Multi-sports Centre nears completion, early July opening expected

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

The Multi-sport Centre is nearing completion.

An old cliché says that “all good things are worth the wait,” and that cliché will ring true for the new Multi-sport Centre that is nearing completion on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds.

The Multi-sport Centre is slated to open for use by users in early July. On the building’s east side, it will serve all the stadium requirements to allow Cairns Field to be an elite level amateur baseball facility with the capacity to seat 2,500.

On the building’s west side, the Multi-sport Centre will serve the Track and Field Track, which is converted into the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval for the winter months. It will feature seating for 1,850, which can be expanded to 3,500 with temporary seating.

The Track and Field Track facility opened in 2019 bringing track and field competitions to the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds for the first time ever.

“I know that the athletes are excited, and they were really excited about the track,” said Johnny Marciniuk, who is the Operations Manager for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. “It is level two certified track, which is top notch for this country.

“Now, we are going to pair up the building with that track. We’ve had the track for two years. Now, we are going to give all the amenities.

“You’ll have your nice change rooms, viewing areas, bleachers, concessions and all those things that will make the experience that much better.”

The spectator gallery on the west side of the Multi-sport Centre.

The Multi-sport Centre replaces the old grandstand at Cairns Field, which was torn down in April of 2018. The old grandstand was used by both the baseball and the speed skating communities.

Way back in the early 1960s, the old grandstand once served the horse racing community as a horse racing track used to cut through Cairns Field.

“The history of the area was quite interesting,” said Marciniuk. “Now, we’ll have the wraparound building that wraps right around Cairns.

“We have a viewing area that is indoors and heated up on the second floor. Basically, everybody will be watching speed skating in comfort, and track and field will have that same option.”

The Multi-sport Centre will be light years beyond what existed at the old grandstand. The Multi-sport Centre will have 20,000 square feet of space on its two floors.

It will include top rate dressing rooms, officials’ rooms, lockers, multi-purpose meeting room, first aid amenities, concession and public washrooms. The building will also have announcer booths and press box areas on either side to allow competition day officials to run events.

There will be an exterior spectator covered viewing area on the Cairns Field side and an indoor spectator viewing area overlooking the Track and Field Track and the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval on the west side.

The announcer’s booth on the east side of the Multi-sport Centre.

Marciniuk said it has been amazing to see the Multi-sport Centre come together after construction began in earnest in August of 2020.

“It is just so interesting to see how the area changes,” said Marciniuk. “We have the same quality dressing rooms (at the Multi-sport Centre) that we have at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

“We have rubber flooring there for safety for the cleats and skates. Cleats on the baseball side and skates on the speed skating side. We like to think that we raised the bar here for athletics in this area.

“We’re looking forward to having everybody use it and seeing those smiles on faces.”

The completion of the Multi-sport Centre will allow the baseball, track and field and speed skating communities to host various national championships and national competitions in their respective sports.

“There are lots of opportunities out there,” said Marciniuk. “Everybody is talking about championships that they want to bid (for).

“Sports tourism here in Saskatoon is going to support all our sport groups and their bids. They want to get people into this community, and we want as the Gordie Howe Sports Complex to get people into our facility. Those facilities are going to be top notch.”

One of the dressing rooms inside the Multi-sport Centre.

With the old grandstand at Cairns field, it was harder to bring in those types of competitions due to the limits of that old facility.

Marciniuk said there is a lot more potential to host those events in baseball, track and field and speed skating with the completed Multi-sport Centre.

“We have four dressing rooms, a co-ed dressing room (and) an umpire’s dressing room,” said Marciniuk. “We have meeting rooms that are available.

“The media box and the scorer’s announcers’ box are top notch with garage doors that actually will give the open air feel when the weather is right. With that comes all our other amenities such as our ticket sales centre, which makes it easy for groups to fund their championships.

“Our concession, our washroom facilities, everything that goes into a 20,000 square foot (building) will make sure that we have a first-rate adventure here with our championships.”

Once construction of the Multi-sport Centre is completed, all the new buildings that were part of the Master Plan for The Complex will be up and running.

Marciniuk said a few more improvements are still coming before the final stretch run is completed for the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

Pavement is laid on the baseball side at the Multi-sport Centre.

“This (the Multi-Sport Centre) is the last capital item basically that we have,” said Marciniuk. “We have a couple of more fields that are coming in a CFL sized football field that will be south of (the Gordie Howe) Kinsmen Arena.

“We have a 48,000 square foot outdoor turf area for baseball and softball practices, which is going to be north of our (Indoor) Training Centre. It is really nice to get all the bricks and mortar in place.

“Once that is all done, we can start looking at beautifying the site, landscaping and getting all those types of things that make it a great experience for people from Saskatoon and the greater Saskatoon Area as well as Western Canada, Canada and world championships we host here. We want people talking about this place.”

Harrison, Sutherland on fire on the track

Michelle Harrison is pursuing a berth in the Summer Olympics.

Two of Saskatchewan’s top elite athletes put up head turning performances at the Track and Field Track.

This past Friday at a twilight meet, Michelle Harrison and Savannah Sutherland posted impressive times in the 100-metre hurdles and 400-metre hurdles respectively.

