Familiar football faces of Saskatoon AFFL highlight photo roundup

By Gordie Howe Sports Complex staff
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Danielle Girolami sets to unload a pass for Flagging Rights.

The Saskatoon Adult Flag Football League has well-known faces galore from the Saskatoon and area football scene.

Born in 2012, the Saskatoon AFFL has been a mainstay on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds playing games at Saskatoon Minor Football Field from its start to indoor action at the Indoor Training Centre since it officially opened on March 1, 2019. On the women’s side, the league features lots of players that are either current members or alums of the powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries WWCFL squad, and it is now seeing youngsters come up from Saskatoon Minor Football’s female flag programs.

The men’s side of Saskatoon AFFL features numerous players who are graduates of the historic Saskatoon Hilltops of the CJFL and of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team, who are a legacy squad in U Sports.

Tom Schnitzler snags a contested catch for Columbian Gold.

The veteran players in both the women’s and men’s games often show that their skills are as good as ever. Some of the players are aiming to make national teams overseen by Football Canada, while others use the competition as a break from responsibilities in the working world, often coaching in the overall sport and the family front.

The lead photo of our photo roundup sees Valkyries veteran Danielle Girolami all set to fire a pass downfield in a game for Flagging Rights on January 28 at the Indoor Training Centre. While known as a star defensive back for the Valkyries, Girolami enjoys throwing passes for a flag side loaded with players that have ties to the defending WWCFL champions.

The second picture sees Tom Schnitzler hauling in a contested catch as a receiver for Columbian Gold on February 4 at the Indoor Training Centre. Schnitzler is currently the head coach of the Holy Cross High School Crusaders, who are the defending Saskatchewan 6A provincial champions. As a defensive lineman, he won four CJFL titles with the Hilltops, suited up for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and played in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Calgary Stampeders.

Keira Maffin is playing her first year with U of Saskatchewan White.

The third shot shows Keira Maffin slinging a pass for University of Saskatchewan White. 

Maffin is in her first year at U of S after graduating from Centennial Collegiate last June.

Along with the pictures from Saskatoon AFFL, this photo roundup has images from baseball, football, softball and speed skating.

The pictures in this photo roundup capture some of the memories that are made on our grounds. In this photo roundup, all of these pictures were taken by our Communications Coordinator in Darren Steinke.

Without further ado, here is a selection of 15 shots we hope you enjoy.

Incoming

A hitter from the 222’s Fastpitch program drives a ball off a tee into the net during a training session on January 14 at the Indoor Training Centre. These pictures when taken from behind the net can surely make someone blink or jump backwards.

Take off

A trio of young Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club skaters take off down the front straightaway of the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval on January 14. The Lions were doing sprint work, and this was an image from a 50-metre race.

All about the skill

A pitcher from the JQFP Softball program unloads a throw during a training session in the pitching tunnels at the Indoor Training Centre on January 17. The hurlers were putting a lot of concentration into perfecting the mechanics of various pitches.

Going the distance

The skaters from the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club were out doing endurance work on the morning of January 17 at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval. Some of the skaters did a total of 30 laps to strengthen the aerobic energy system.

Warmup flow

A young player lets go of a throw during a warmup for a Going Yard Baseball Academy training session on January 21 at the Indoor Training Centre. Going Yard is good at having their players built towards performing the skills of the game of baseball at full speed.

Lift off

A young batter drives a hit off a tee during a Saskatoon Berries Baseball Academy training session on January 26 at the Indoor Training Centre. The players were working on driving the ball into the outfield during this drill.

Nice snag

A player from the Saskatoon Lasers softball program catches a fly ball that was taking a drop during an outfielding drill on January 28 at the Indoor Training Centre. The Lasers were putting a mix of players from their various age groups through drills that were set up in three stations.

Smarts on the base paths

A baserunner was staying locked in to what was happening at home plate during a simulated game at a Saskatoon Selects training session on January 28 at the Indoor Training Centre. The simulated game was part of the Selects continuing evaluations for this upcoming spring and summer season.

