Last July 28th through August 13th, the four hundred and twenty-five athletes, coaches, managers, technicians, and mission staff who made up Team Sask 2017 came together in Winnipeg to compete against the best in the country at the 2017 Canada Summer Games.
Seventeen days.
Nineteen sports.
Thirty-five medals.
Four thousand competitors.
Fifty years of the Canada Games.
One amazing experience.
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Well done, Team Sask! You left everything you had on the field of play to represent our province at the 2017 Canada Summer Games, and we are so proud of your efforts. Overall, we saw significant improvements in our team sport performances over previous Games, and countless athletes in our individual sports notched personal best times and finishes. Both on and off the field, Saskatchewan athletes did our province proud on the national stage.
Mark Bracken, Team Sask Chef de Mission
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ATHLETICS
Two gold • Six silver • Four bronze • 44 top 10 finishes
"Being a mission staff for athletics is always an enjoyable experience. The coaches, athletes, and managers are friendly, supportive, and competitive. There have been many personal best performances and medals - it's always great to see athletes rising to the challenge of a multisport games!"
Lisa Hoffart, Athletics Mission Staff
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BASEBALL
Team Sask history: one gold • 7,000 spectators
"What a ride. Club teams, Okotoks, Fort McMurray, Phoenix, Vero Beach, etc. GOLD BABY GOLD! Great work by Team Sask players, coaches, parents, siblings, grandparents, and fans from everywhere. First time in the 50 year history of the Canada Games for Sask to win Gold in Baseball. Executive Director of Baseball Canada Jim Baba said: "Quite a team when you have 4 pitchers who can throw 90 MPH." Great pitching, hitting, defense, winning attitude and leadership leads this team to win GOLD. Thanks for taking me along for the ride."
Darrell Baker, Baseball Mission Staff
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BASKETBALL
Women's team 6th OA • Men's team 7th OA
"I was grateful for the opportunity to serve as Mission Staff for the Women's Basketball team. The team clearly grew together over the summer and battled tenaciously in every single game while at the Canada Games. I'd like to thank Jill, Paul, and Megan and all the athletes for welcoming me in to their team and having me along for this fantastic experience! Best wishes to everyone involved with Team Sask!"
Dean Kleisinger, Women's Basketball Mission Staff
"I had a fantastic first experience as Head Coach of a Canada Summer Games Team - in working with Provincial Teams the last 7 years, it has been a steady climb to this point and one that will be cherished for a very long time. Being at the pinnacle of amateur sport while also finishing off a four year run with this group was perfect."
Tanner Brightman, Men's Basketball Head Coach
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BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Women's team 8th OA • Men's team 10th OA
"During the Canada Games the Saskatchewan Beach Volleyball teams competed hard on the court and conducted themselves with professionalism and respect off the court. They improved steadily throughout the competition and portrayed sportsmanship and respect to officials and fellow competitors that exceeded expectations."
Ken Ottenbreit, Beach Volleyball Mission Staff
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CANOE KAYAK
27 top 10 finishes
"Team Sask Canoe Kayak had a great showing at the Canada Games. The team qualified for many A finals and was just outside of cracking the podium on many occasions. We hope to increase the number of young paddlers in the programs and have another strong showing at Niagara 2021."
Brad Cameron, Canoe Kayak Mission Staff
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CYCLING
"The road cycling team was a pleasure to work with -- I am so proud of every athlete that competed this week! I was impressed with the control they had while travelling at 50-60 km/hour, especially around the tight corners. They battled through rain, mechanical problems, and a small crash, but still ended with smiles on their faces! It was a great week with an amazing group of athletes!"
Nicole Renneberg, Cycling Mission Staff
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DIVING
Two bronze • Eleven top 10 finishes • Two new Saskatchewan records
"I really enjoyed being the mission staff for diving. Their attitude towards one another and all other athletes, coaches and volunteers was incredible. They are truly a SASK TEAM. The icing on the cake was walking away with two bronze medals!"
Guylaine Green, Diving Mission Staff
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GOLF
Women's team 8th OA • Men's team 8th OA
"Great work by Team Sask players, coaches, parents, siblings, grandparents, and fans from all around. In the individual, Kade Johnson from Yorkton shot 66 in the final round on his birthday. Best score of the tournament. He finished 7th. It was an honour to be involved with such a classy group of athletes, coaches, and families."
Darrell Baker, Golf Mission Staff
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MOUNTAIN BIKE
Men's relay 8th OA
"It was an exciting week on the mountain bike course! I had a lot of fun working with the team and look forward to watching the majority of them compete again at the next Games!"
Nicole Renneberg, Mountain Bike Mission Staff
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ROWING
One silver • Two bronze • Team Sask history: advancement to all 14 'A' finals
"I had the privilege to work with the Saskatchewan Rowing Team in beautiful Kenora, Ontario. The venue was first class as were the athletes and the three coaches, John Haver, Garett Mathiason and Lauren Richie. These coaches together know what it takes to build a great team of athletes that really performed to the best of their abilities. At the end of the day, it was a wonderful experience for me to work with such polite and genuine athletes and coaches."
