The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Hapnot Wrestling team will be sending nine athletes to the Zone 11 Championships in The Pas this weekend. After a month and a half of training and preparations, including a tournament in Flin Flon and a tournament in Cranberry Portage, Hapnot's contingent is ready for their toughest test of the season so far. Wrestlers who finish in the top two at the Zone tournament will be invited to Provincials, March 12 and 13 in Winnipeg. Numbers have gone down slightly, and coach Craig McIntosh is a little concerned that wrestlers at the elementary and junior high level aren't as involved as they once were. "They are only going to one tournament now, as opposed to participating in Zones, too, and that is affecting kids' interest in the sport," said McIntosh. "Our numbers are dropping." While wrestling is on the decline in Flin Flon, interest in Thompson has peaked, and the community now has a club system in place for wrestlers of all ages. All of the wrestling is done outside of the school, and there are national level coaches who have helped their program to grow. "It's not going to be easy this year," said McIntosh. "It will be a struggle for us to win the Zone." Hapnot wrestlers competing this weekend are Erik Kendrick, Ethan Kendrick, Tyler Ricard, Adam Ricard, Gordon French, Cody Rice, Eric Skeavington, Brittany Brown and Keri Krieger. Former Provincial gold medalist Russell Chute has been helping with the coaching duties, passing on his knowledge of the sport to the young wrestlers. The Skeavingtons also are big supporters of the program, helping with coaching and driving duties. See 'Zones' P.# Con't from P.# McIntosh is excited about some of the up and coming wrestlers, including Eric Skeavington who came to the team from Ruth Betts School. "Eric is a fantastic wrestler,"said McIntosh. "He's won at every tournament he's ever been in, and we have high hopes for him here in the future. Hopefully he can take the torch, and other kids will follow." If any junior high or elementary students are interested in wrestling, McIntosh encourages them to come out to the Hapnot wrestling practices to see what all the hype is about. To find out times, contact the school at 687-7506. Also at Hapnot, the basketball teams are into their second half of the season. Swan River boys and girls will be in Flin Flon February 27 and 28 for a pair of exhibition matches. The purpose of the games is to give the teams a feel for both the McIsaac and Hapnot courts, in preparation of the Provincial Championships in March. Last weekend, the Senior Girls were at a tournament in Swan River, and the junior teams were in The Pas. The JV girls did not place, but the JV boys made it to the finals where they lost to Thompson. Hapnot will host the Zone 11 Senior Championships on March 5 and 6, with teams from MBCI, Norway House and Thompson participating. Hapnot is gearing up for the 'AAA' Provincial Championships, March 18-20. Anyone who is interested in helping at the Provincials is asked to contact John Clark at Hapnot, 687-7506. A knowledge of basketball is not required. A position will be found for everyone wishing to help out.