Freeze

A trio of players from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team all come to a power stop during a conditioning workout on January 29 at the Indoor Training Centre. The Huskies football squad, who are the defending Canada West champions, have been a day one user of the Indoor Training Centre for off-season work.

Shuffle and run

Veteran defensive back Ethan Laing does a number of side shuffle steps before breaking into a short sprint during a University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team conditioning workout on January 29 at the Indoor Training Centre. These conditioning workouts have drills that help the Huskies get used to the various stops and starts in football.

Berries Academy love for Grey Cup

The Grey Cup paid a visit to a Saskatoon Berries Training Academy session on February 3 at the Indoor Training Centre. A couple of Berries players showed their appreciation for the CFL’s biggest prize that was won this past November by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Grey Cup at home at the Complex

The Grey Cup looked right at home for a couple of days at the Indoor Training Centre. The CFL’s biggest prize that was won this past November by the Saskatchewan Roughriders is shown at a Saskatoon Berries Training Academy session on February 3. One day earlier, the Grey Cup appeared at the Indoor Training Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds for an Institute of Saskatchewan Football session.

Jetting through traffic

Receiver Jackson Andrews, centre, from Mean Machine (Litzenberger) jets between a pair of defenders from Seaman Squad during Saskatoon Adult Flag Football League action on February 4 at the Indoor Training Centre. Offensive players aim to show great elusiveness in the flag game.

Escape artist

Quarterback Max Major of the 7^th Floor Crew eludes a pass rusher from Touchdown There during Saskatoon Adult Flag Football League action on February 4 at the Indoor Training Centre. Major is best known for his exploits in softball suiting up for Softball Canada’s national program on a number of occasions. He can also make plays in the flag game like Patrick Mahomes in the NFL.

Winter beauty at Cairns

A winter look at Cairns Field from February 7. These photos are keepers for the archives. In partnership with the Saskatoon Berries and the Sask Entertainment Group, 352 new seats as part of new stadium seating sections will be installed starting early spring and will be ready for the Berries opening day on May 30.

Valkyries Winter Camp hits high gear in photo roundup

By Gordie Howe Sports Complex staff
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Kennedy Mann, right, uses proper form to make a tackle.

For one day, the Saskatoon Valkyries of the present and potentially the future came together.

The storied Western Women’s Canadian Football League team hosted its annual winter camp on January 26 at the Indoor Training Centre. The camp was for any female player who were at least 16-years-old and no former football experience was required.

A large number of Valkyries veterans take part in this camp along with a sizable amount of high school players and players who graduated from high school the previous June. Those who graduated the previous June could potentially join the Valkyries for the upcoming 2025 campaign, while those still in high school gained a valuable introduction to the squad with the hopes of becoming part of the team in the future.

Julia Smith throws a pass for the Valkyries.

Ultimately, over 70 athletes from across the province took part in this camp.

Our lead picture in this photo roundup sees linebacker Kennedy Mann, right, showing off her wrap up form during a tackling drill.

Mann has been a member of the Valkyries last three straight WWCFL championship teams.

The second photo shows young quarterback Julia Smith working on her technique as she throws the ball to a teammate. Smith was in her first season with the team in 2024.

Receiver Jada Duchene is shown in the third photo making a catch after running a pattern. Duchene is looking to play in her first season with the team.

Jada Duchene makes a catch for the Valkyries.

Along with the pictures from the Saskatoon Valkyries Winter Camp, this photo roundup includes other scenes from the Indoor Training Centre and images from the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval. Baseball, rugby and softball teams are hitting stride preparing for the upcoming spring and summer seasons. Ultimate disc continues with regular season play and the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club prepare for various meets.

The pictures in this photo roundup capture some of the memories that are made on our grounds. In this photo roundup, almost all of these pictures were taken by our Communications Coordinator in Darren Steinke.

