Hockey tournament coming to Spruce Grove this spring

For the first time ever, a OneHockey Elite AAA tournament is ready to drop the puck in Alberta, bringing some of the best hockey players born between 1995 and 2003 to the capital region. From May 5-8, teams from across Canada, the United States as well as a team from Finland and a player from the Czech Republic, will be facing off in Spruce Grove and Edmonton arenas.

While over 10, 000 players have competed at OneHockey Elite AAA tournaments since 2004, the Spruce Grove-Edmonton event will mark the first time the province of Alberta has played host to OneHockey’s unique tournament format.

A total of 54 teams will be a part of the Spruce Grove-Edmonton event that will feature a hockey festival atmosphere with a skills competition, various hockey vendors showcasing their latest products and action photos available to capture that signature OneHockey moment. The Game Zone at the Spruce Grove Curling Rink – attached to Grant Fuhr/Stu Barnes Arenas – will be the centre of tournament festivities. Tournament games will also be streamed live over the internet at www.fasthockey.com.

OneHockey Elite’s Spruce Grove-Edmonton tournament will be taking over four arenas – two in Spruce Grove and two in Edmonton. The newly opened Terwillegar Recreation Centre in southwest Edmonton as well as the Ice Palace inside West Edmonton Mall will play host to games in Edmonton, while the TransAlta Tri-Leisure Centre and Grant Fuhr/Stu Barnes Arenas will be the sites for tournament competition in Spruce Grove.
The event kicks off with the opening ceremonies on Thursday, May 5 at 7 pm in the Grant Fuhr Arena in Spruce Grove. Games begin on Friday, May 6 and will be played throughout the weekend.

For more information and a full schedule, please visit www.onehockey.com.

Maple Leaf Gold, Inc. donated $6,700 to arena project

Fans of hockey, figure skating and other arena-based events throughout the year will be able to watch these sports and other local functions in greater comfort, now that brand-new seating has been installed in the Glenn Hall Centennial Arena in Stony Plain.

“Our residents will be able to enjoy the many community events that take place in this facility in comfort,” says Ken Lemke, mayor of Stony Plain. “The Town is proud to support this venture and to provide our citizens with an enhanced viewing experience.”

Seating in the Glenn Hall Centennial Arena has been modernized with more than 900 new spacious and comfortable bucket seats, replacing the previous plank seating within the Town-owned and -operated facility.

Funding for the approximately $45,000 Glenn Hall Centennial Arena Bleacher Renovation Project was sourced through a joint-partnership between the facility’s primary user groups, the seat supplier, the Town of Stony Plain and Parkland County.

The Stony Plain Minor Hockey Association and the Stony Plain Eagles Hockey Club contributed $3,835.60 each, and the Stony Plain Old Snappers Hockey Club contributed $6,870, which was raised by local residents through a community fundraiser dance/social the Organization hosted in October 2010. The two local governments picked up the remaining $25,431.80 (from its Arena Over-borrow Reserve Fund), with the Town contributing $16,531 and the County pitching in $8,901.

The two other key user groups (Stony Plain Athletic Association and the Stony Plain Skating Club) supported the project but were not in a financial position to be able to contribute funding.

The materials for this initiative were supplied by Maple Leaf Gold, Inc.. Headquarted in Stony Plain, the company specializes in the design, manufacture and installation of arena dasher boards and spectator seating. In support of this community venture, the company donated $6,700, reducing its charge from the original $45,056.

To help raise funds for this project, the Stony Plain Old Snappers Hockey Club organized a community social/dance. Through this event, the Club raised nearly $7,000. The Club presented a cheque to the Mayor at a formal event in the Arenea on Thurs., Jan. 6.

The seating at the Glenn Hall Centennial Arena was installed by the Town’s Operations Department.

[Source: Town of Stony Plain]

Spruce Grove athlete Trent McCarthy posted the 6th fastest time in men's slalom during Sundays 2nd run in the Miele Alberta Cup

An Olympic Legacy has raced its way into the Rabbit Hill Ski Club.  Six dedicated 15-year old athletes have been training for months and completed  their first race at Mount Norquay this past weekend.  These first-year FIS teenagers  along with their coach, Tim Zarski are racing towards a successful season.