Julie Brandt, Rowing Mission Staff
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SAILING
Team Sask history: one gold
"Working with Sailing has been an amazing experience. The coach, manager and parents took time to explain what was happening and to really educate me on a sport I knew virtually nothing about. Thanks to the athletes, Mark, Colette, the volunteers and the parents for a wonderful and educational experience out there in Gimli!"
Nicole Clow, Sailing Mission Staff
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SOCCER
Women's team 8th OA • Men's team 9th OA
"The Team Sask Female Soccer team was a pleasure to work with. The team worked as a unit and gave it their all against every team they faced. They represented Saskatchewan well on and off the field and should be proud of their results!"
Lara Schroeder, Women's Team Mission Staff
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SOFTBALL
Men's team silver • Women's team 4th OA • One perfect game
"What a week! It was my fifth turn as Mission Staff for an outstanding team of young Saskatchewan athletes, and each one has been special in its own way! One of the things that stands out for me is the focus this team brought to the Games - right off of the bus! The other (easy ones) is the skill and dedication to the game! Thank you to Kaelen, Sean and Kevin, and all of the young men, for allowing me to be a small part of this team. And finally, a big thank you to a great group of parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents and friends! You have obviously supported your guys through many ball games (and other sports) - well done!! Good health to all of you in the future!"
Rod Schmidt, Men's Team Mission Staff
"The Saskatchewan Women's Softball Team is a team of 18 incredible athletes and coaches that I have thoroughly enjoyed working with and getting to know leading up to and during the Games. They are an incredibly talented, disciplined, hard working, focused and fun-loving team. For me, it has been inspirational to observe their group dynamics and be a part of their team culture. Watching them play throughout the week and come out of the round robin play with a 6-3 record was awesome. They were able to advance to the final 4, but unfortunately came up short to advance into the medal rounds. This 4th place finish is something to be incredibly proud of, as they are leaving the Games with the same smiles they came here with, but with strengthened hearts, minds and spirits. It was such a pleasure being their Mission Staff and Mental Trainer."
Brie Ellard-Jedlic, Women's Team Mission Staff
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SWIMMING
4 gold • 3 silver • 2 bronze • 42 top 10 finishes
"The Saskatchewan Swimming team who represented at the 2017 Canada Games were to be admired both in and out of the pool. Their excellence and commitment in the pool resulted in 9 total medals and their respectful conduct to volunteers and fellow athletes outside the pool was admirable. The coaches and managers were tremendous to work with and it was evident throughout the competition that they encouraged excellence from their athletes in a positive manner and treated all the athletes fairly. Overall the entire experience working with the athletes was both enjoyable and rewarding and as mission staff, I wish all the coaches and athletes on this year's Saskatchewan Swimming team the best in the future."
Ken Ottenbreit, Swimming Mission Staff
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TENNIS
Team Mix 7th OA
"I had the privilege of working with Tennis during week 2 of the Canada Summer Games. It was such a pleasure to meet such a talented group of athletes. Both coaches Leo Liendo and Denise Fernandez welcomed me into their tight knit group and I truly felt like I was part of the team. Each athlete brought with them a different piece of the puzzle that made the picture complete. I have rarely seen a more supportive group of athletes. Their camaraderie on and off the field of play was evident and allowed them to be successful in their challenge to improve their overall finish from the previous Games. Congratulations to all of you and thank you."
Julie Brandt, Tennis Mission Staff
"The experience that our players received every match was of such great value. The players gave it their all and applied new tactics and information each match, each game, each point. It was so amazing to see the new players showing great transformation from the initial match to the next. Yes, it was a 7th place finish overall, but it sure felt like we won gold!"
Leo Liendo, Tennis Head Coach
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TRIATHLON
Women's 3x relay 4th OA • Men's 3x relay 5th OA • Mixed relay 6th OA
"The triathlon experience was a very unique experience for this first time mission staff member. It was awesome to be a part of the Games experience and to support our athletes that represent the 306. The opportunity to watch our triathlon reps but also check out baseball, basketball, and beach volleyball in phase one this week and to share that with others from Saskatchewan was unique, powerful and instilled a lot of Prairie Pride. The athletes trained hard in all their sessions that took place leading up to the Games experience. They were classy and courteous with Triathlon Canada reps, opposing coaches, other participants and volunteers at the venue. Special thanks to the coaches and managers for not just triathlon, but all the sports, who not only put in the hours with the athletes in training but spend many hours away from families and friends."
Ryan Sklapsky, Triathlon Mission Staff
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"I enjoyed my time as the mission staffer for men's volleyball. I was very happy to see the sportsmanship our team showed in comparison to some of the other teams we came up against. The coaches and manager were great to work with and used a calm approach to lead the team."
Dale Measner, Men's Volleyball Mission Staff
"Team Sask volleyball finishing in the top 6 is always a positive result! Our match vs BC in the round robin player where we won 3-1 was a massive win for our team and our province. This game for sure sticks out in the summer as a great win!"
Mark Dodds, Women's Volleyball Head Coach
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WRESTLING
1 silver • 5 bronze • Women's team 4th OA • Men's team 4th OA
"Working with the wrestling team was outstanding. They were a dedicated, fierce group of athletes and it was a pleasure to learn so much about the sport and what it takes to be an elite wrestler!"
Nicole Clow, Wrestling Mission Staff
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