Without further ado, here is a selection of 15 shots we hope you enjoy.

Contact

A player from the Saskatoon Royals female baseball program nails a grounder during a practice session on January 12 at the Indoor Training Centre. The hitter was taking part in one of four skill building stations the Royals had set up on this day.

Finesse throw

Emma Frisky, who has played for Softball Canada’s Under-18 Women’s National Team, unloads an off-speed pitch to the plate during an individual session in the pitching lanes on January 12. Frisky enjoys putting in extra work at her craft, which makes her one of the country’s top players in her age group.

Slick toss

A player makes a smart toss up the field past a defender during Saskatoon Ultimate Sport-Disc Society action on January 17 at the Indoor Training Centre. The ultimate disc athletes enjoying taking part in competitive action in a very upbeat atmosphere.

They’re off

A group of young skaters from the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club jet down the back straightaway at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval on January 22. The young skaters of the Lions love it when they get to jet down the track.

Push race fun

The “push race” has become the team and family building activity for the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club. The “push race” involved all members of the club with skaters separated at different intervals along a straightaway. After the first skaters start, they get up to and push the next skater and then the next skater until you are pushing a line of skaters. These races result in all sorts of smiles and laughs even if one line of skaters wipes out. It is a fun part of Lions practices like this one on January 22 at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval.

Coach chatter

Head coach Pat Barry address his Saskatoon Valkyries before the morning practice session of their winter camp on January 26 at the Indoor Training Centre. Barry will put the Valkyries players into an upbeat spirit heading into drills for that session.

Group shuffle

Saskatoon Valkyries go through a slide shuffle drill during warmups at their winter camp on January 26 at the Indoor Training Centre. The Valkyries go through a number of warmup routines before heading on to the main part of a training session.

All about technique

An offensive line group goes through blocking technique repetitions during the Saskatoon Valkyries Winter Camp on January 26 at the Indoor Training Centre. The Valkyries coaches know that hand technique skills play a big part in getting the job done on the offensive line.

Here comes the “boom”

A couple of members of the Saskatoon Badgers Rugby Club take part in a contact drill during a practice on January 30 at the Indoor Training Centre. The Badgers practice focused on executing the contact aspects of the sports safely and correctly.

Little things matter

Saskatoon Giants head coach Trent Marien, centre, talks to his players following a practice on January 30 at the Indoor Training Centre. The Giants just finished off a session with a big focus working on pitcher pick off moves, and Marien was talking about how little things like getting outs off pick offs will add up in a game.

Locked down on first

A first baseman tracks a ball into his glove during a Going Yard Baseball Academy training session on February 4 at the Indoor Training Centre. This out was recorded during a session that focused on infield defence and base running.

Picture perfect skating night

The skaters from the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club went through their repetitions under a scenic sky on February 4 at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval. This was a time nature presented a special gift.

Making it look easy

An infielder plays a ground ball in textbook fashion during a Saskatoon Phantoms Under-11 squad practice on February 4 at the Indoor Training Centre. The Phantoms coaches were also doing evaluations to make plans for the rest of the off-season and the upcoming spring and summer campaign.

Setting for a throw

An infielder sets his feet to make a throw to first base during a simulated game session put on by the Saskatoon Berries Baseball Academy on February 7 at the Indoor Training Centre. The simulated contest made players adjust to the unplanned variables that come up in game situations.

Final preps

Pitcher Garrett Hawkins goes through the mechanics of delivering a pitch on February 7 at the Indoor Training Centre. Hawkins will depart soon for Spring Training with the MLB’s San Diego Padres. He is on the comeback trail after missing all of the 2024 campaign having Tommy John surgery part way through 2023. We wish Hawkins the best of luck on his journey. He was outstanding with helping the young pitchers at the Complex with the Going Yard Baseball Academy.

User groups pumped to use K+S Potash Canada Multi-sport Centre

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

The K+S Potash Canada Multi-sport Centre.