The International Ski Federation – Fédération Internationale de Ski, Internationaler Ski  Verband – is abbreviated in all languages as FIS. The organization was founded on  February 2nd, 1924 during the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, France with 14  member nations. Today 107 National Ski Associations comprise the membership of the  FIS.  Competitors must reach the age of 15 to qualify for the FIS level for the first time  and enter into the International Ranking System.

The Miele Alberta Cup featured 63 racers for the Menʼs slalom and 51 for the Ladies  slalom event.  Racers were primarily from the Western Canadian Series, however,  members of the Alberta Provincial team along with athletes from Austrailia and the  United States also took part.  In the two day competition, racers Trent McCarthy, Daniel  McNair and Zachary Younie finished 16th, 34th and 54th respectively on Day one and  10th, 31st, and 42nd on Day two.  The Ladies slalom featured Sierra Casey, Larissa  Schiewe and Kya Fairley finishing respectively 21st, 26th and 31st on Day one  competition and 19th, 25th and 29th on Day Two.

Coach, Tim Zarski summarized the weekend by saying, “The athletes have shown a  very high level of commitment and dedication to their families, school, sport and  themselves.  The amount of focus and desire to do well is amongst the highest that I  have ever seen from athletes in this age group.  All of this weekend’s results are a direct  reflection of the work that the athletes have put in to date, in some cases on a daily  basis.”

The Rabbit Hill Ski Club is thrilled to have extended their programs offered to local ski  racers.  They invite you to preview their website – www.rabbithillalpine.com.

Photo: Stony Plain BMX

Overall, the Stony Plain club posted some good finishes.  Here are a few of the final results:

Junior Male (9 Riders)

1st) David HILL, CALGARY BMX AB
2nd) Mitchell WARKEN, STONY PLAIN BMX AB
3rd) Brandon KERIK, AIRDRIE BMX AB

Elite Female (7 Riders)

1st) Kaila SWEENEY, AIRDRIE BMX AB
2nd) Rosemary ADAMS, ACTION BMX BC
3rd) Makara MARTIN, CALGARY BMX AB

Elite Male (4 Riders)

1st) Jim BROWN, AIRDRIE BMX AB
2nd) Patrick LEBEL, CALGARY BMX AB
3rd) Karsten MILLMAN, COCHRANE AB

View the complete results here.

Visit the Stony Plain BMX Association here.

Hockey tournament coming to Spruce Grove this spring

Elite youth hockey players from six countries will converge on Spruce Grove next spring for OneHockey’s first Spring AAA Event.

The tournament is expected to draw some of the best young hockey talent from Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia for the four-day event, scheduled for May 6-8, 2011.

“This tournament is a perfect example of Spruce Grove’s potential as a sports tourism destination,” said Spruce Grove Mayor Stuart Houston. “Our reputation for having the facilities and the support services for an event like this is beginning to be recognized throughout the sporting community.”

More than 1,600 players, ages 8 to 16, are expected to participate in the tournament, which will be played at the Grant Fuhr Arena and the Stu Barnes Arena. OneHockey is currently negotiating with other area venues for additional ice space.

[Source: City of Spruce Grove]

Jenn Heil wins silver

Canada had high hopes that Jenn Heil would be their first gold medal win of the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver.

On Saturday, during the Women’s Moguls Freestyle Skiing Final at Cypress Mountain, Jenn posted an impressive score, placing her in first place. But it was the skier that followed her, Hannah Kearney from the USA, that grabbed Olympic gold.

Heil, who is consistently described as a “class act,” commented:

I really do feel like I won the silver today.  It’s a fierce competition out there. The girls are so good. I really embrace that and, today, Hannah had the best run.

