athlete Blake Schmidt wins four medals at the Southern Alberta Summer Games in cycling.

A rare feat happens at the Taber Golf Club when two hole-in-ones are made by two separate golfers on the same day in the same foursome with Dr. Gerald Beckie and Brian Gladys.

The 1989 Swartz Petroleum team reminisces about the 25th anniversary of its Canadian Master Men’s Softball Championship over a friendly round of golf and banquet at the Taber Golf Club.

The 2104 Taber Outdoor Pro Rodeo was held with many cowboys earning cash in bareback, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, ladies barrel racing and bull riding for top finishes.

The Town of Taber /M.D. of Taber contingent at the Southern Alberta Summer Games finishes second in overall medal count to host Pincher Creek with 93 gold, 61 silver and 52 bronze.

Taber’s U12 soccer team earns gold at Tier IV provincials in Three Hills.

M.D. of Taber council passes a motion to give a grant of $1,500 to the Taber Professional Rodeo Committee.

Former Taber basketball product Ross Bekkering earns his second straight championship playing in the Dutch Basketball League.

Vauxhall Spurs baseball team which features many Taber players wins the Montana American Legion ‘A’ Northern District title.

Keegan Brantner and Genna Wright earn bronze medals at the Alberta Summer Games in rugby.

AUGUST: The Girls Just Want to Have Funs 80s Theme Charity Golf Tournament manages to raise $16,000 in its inaugural year which is to be split evenly between palliative care at the Taber Hospital and a Taber Community Action Prevention Society victim crisis fund.

Taber Shooting Foundation holds an open house showcasing the Taber Shooting Complex.

Several members of the Taber Viper Swim Club qualify for provincials with top-two finishes at regionals.

Monte Turner wins the senior men’s club championship at the Taber Golf Club.

Brett Kuryvial earns his fifth men’s club championship at the Taber Golf Club in dramatic fashion over Barry Kress in a two-hole playoff.

Cathy Fisher wins her 13th title as ladies club champion at the Taber Golf Club.

Vauxhall Vikings baseball team which feature many Taber players earns silver at bantam ‘AA’ provincials.

Taber Viper Swim Club members Darci Wright, Chance Cook, Jessica Anderson, Tayla Silver, and Shea Garner earn medals at ASSA provincials in Edmonton.

Clay Sparks breaks the record for junior men in squat, bench press and deadlift at the 2014 Single Event Powerlifting Championships.

Kyle Peterson and Andrew Harding earn top 5K and 10K times respectively at the Cornfest Fun Run.

SEPTEMBER: Taberite Devin Setoguchi signs a one-year deal with the Calgary Flames having scored 11 goals and 16 assists with the Winnipeg Jets the previous season.

W.R. Myers Rebels football team earns a 23-21 win over Kate Andrews Pride at Ken McDonald Memorial Sports Park on Fan Appreciation Night.

W.R. Myers Rebels girls volleyball team earns third place at a tournament at Lethbridge College.

Town of Taber authorizes $40,000 in financial assistance to help the Taber Shooting Foundation transport a donated building to the new M.D. of Taber Sport Shooting Complex.

Taber bantam Rebels football team trounces Medicine Hat Colts 45-0 on the road.

St. Mary’s Auroras girls volleyball team wins the championship at a tournament in Three Hills.

Bob Fettig is honoured with the Canadian Association of Basketball officials J.A. ‘Wink’ Willox Award of Merit for his 30 years of officiating and evaluating officials.

OCTOBER: Taber Recreation Board continues to be frustrated with Sponsorship Connections, a firm the Town of Taber hired in November 2011 to secure sponsorship dollars of town-owned assets to help offset the rising costs of recreation. As of the October recreation board meeting, the firm has managed to raise only $19,000 over three entities, far less than the cost of even hiring the firm.

St. Mary’s Storm varsity junior high boys volleyball team wins a tournament in Bow Island.

An atom football game in Taber sees former co-coaches of the W.R. Myers Rebels football program reunited, this time on opposite ends of the field as Graham Abela squares off against Wayne Pallett as both had kids on competing teams between the Rebels and Lethbridge Rams.

W.R. Myers Rebels football team gallop past the Pincher Creek Mustangs 19-13 at Ken McDonald Memorial Sports Park.

Peewee “AA” Golden Suns hockey team push its record to 9-0 to start the SCAHL season with a 4-1 victory over Okotoks Oilers.

The mild fall extends the golf season in Taber until Oct. 26 in which golfers from across southern Alberta scamper to get some final rounds in.

Kaleb and Mason Muller compete in the Oktoberfest Junior speedskating competition in Calgary, posting personal-best times.

The Taber Pheasant Festival flies to greater heights as estimates are the event brings $100,000 to the local economy for the 2014 event.

W.R. Myers Rebels football team concludes its season with a 24-14 loss to the Kate Andrews Pride in Tier IV playoffs.

Taber Agri-Plex holds the Chinook Rodeo Association Finals with winners crowned in the various rodeo events.

NOVEMBER: Taber bantam Rebels football team are crowned Division III Southern Alberta Minor Football Association champions in a thrilling 26-25 win over the Lethbridge Bulldogs. Down 19-6 at half-time, the Rebels mount a furious comeback which included a gutsy two-point conversion call late in the game to go for the win instead of the tie to force the game into overtime.

Town council votes to approve online registration for recreation activities.

W.R. Myers Rebels Grade 9 girl volleyball team wins the 3J zone banner while the St. Mary’s Storm boys volleyball team wins the 3J zone banner for their gender.

Dee Schramm wins Junior Varsity Volleyball Coach of the Year honours for the Southern Alberta High School Girls Volleyball League.

Barnwell Trojans earn its second 2J South Zone boys volleyball banner in a row.

Nancy Csabay is awarded the Cowgirl of the Year award prior to the 2014 Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton.

DECEMBER: W.R. Myers Rebels varsity girls basketball team opens it season of high expectations with a 62-58 win over the Chinook Coyotes in its home opener.

Taber Recreation Board members learn the date for the upcoming Recreation Master Plan Workshop which is set for Jan. 28, 2015 in which various interest groups are encouraged to sign up for.

Horizon School Division board of trustees weigh in n how to deal with out-of-division athletes who play for Horizon sports teams.

Taberite Brandon Davidson’s dream of being an NHL player becomes a reality when he is called up to play on the Edmonton Oilers who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Pat Pyne is recognized provincially as he is awarded the Alberta Schools Athletic Association Award of Merit for his decades of dedication to St. Mary’s School athletics.

Taber novice Oil Kings hockey teams face off in the final of its home tournament with Novice 1 Oil Kings beating Novice 2 Oil Kings 12-2.

W.R. Myers Rebels varsity girls basketball team head into the Christmas break undefeated at 8-0 with two tournament wins and two league game wins.