The K+S Potash Canada Multi-sport Centre is bringing in good reviews.

The newest building on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds first started earnestly housing user groups inside its doors during the start of this past winter’s skating season. The Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club was the first user group that got to take advantage of the new structure.

Lions President Chris Veeman said the storied speed skating club enjoyed settling into the new stomping grounds.

“We’re getting used to this new home, and so far, so good,” said Veeman. “The upstairs viewing area and the timing rooms are really fantastic.

“We’ve been able to run some meets pretty easily, because it is has been easy for us to set up electronic timing. It has meant that our kids can have some races where we don’t have to have a whole army of volunteers, so that has been really good. The change rooms and all of that are nice and new and functional.

“That has worked out well.”

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.

The new building, which has 20,000 square feet of space on its two floors, will be used by the baseball and speed skating communities along with the track and field community. The Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval that is located to the west of the Multi-sport Centre during the winter months converts into the Track and Field Track during the summer months.

The Track and Field Track was first used in 2019.

A timing and announcer booth overlooks the Oval.

The Lions were the initial group to use the new dressing rooms in the Multi-sport Centre along with the features on the building’s west side that included the outdoor stands, the second floor indoor spectator viewing area, and the timing and announcer booths.

Along with those features, the Lions and those that came out for public skating were able to use an indoor sitting area that was made to allow people to change into skates.

For the maintenance staff, they made great use of the comforts of a new Zamboni garage located on the building’s south side.

On the ice, the Lions usually held practices four nights a week from December to February and often hosted club speed skating meets on Saturday mornings. Challenges with the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic didn’t allow the club to host any competitive meets this past season.

During speed skating and track and field meets, the west side of the Multi-sport Centre can seat 1,850 spectators and can be expanded to seat 3,500 spectators with temporary seating.

The Lions put the new electronic timing booths to good use at club meets, and that was a feature the club couldn’t believe it went without in the past.

“It is a lot easier to run an event,” said Veeman. “In the past, we had a couple of huts that were outside, and that is where our timers would be.

“They would be crowded into a little kind of a wooden hut. It was challenging to set up the electronic timing equipment, because you basically had to haul it between the two huts for different distances. It is hard on the equipment, and it just slows things down.

The official’s lounge at the Multi-sport Centre.

“This going to be a lot more time efficient when we have a big competition plus the volunteers don’t have to be outside and running around outside during the day, so it will be easier on the volunteers too.”

Jason Reindl, who is the Head Coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Track and Field teams, said the track and field community is looking forward to using the Multi-sport Centre.

“It is just a huge addition to how we are able to kind of orientate our practices and our track meets,” said Reindl, who is the Head Coach for Athletics Canada’s under-20 team along with holding a number of other elite coaching positions. “Any time you can offer meeting rooms and officials spaces and a timing booth that can withstand inclement weather, they are all benefits to just kind of increase the professionalism of hosting a track meet in Saskatoon at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.”

Reindl was pleased to hear the speed skating community was happy with the timing booths, and he said the track and field community is looking forward to using that feature of the Multi-sport Centre.

“It really just provides a stable environment for our timers,” said Reindl. “So much of track meets operates on very tight schedules, and when they can just sit in a nice warm room and don’t have to worry about rain or wind or any of those things, it just goes a long way to providing a great environment.”

The east side of the Multi-sport Centre serves the Cairns Field baseball park. By the end of the 2021 baseball season, user groups were able to utilize the new stands that ran along the Cairns Field baselines and inserted on the second level of the Multi-sport Centre behind home plate.

The east side of the Multi-sport Centre also contains a new scorers and statistics booth, a new media booth and an events office to serve users of Cairns Field. There is also an official’s lounge on the second floor that can be used by all sports groups.

“It is going to be great knowing that fans have a place to sit,” said Greg Brons, who is the High Performance Director for Baseball Sask. “The dressing rooms are going to be nice.

