Josée Roy takes the ice as part of Team Manitoba.
Darryl Gershman
As we mark the new year this week, The Citizen is taking the opportunity to look back at 2019. Yesterday we posted top ten lists of our biggest news and feature articles of the year. Today, we turn our attention to the local sports and recreation stories that most got our attention this year. Very few things in life stir up our hometown pride quite as much as stories about local athletes succeeding.
Come back over the next few days to see our other top ten lists, each of which will peg the biggest stories in Arts & Entertainment, Commentary, and Profiles, among others.
- “Local Ringette Skater on Her Way to Canada Games,” by Lorelei Leona. One of The Citizen’s most-read articles ever came early in 2019 with the news that ringette player Josée Roy of Ste. Agathe had been selected to represent our province at Team Manitoba at this year’s Canada Winter Games, held in Red Deer, Alberta. Manitoba ultimately came home with bronze medals. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/local-ringette-player-skates-her-way-to-canada-games)
- “Prov Pilots Pull Off Big Upset to Win V-Ball Championship,” by Lorelei Leona. After finishing in third place during the regular season, the Providence Pilots in Otterburne came up big in the MCAC Championships, securing a first-place finish. To get there, they had to defeat not just two top-ranked teams, but teams they’d the most difficulty with all year. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/prov-pilots-pull-off-big-upset-to-win-v-ball-championship)
- “Clippers Clinch All Three Atom Championships,” by Lorelei Leona. Something remarkable happened in Niverville back in March, something that had never happened before: all three Atom Clippers teams won their Eastman championship banners. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/clippers-clinch-all-three-atom-championships)
- “Atom A Clippers Seize Provincial Title,” by Lorelei Leona. Not only did the Atom A Clippers win their Eastman championship, they then went on to win on the biggest stage possible for their age group, taking home a provincial title. The Rural AA Provincials featured competition from the highest-level teams in Manitoba outside of Winnipeg. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/atom-a-clippers-seize-provincial-title)
- “NCI Varsity Boys Win Provincials,” by Lorelei Leona. The Varsity Boys basketball team from Niverville Collegiate had a stellar season, notching a perfect undefeated record in the regular season. They did their hometown proud at provincials, bringing home the top prize. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/nci-varsity-boys-win-provincials)
- “Niverville Wildcats Win Provincials on Home Turf,” by Evan Braun. A big year for Niverville sports teams continued with the Niverville Wildcats winning the U11A Provincial Baseball Championships. The victory was made all the sweeter by virtue of the tournament being held on home turf, in Hespeler Park. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/niverville-wildcats-win-provincials-on-home-turf)
- “Local Golfer Wins Men’s Amateur Championship,” by Graham Schellenberg. Amateur golfer Colwyn Abgrall of Niverville has been steadily building a reputation for himself. In July, he earned his biggest title yet: 2019 Manitoba Men’s Amateur Golf Champion. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/local-golfer-wins-mens-amateur-championship)
- “Hespeler Park Playground Reflects Niverville’s History,” by Brenda Sawatzky. This past summer, the town of Niverville added the latest feature to Hespeler Park: a fun and whimsical $400,000 play park which celebrates the town’s history. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/hespeler-playground-reflects-nivervilles-history)
- “Local Man Helps Cheer Bombers to Grey Cup Victory,” by Sydney Hildebrandt. Most people only dream of witnessing the Grey Cup from a front row vantage, but local cheerleader Coty Loeppky had the opportunity to experience the game from the sidelines when the Bombers ended their 29-year championship drought. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/local-man-helps-cheer-bombers-to-victory-at-grey-cup)
- “Trio of Gab-Roy Teams All Take Second Place at Provincials,” by Dan Hoeppner. It was an exciting season this fall for volleyball fans in Île-des-Chênes, with all four of Gabrielle-Roy’s volleyball teams winning their divisions and moving on to provincials. The bittersweet result: three of those teams made it to the final, only to finish in second place. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/sports-and-recreation/trio-of-gab-roy-teams-all-take-second-place-at-provincials)
