Shaun Newman Podcast - SNP Archives #10 - Larry Sauer

Episode Date: December 9, 2020

Originally from Balgonie Saskatchewan we discuss Larry's journey to Lloydminster, his love of the Neversweats/Border Kings/Barons, how teaching has changed over his 29 year career at the Comprehensive High School and what 49 years of marriage has taught him. Let me know what you think   Text me! 587-217-8500

Hi, this is Braden Holby. Hey, this is Tanner, the Bulldozer Bozer. Hi, this is Brian Burke from Toronto, Ontario. This is Daryl Sutterin. Hello, everyone. I'm Carlyagro from SportsNet Central. This is Jay On Right. This is Quick Dick, quick, tick coming to you from Tough Moose, Saskatchew. Hey, everybody, my name is Theo Fleary.

This is Kelly Rudy. This is Corey Krause. This is Wade Redden. This is Jordan Tutu. My name is Jim Patterson. Hey, it's Ron McLean, Hockeynet in Canada, and Rogers' Hometown Hockey, and welcome to the Sean Newman podcast. Welcome to the podcast, folks. We're back on for another archive episode. We've got a great one cooked up for you today. But before we get there, let's get to today's episode sponsors. Jen Gilbert and team want you to know for over 40 years since 1976, the dedicated realtors of Coldwell Banker, Cityside Realty, have served Lloyd Minster in the surrounding area. They're passionate about our community and they pride themselves on giving back through volunteer opportunities and partnerships as often as again. Side note, on

that is I was thinking about this today when Marty Britton, shout out to Marty Britain was playing for the Hitman, he got Jen Gilbert and team hooked up with the Hitman. And when Marty hung up the skates, I asked him, you know, who did you get from Coldwell? I'll go talk to him. He's like, ah, I was Jen, but I don't think they'll sponsor. Well, funny thing is, about seven years after Marty retired, Jen Gilbert was still sponsoring the Hillman on Hitman. And now she's followed the podcast, and I just appreciate everything that Jen and her team have done for me and the community. And so they know, we know, that a home is truly where awesomeness happens. Coval Banker, Cityside Realty for everything in real estate, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Give them a call 780 8753343. I'm teaming up with the Lloyd Minster Regional Health Foundation for Lloyd Minster's Gift to Health Radiothon. December 15th, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It's going to be a Facebook live stream. You can get it on YouTube or hop onto my Facebook page or the Lloyd Regional Health Foundation's page. And you can watch for 12 straight hours, as I discuss the hospital and why it's so vital to our community.

We're raising a bunch of money. Last year we raised $54,000, roughly, when we did the same thing. Well, this year it's a little bigger production. And we just found out, you know, like this just broke last night, and I assume I'm okay to share, but Scott Moe is going to be joining us first thing Tuesday morning, Premier Scott Moe. We got Wade Redden, Corey Cross, Clark MacArthur, Scott Hartnell, Quick Dick McDick, Ron McLean, Rod Peterson, like the list just goes on. And then from Lloyd, I mean, you got a whole swath of local people that are going to sit on.

And we're going to share some stories about Lloyd Minster in the hospital. I got Shep joining me for coffee in the morning. Mervyn Morgan Mann. I got Ken and Jen Rutherford coming in. They just had their sixth while COVID's been going on at the local hospital here. So I want to chit-chat with them about having a baby in the middle of COVID and, you know, what that was like. This coming Tuesday. So December 15th, mark it on your calendar.

If you're sitting at work, make sure you have Facebook or YouTube open. Search Lloydminster Region Health Foundation. bring that live stream up. We're going to be going all day. You can donate at LrHF.cathorgedath radiothon. We got Mikey Dubs running 12 hours on a treadmill. You can donate per kilometer. It's going to be a ton of fun.

We've got a great list of characters coming in to sit down and share about why the hospital and continuing care is so important. So I hope to see you all there. Clay Smiley and Prophet River. Profit River is a retailer of firearms, optics, and accessories serving all of Canada. They specialize in importing firearms from the United States, hard-to-fine calibers, rare firearms, special additions,

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Stop in today, 3902.50 2nd Street, or give Brodie or Kim a call at 306, 825-6310. I announced on the last episode that Carly Clause and Windsor Plywood are back on. They are the builders of the podcast studio. I had Carly in here. He was checking out the table. He couldn't believe how well it's hold it up. Well, I tell you what, that's the quality you get when you go through Windsor Plywood.

For everything wood, these are the guys, whether we're talking about mantles, decks, windows, doors, sheds. I mean, they got it all. And when you want quality, stop in and see the group at Windsor Plywood. Or heck, you want to see some of the stuff they've done? Hop on your phone and search their Instagram or Facebook pages, and you can see it firsthand. All the visuals are there.

Like, it's impeccable work they do. Give them a call today. 780875-9663. A shout out to Read and Write, Deanna Wander, for the awesome billboard. you know every time I drive by that stinking thing I think man like that is pretty kickass and it's a local company that put it up and they can put one up for you they do exceptional work so check out read and write today a special thanks to the lloydminster archives who have been helping to track down these different guests from lloyd minster's history and especially to

lind smith who works tirelessly behind the scenes to help help do all this right without her i don't get half of them in the podcast studio. So if you're heading in to any of these businesses, make sure you let them know you heard about them on the podcast. And if you're interested in advertising on the show, visit shawndoompodcast.com, top right corner, hit the contact button and send me your info. Now, let's get on to our T-Barr-1 tale of the tape.

Originally from Belgoni, Saskatchewan, married 49 years, played for the U.S. Huskies, long-time Border King, long-time Never Sweat, long-time Barron's football coach. He taught at the Lloydminster Conference of High School for 29 years. He is one of the community pillars here in Lloydminster. I'm talking about Mr. Larry Sauer. So buckle up.