An area to change into skates at the Multi-sport Centre.

“The kids won’t have to dress in the parking lot. The umpires had to dress in the parking lot. It is going to be nice to have a clean bathroom as opposed to the porta potties.

“We’re really looking forward to those facilities for sure.”

The new Multi-sport Centre will allow the baseball, speed skating and track and field communities to hold bigger competitions and potentially nationals.

Reindl said the new building will be a huge benefit in going after national track and field championship meets.

“That is going to be the primary reason why that will happen,” said Reindl. “The bid process to secure championships is quite competitive across the country.

“With this venue, we’re now able to actually able to put our name in the hat and try and secure some of these larger scale events and bring hundreds and thousands of people to Saskatoon and bring tourism dollars and let them know that we have a great city, and especially in the summer, you definitely want to take advantage of all that the city has to offer.”

Brons said the Multi-sport Centre makes it more possible to bring the Baseball Canada Cup and potentially other national events to Saskatoon.

“It will help quite a bit, especially because we need meeting space,” said Brons. “We need areas for fans to sit.

“I think it will be an ideal spot for the Canada Summer Games in the future or any national tournament maybe another Baseball Canada Cup, because we hosted it back in 2015. I think the most important thing is just a good playing surface is one of the most important things when it comes to hosting a nationals or a Canada Games more than anything.

“It is going to be a real nice bonus to have a good building.”

A look at the Multi-sport Centre from Cairns Field.

Veeman said the COVID-19 pandemic is still causing difficulties in scheduling for speed skating. He said the local club will have a good chance to get some of those bigger events, but he was cautious about the wheels going in motion on that front.

“Having this new facility, I think it would be attractive to the people that are awarding those competitions,” said Veeman. “The big competition that we have is a brand new indoor oval in Quebec City that was just finished.

“Once there are more meets, because COVID has still cancelled almost all the meets this year, I think we will have a good chance to host some of those big ones again for sure.”

Speed skating a tradition for Veeman family

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Luca Veeman leads a pack, and Chris Veeman follow at the rear.

Luca Veeman never thought he would lead his family back into the sport of speed skating.

About nine years ago, Luca was convinced by a friend to give the sport a try. At the time, it wasn’t on the forefront of Luca’s mind that his father, Chris, had skated with the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club for a lengthy stretch while growing up.

Luca knew that his father was a speed skater in his youth, but that actually didn’t have any bearing on why Luca got interested in the sport. He thought it would be fun thing to try with his friend.

“I joined kind of along with him,” said Luca, who is one of the top skaters with the Lions at age 16. “I probably would have gotten involved regardless, but I guess that started a bit sooner than I would’ve without my friend joining.

“I think it has always just been fun from the beginning. As of like now, I can say I really like how the sport works in trying to get better times and the passing and skating fast. When I started, it was mostly just a fun weekday activity with my friends.”

Chris said the reason speed skating hadn’t been a big topic of discussion for his family was due to the fact he had forgotten about the sport for a long time. He first started in the sport when he was really young, because his parents were worried he was too skinny to play hockey and would get physically beat up in that sport.

As an alternative to registering for hockey, it was decided that Chris would sign up for speed skating. Growing up, he skated and trained with future Canadian Olympic superstar Catriona Le May Doan at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval.

Around the time Chris was in Grade 11, he got into cycling at first as a way to cross train to help out with speed skating. Chris ended up liking cycling so much he quickly decided to focus on it as his main sport and stepped away from speed skating.

The idea of getting back into speed skating never crossed Chris’s mind until Luca decided to join the sport and sign up with the Lions Speed Skating Club.

“I think because I had a skating background the club kind of roped me in pretty quickly to coaching and getting involved with administering the club and stuff like that,” said Chris. “Since I am on the ice, I decided I might as well skate.”

Luca Veeman is one of the Lions top speed skaters.