Harrison, who is a 28-year-old Saskatoon product, ran the 100-metre hurdles in a time of 13.22 seconds. The graduate of Saskatoon’s Evan Hardy Collegiate and alumna of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Track and Field team has the top 100-metre hurdles time in Canada for all female competitors in 2021. The next closest time is clocked in at 13.30 seconds.

The time Harrison posted on Friday was her third best ever in the 100-metre hurdles.

Harrison is aiming to qualify for the upcoming Summer Olympics, which are slated to run July 23 to August 8.

She is set to race in Windsor and Guelph, Ont., on Saturday and Wednesday, June 16 respectively and will take part in competitions in Montreal on June 26 and 29.

Savannah Sutherland has set two provincial records.

Sutherland, who is 17-years-old, ran the 400-metre hurdles this past Friday in a time of 58.24 seconds. The Borden product broke a 39-year-old provincial record of 58.49 seconds set by Gwen Wall in 1982.

Sutherland’s time tops all under-20 female athletes in Canada this year and ranks fifth outright amongst all Canadian women in 2021.

As of the end of the night this past Friday, Sutherland had posted the seventh fastest time in the world in 400-metre hurdles for under-20 female athletes.

She surpassed the under-20 world championship standard in the 400-metre hurdles. On May 28, Sutherland surpassed the under-20 world championship standard in the 200-metre hurdles, when she ran that event in a provincial record time of 24.17 seconds at another twilight meet at the Track and Field Track.

Sutherland, who is a member of the Saskatoon Track Club, has committed to join the University of Michigan Wolverines Women’s Track and Field team in the NCAA Division I ranks starting with the 2021-22 campaign.

The always sweet Complex happenings in photos

By Gordie Howe Sports Complex staff
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

A 222’s infielder snags a high throw at second base.

Over the last couple of months, excitement built on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds as the spring and summer outdoor sports season neared.

Athletes continued to train and perfect their skills at the Indoor Training Centre and our staff focused on preparing our outdoor facilities for use.

Our photo round up includes a number of pictures of athletes making plays. A few photos show the end results of the preparation that went on at a couple of facilities on our grounds.

A number of these photos like the lead picture of this post were taken by our Communications Coordinator in Darren Steinke. The lead photo shows a member of the 222’s Fast Pitch program jumping sky high to corral a high throw during an infield drill on April 2.

A trio of Complex family members contributed a few photos too.

Without further ado, here is a selection of 10 pictures from the past two months and a bonus graphic at the end. We hope you enjoy.

Multi-sport centre rises

You can see the landscape at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex has changed a little, if you drive on Dudley Street along the north part of our grounds. The new Multi-sport Centre, which is still under construction, has taken shape nicely. It is pictured here on May 1.

Showing how it is done

Brody Boyenko, who is an instructor with the Going Yard Training Centre, demonstrates a throwing motion to players he is coaching at the Indoor Training Centre on April 8. Boyenko is one of the many good coaches you see on our grounds.

SMF Field ready and waiting

Our own Ashlie Borisenko took this photo of Saskatoon Minor Football Field on April 24. Borisenko was part of the crew that groomed the football facility and got it ready for the upcoming season.

Fast thinking

This first baseman quickly reacts to a wide throw during an infield defensive drill at a training session overseen by Centerfield Training. This snag took place at an April 15 session at the Indoor Training Centre. The crew at Centerfield Training held regular training sessions at the Indoor Training Centre over the winter months.

Beauty new goalpost pads

Our Operations Manager Johnny Marciniuk couldn’t resist getting a picture of one of the news pads that covers the uprights at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. These pads look great and are extra sweet with labeling from the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon. With the artificial turf set for its eighth season, the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon was one of the first donors to assist us with the construction of the field. We are grateful to all our donors who have made this project a success, and we pass on a big thank you once again.

Safe at second

Members of the Saskatoon Lasers were working on their baserunning skills during an April 23 session at the Indoor Training Session. This young player was the subject of the best sliding picture we were able to take over the past six months.

Crank it up

This batter tags a pitch during a Going Yard Training Centre session on April 8. This hit took place at an Easter Camp held by Going Yard. The crew at Going Yard did fantastic work with the players they coached during the baseball off-season.

May the 4^th be with you

In the world of popular culture, we know that May 4 is Star Wars Day. We have a few Star Wars fans on staff and a few grace our grounds. For fun, we took this picture on this past May 4.

It feels so good to see the track

For the first time since October of 2019, the bulk of the speed skating tiles have been removed to open up the Track and Field Track. This has been a sight we’ve been waiting for. The Track and Field Track sits looking serene on April 27.

Beauty at sunset with SMF Field

Sometimes nature presents a scene where you just have to get the camera out. Saskatoon Minor Softball League president Vanessa Kosteroski got this picture of a sunset at Saskatoon Minor Football Field on May 5. The Complex is good at creating amazing pictures.

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day. We hope you enjoy the poem above.

Nordic skiing a natural lifelong sport

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

A young skier works her way up an incline.

When Alison Meinert sees the youngsters she coaches in Nordic skiing, she hopes they realize the sport can truly be a lifelong love.

