spjournal.com: Sports

Janice Huser photo

The Ashmont boys' senior high basketball team took on the Glendon boys in the St. Paul Athletics Association final, last week. Ashmont would win the game and become the 2010 SPAA champions.

SPORTS

Ashmont, Glendon take senior high SPAA banners

By Janice Huser
Journal Staff

Although the team entered this year’s edition of the St. Paul Athletic Association basketball semi-finals as the fourth seeded team, the Ashmont Falcons would overcome the odds and claim the 2010 boys’ banner in Glendon on March 3.

"We had a really good game against Glendon," said boys’ head coach Jorge Silva, after the hard-fought game. The game would start close, but once the Falcons got their feet moving and the ball sinking, there would be no turning back. In the end, the score would be 86-61 in favour of the Falcons.

To get to the SPAA championship game, Ashmont would beat Mallaig, the number one seeded team in the league, then move on to Glendon, the number two seeded team.

"We were really focused," said Silva, adding, last year, Ashmont lost to Glendon in the final by just one point.

"The boys really wanted to take home a banner."

This year, the entire senior high basketball ball team was made up of Grade 10 and 11 players, meaning there are no graduating players leaving the team. So, the future looks rather hopeful for the boys’ basketball program in Ashmont, says Silva.

Each of the team’s captains also had standout performances at last week’s SPAA championship game, including Branden McConnell, Kirk Jackson, and Dean Houle.

And now, the Falcons will travel to 2A zones in Vegreville this weekend where players hope to repeat the team’s recent success and possibly move on to provincials in Daysland, Alta.

Girls

On the girls’ side, the SPAA championship game would also take place at Glendon School, where Glendon would welcome the St. Paul Regional High School Saints.

By the third quarter, the score would look a little lopsided with Glendon quite a few points ahead of Regional. And by the end of the game, Glendon would more than double Regional’s points, and would win the game with a final score of 57-24 to take this year’s SPAA banner.

SPORTS

Barracudas gather for second mini meet

By Shauna Burke
Journal Staff

The last mini meet of the year for the Barracudas Swim Club, held last week, was also the first swim meet ever for some of the club’s youngest swimmers.

Some of the swimmers that started off in the club’s squirts program at the beginning of the year and moved up part way through the year took part. And while they may have missed the first mini meet held earlier in the season, they were able to join their teammates last Thursday afternoon at the local pool.

Over 70 swimmers participated in the club’s second meet mini of the year, said Shauna Gates, one of the organizers. Each of the swimmers participated in four events and received a ribbon for each event with their name and time.

"It’s a way for the swimmers to keep track of their personal time from year to year, if they want to," said Gates.

Unlike competitive meets, the local mini meet is not sanctioned by Swim Alberta and does not have an official referee watching for faults or disqualifications. It’s a meet held by the local swim club so swimmers can get the chance to experience what a swim meet is like and to practice the skills they learned throughout the year.

There are at least two mini meets held each year so the children can compare their swim times from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, to see how much they have improved.