In 2017, Chris decided in masters aged skating competitions. The masters age class is for skaters aged 30 or older, and skaters can keep taking part in those competitions as long as they feel they are able to.

These days, Chris, who is 48-years-old, is a masters class long track speed skater, a Lions coach and the president of the Lions Speed Skating Club. He has enjoyed getting the chance to take part in the sport as a skater once again at the masters level.

“It is a good group of people,” said Chris. “It is mostly older people, obviously.

“There aren’t that many people in their 30s and 40s in Canada that do it. It kind of seems to be more of thing you do maybe when you retire, especially the ones I met in Holland (Netherlands) and the northern European countries. They are all kind of retired professionals it seems like.

“No one takes it too seriously at that age. There are still some pretty competitive people. You get to pretend like you are an athlete again.”

As the years have gone on, the Veeman family presence in the sport and at the Clarence Downey Speed Skating Oval continued to grow. Currently, Luca’s younger 13-year-old brother, Mikko, and younger 11-year-old sister, Lena, are also members of the Lions program.

Luca is happy so many of his family members have gravitated to the sport. He said one of his best memories looking back now was getting paired against his father in a race.

Luca admitted that at the time he wasn’t thrilled about the end result of that race.

“I can remember one race in Calgary, where we were paired together in a long track race, and he came out on top,” said Luca, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 140 pounds. “I wasn’t so happy.

“Thankfully, now I think I’m a bit ahead now, which is nice. It is super fun to be able to like go out and skate with my dad and not just have him cheering from the sidelines.”

Chris Veeman skates, coaches and is president of the Lions.

Chris immediately chuckles when the subject of that race was brought up.

“I mostly remember the look on his (Luca’s) face afterwards,” said Chris, who stands 6-feet and weighs 190 pounds. “I think he really thought he was going to get me that time.

“We haven’t raced each other since then, but it wouldn’t even be close now. Back then, I would beat him by two-tenths of a second maybe. Now, he is about three seconds faster or maybe four seconds faster.”

In long track, both Chris and Luca skate in the 500-metre, 1,000-metre and 1,500-meter distances. Luca also takes part in five-kilometre races in long track and competes in short track. Chris coaches in the short track discipline.

At the Canadian Youth Long Track Championship held in early February of 2020 in Red Deer, Alta., Luca finished third in the 500-metre and second in the 1,500-metre distances in the division for all 14-year-old male skaters.

Luca felt like he making a name for himself nationally on a competitive level before the 2020-21 season was wiped out due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world. This season is Luca’s first at the junior level, and he said he is adjusting to going against a large pool of fast skaters.

“I’ve been making steady steps,” said Luca, who is a Grade 11 student in the French immersion program at Walter Murray Collegiate. “The year before COVID it was a bit of a breakout year.

“I had some good results at bigger competitions. I think this year coming back I kind of skipped the last year of an age group. Now in a sense, I’ve been dropped off in the deep end of a larger age group being junior.

“I like to think I am still skating well and doing well. There are a lot less podiums and standing on top. That is just how it works.”

Luca said veteran Lions coach Tim Comfort and his father have been his biggest influences in helping him out in the sport. As for the future in the sport, Luca expects to pursue speed skating for as long as he can and plans to go to university in Calgary and skate there.

Chris, left, and Luca Veeman enjoy being in speed skating.

Chris said he will support Luca and all his kids in anything they choose to do. Chris added that Luca is an accomplished cyclist who finished sixth at junior men’s road nationals this past September in Saint-Georges, Quebec.

Chris said that Lena is really interested in soccer along with the sport of speed skating.

“For now, for all of us, we just really like speed skating, so we are going to stick with it,” said Chris. “It will be fun to watch what Luca gets up to in the next few years.

“The others are coming up behind him too.”

For more information about the Saskatoon Lions Speed Skating Club, feel free to check out their website at www.slspeedskating.com. The photo of Chris and Luca Veeman together is courtesy the Veeman family.

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.