Meinert is one of the coaches for the youth high performance program at the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club. During some practice sessions that take place on the trails and hills that run through the Gordie Howe Sports Complex and neighbouring Holiday Park Golf Course, there are times the club’s young skiers will share those trials with competitive and recreational skiers from all ages.

While the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club coaches try to instill a love of the sport into their athletes, Meinert said it great for the young skiers to see a variety of adult skiers at various skill levels enjoy the sport, which is best known as cross-country skiing.

“We hope that we’ve instilled in them that it is a sport for life,” said Meinert. “A lot of the new long term athlete development, all those models across sport have an active for life section.

“I think cross-country skiing is probably one of the best sports for being active for life. We have kids from three-years-old and probably in the same park at the same time we might have an 80-year-old out skiing. It is for all ages, and that I think appeals to a lot of people and families that you can ski your whole life.

“I hope that the kids see it that way too. There is a future for them whether they want to ski race, whether they just want to recreationally ski, whether they want to be an official at a race, or whether they want to be a coach. There is lots of options.”

Ivan English, who is vice-president of the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club, said Nordic Skiing is just like the cross-country skiing you see on television when a Winter Olympics is on. On the trails, you can encounter all sorts of terrain.

“Cross-country skiing is basically up and down skiing,” said English. “You climb hills.

A young skier takes on a downhill part of a trail.

“You get a good workout that way, but you also want hills for going down as well, because that is fun. The sport is huge in Europe, especially Norway and Sweden and Finland. It is quite a popular sport.”

Within Nordic skiing, there are two different types of skiing in classic skiing and skate skiing.

Classic skiing is what most people think of for cross-country skiing. A person’s skis are parallel in a track, and you do a parallel or a diagonal stride so that the skis are in the track. It looks a bit like running with your arms moving diagonally with your legs.

In skate skiing, the track is wider and it is packed. You glide on your skies by pushing off at an angle similar to the skating stride of a long track speed skater. A skier pushed off at an angle and glides on their skies and uses poles.

English said the coaches try to get the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club members to try both techniques.

“You will have a race for classic skiing, and you will also have races for skate skiing,” said English. “For instance, some races you might have on a Saturday you might do a classic race and then the Sunday you will do a skate race.”

As for competitions themselves, Nordic skiing has a lot of options. Young children will do races anywhere from one to four kilometres in length.

Teenagers and young adults will take part in races 10 to 15-kilometres in length. Adults might take part in races anywhere from five-kilometres in length all the way up to 50-kilometres in length.

While those race lengths are used for traditional Nordic skiing competition, the sport also had sprint races, where racers go all out to finish first in a one-or-two-kilometre loop and there is a lot of jockeying for position. Sprint racers are very spectator friendly.

Besides the traditional and sprint races, Nordic skiing offers loppet ski races. Loppet ski races are conducted in a similar style to marathon or fun run races.

Those races can be anywhere from five to 10-kilometres in length and can run as long to 50 to 60-kilometres in length.

A coach, right, instructs a Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club skier.

Skiers take off in a mass start, and those races can attract skiers who want to compete and those that are there just to participate. There is usually a social gathering after those races.

“Skiing tries to offer something for everybody from the recreation skier up to those who want to race and have a sport and train hard at it,” said English.

The Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club has a pretty lengthy history in “the Bridge City” too. Back in 1928, Nordic skiing was first offered when the Saskatoon Ski Club was established.

In 1968, the Saskatoon Ski Club’s Nordic and Alpine disciplines were split up which saw the creation of the Nordic Ski Club of Saskatoon, which officially took on the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club name in 2011.

In the youth high performance programs, Meinert said they have a group of 30 skiers that come out and train multiple times a week.

“We’re pretty passionate about skiing and getting kids active and enjoying and loving the outdoors,” said Meinert. “We get exercise too, while we are out here.

“The kids have been really improving over the last couple of years. We’ve really made an effort to try and train more times a week, work on our technique. There is a provincial race series that we attend, and we’ve gotten some great results there.

“We’re just at the age with some of our older kids, our 14, 15 and 16-year-olds to try to get them to race a bit out of province and see what that competition is like in other places, because it is pretty steep. It gives them an idea of how hard they need to train here in Saskatoon to be able to compete out of province. They are great kids, and we always have lots of fun out here.”

English said the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club is looking forward to growing the sport at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, where the club will benefit from a new Multi-sport Centre that is currently under construction along with a timing hut and storage garage.

Nordic skiing is a sport that can be enjoyed for life.

“We’re super excited,” said English. “Our club for being around so long we’ve actually run youth programs basically out of very limited facilities.

“We had to bring in hot chocolate for the kids on a little sled just trying to make due. With the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, we are really excited that we’ll actually have a facility to call home to share with speed skating in the winter and other sports in the summer. We are actually going to have a place for kids to come in and warm up and bathrooms and change rooms and access to a canteen and be able to grow our sport.

“We’re going to have this great new home where we can really have a lot more amenities for all of our skiers.”

For more information about the Saskatoon Nordic Ski Club, feel free to check out their website at www.saskatoonnordicski.ca.