Springham Rally 2010

Having fun safely was a key message shared by Parkland  County’s Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) Unit at the Trail Seekers Snowmobile Club rally  held February 6th at the Jack Pine Grazing Reserve.  Jason Springham, OHV officer,  was invited to attend the rally and share information regarding Parkland County’s OHV  bylaw and best practices for safe operation of off highway vehicles.

“Parkland County really appreciated the invitation to be part of this event,” said  Springham. “It was a great opportunity for the County and Trail Seekers to work  together and help promote safe and responsible riding.”

Springham’s presentation included an overview of Parkland County’s OHV Bylaw 38-  2008, including required documentation such as registration and insurance, restricted  age, and helmet requirements.  Springham also fielded a number of questions regarding  OHV use on provincial highways, County roads, and riding on private property.

Although there was no active enforcement during the event, all riders were required to  comply with the Parkland County OHV Bylaw 38-2008 as well possess as an Alberta  Snowmobile Association trail pass in order to participate.  Underage riders with smaller  machines were not permitted on the trail and were supervised on a closed course.

“Overall, this was a very positive event,” said Springham. “This particular trail system is  marked to guide riders and provides for safe, enjoyable riding.”

The Off-Highway officer position was implemented in May 2009 as one of the  recommendations from the Off-Highway Vehicle Committee.  Since inception, the OHV  Officer has been focusing on targeted enforcement and public education.

Parkland County first passed a bylaw regulating OHV use in 1993, with subsequent  bylaws passed in 2003. In 2008, Parkland County Council passed the new OHV Bylaw  38-2008, which included increased fines for offences under the bylaw and changed the  minimum age of OHV operators from 14 to 16 years of age and possessing a valid  Class 5 Operator’s License. For more information on the OHV Bylaw 38-2008, visit the  Parkland County website at www.parklandcounty.com or contact Parkland County  Enforcement Services at 780-968-8400.

Torch in Stony Plain

Thanks to Arlene Schmidek for this YouTUBE video of the Olympic torch coming through Stony Plain, Alberta at 6:58am this morning. The Olympic Torch is travelling 45,000 km across Canada and also made an appearance in Spruce Grove.

The torch will eventually find its way to the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on February 12, 2010.

The complete route information can be found here.

On January 15, 2010, Stony Plain will kick off Day 78 of the Relay. The torch will depart Stony Plain at approximately 06:58 am as part of a convoy of vehicles , which will include torchbearer shuttles, media vehicles, relay support vehicles and police cruisers. Temporary rolling road closures will ensure the safety of the torchbearers and spectators lining the relay route. The crowd will see a new torchbearer carry the flame ever 300 meters through the community as it travels on it’s 45,000-km-long journey across Canada – the longest domestic Torch Relay in Olympic history.

The 106-day Olympic Torch Relay will visit more than 1,030 communities and places of interest in every province and territory. On Februrary 12, 2010, the Olympic Flame will make its way to downtown Vancouver to light the Olympic Cauldron in a magical and awe-inspiring moment before a television audience of three billion people worldwide, signalling the kick off to the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

To Celebrate the arrival of the flame, the Town of Stony Plain is planning a FREE Community Breakfast at the Town office at 06:00 am. (4905-51 Avenue) The first 75 attendees will receive one FREE pair of Red Olympic Mittens.

The route through Stony Plain has now been released. Click on the “Route Map” PDF to download or to follow the route with the interactive map visit. www.vancouver2010.com/torchrelay

[Source: Town of Stony Plain]

Jennifer Heil | Source: www.jenniferheil.com

Jennifer Heil won back-to-back gold medals at Calgary’s World Cup Freestyle events.  On Friday’s event (January 8th), Heil came in first, but commented that she still had things to work on.  She came back strong on Saturday, pleasing the hometown Alberta crowd by, again, taking gold.  These are Jennifer’s 22nd and 23rd World Cup wins.

Here are the results:

1. Jennifer Heil, CAN
2. Aiko Uemura, JPN
3. Nikola Sudova, CZE

1. Jennifer Heil, CAN
2. Nikola Sudova, CZE
3. Margarita Marbler, AUT