Here we go. It is September 27th, 2020. I'm joined by Larry Sauer today. So first off, thanks for stepping in the studio and come and share a bit about your life and some stories along the way. Thanks for asking me, Sean. to be here. Well, I mentioned a couple of my siblings I had you coming on. Well, you taught, I think you taught us all. I mean, I certainly remember your math class and, and I mean, we all have to share great stories about you. But this is, you know, I'm curious. I was wondering

where you grew up and kind of like going back to when you were a young kid. You grew up outside of Regina and I thought maybe we'd start there and just kind of see where it takes us. Okay. Yeah, I was born in Regina, but we lived just about, I guess, 15 kilometers just east in a place called Balgoni, Saskatchewan. Which has a fantastic senior hockey program right now. Yes, yeah, they do. Yeah. Yeah.

Very strong. And then from there at nine years old, moved to, into my 10th year, moved to Climax, Saskatchewan because my father was a beaver lumber manager and those were all over Saskatchewan in Manitoba in particular and was only there for less than a year and then moved to Mackland, Saskatchewan, so right close to where we're living right now and I was there till 15 and then he got transferred to Melford, Saskatchewan where I moved and finished high school there and met my wife Leon in high school. Well, your high school, high school sweets are.

Yeah, yeah, in the last year, in grade 12, yeah. How many years have you been married then? Been married just about 50 years, yeah. Just about, 49. 49. Yeah. Wow, congratulations. That's a heck of a feat.

Thank you. Maybe I'm just going to hop to that right now, then. In 49 years of marriage, what can you instill up on a guy who's coming up on your, oh, boy. I think we're six. I think we're going on year seven. What in 49 years has sticks out? Oh, I guess, you know, your family, but of course, give and take a lot, you know,

for when you're together and with your kids, but just, you know, doing a lot of family things. And I think, you know, being interested in the communities that you're in, You know, gets you work together, you know, as a team in a lot of things. Certainly support for both sides. She certainly supported me and different in my coaching career, you know, a lot of days and nights that are gone that are late. And I'd say in the latter part, you know, me supporting her,

her being on the Health Foundation Board now, and then also on the Prairie North Health Region, which are things that she was, you know very interested in and in serving the community so you know working together give and take on the good times and the bad times it's been a great thing I always go back to I probably said this it seems like a I was just sitting with well Wayne and Barb Russell come to mind and the pains come to mind and there's a whole whack of them a whole whack of you your generation that have been

been married for a long time. And it's a very, I think it's very impressive because we live in a day and age now where, I don't want to say divorce is everywhere, but it's, it's not like it's uncommon. Yeah, true, yeah. And so to have 49 years, I assume it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine, right? Like it takes working together and certainly does. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It really does. I think also, you know, a faith has a lot to do with it as well. You know, a moral compass, ethical compass is very important. When you say faith, what do you mean? Well, you know, my wife and I were Christians, so belief in God

and belief in what the, you know, the Bible tells us, things that we are to do. That doesn't mean certainly I'm not perfect by any means, that's for sure. Nobody is perfect. But we work at it, you know, but we work at it and believe in those principles. No, that's cool. I enjoy hearing, well, I envy a healthy relationship. I hope that one day I'm sitting in that club of, I've been married 49, 50 years,

and I think that's very, I don't know, I can't think of the word right now, but I admire that. And, you know, I come, my parents have been married now. Well, I think it's 44 years. So they're a similar story, high school sweethearts and, you know, and carried on. And so to me, that's admirable, something that I want to grow to. So I enjoy hearing the lessons of 49 years of what you can instill on me. If there's anything I can limit the curve of having to learn a few bad lessons, it's always good to hear those.

Yeah, well, as I said, it's just, you know, it's working together and through the ups and downs and compromising at times, you know, standing firm on different things too. So, yeah, that's just part of life. But you do work at it. Going back to when you're growing up, you bounce around following your father's work, different towns you were mentioned in Macklin. and as a kid, you know, you're a guy who coached hockey, played for the Border Kings, played for the Huskies. So obviously hockey was a part of life back then. What do you remember about playing hockey back as a kid?

Well, I remember those days, you know, back in Balgone, it was just, you know, it was an outdoor rink. So I think I really started, only started skating when I was eight that I remember. And, of course, it wouldn't be for very long. period of time being an outdoor rink in Valgoni, moved to climax, and that's where I think I really got going. A fellow they brought in to coach the

playing coach of the senior team, and then he coached all the minor team, and he really encouraged me, and I took off and lived at the rink every day, you know, every night would go skating. I was super, carried on into Macklin and then to Malford. And I remember winning

the, you know, the Midget B champion, Saskatchewan Midget B championship was very memorable in my great 11 year when we beat the Notre Dame Hounds in the provincial final, you know, which was quite a feat. And of course, we all know the story

about the Notre Dame Hounds as they've gone on. So, you know, the minor hockey was just a great time and I just lived for that. Although all, all long, you know, growing up in Valgoanie was a strong writer fan and football fan and, you know, and carried that through to high school in Malford, but I never moved there until the end of grade 10, so grade 11 and 12, you got a chance to play, but when I went to university in

Saskatoon, tried out for the Huskies, you know, and made the Huskies, so. couldn't be, pardon me? Were you a walk on, or how did they do it back then? Yeah, at that time, you just, if anybody who wanted to go out and try, you know, could. You know, so I remember something like 80, 90 guys, you know, going out, and they, you know, pare down fairly quickly, and then you got going. And I was fortunate to play three years for the Huskies, which was, you know, a great opportunity and a chance to see different parts of Canada.

And also to the states because we'd always play a couple exhibitions. Two different places in the states each year or two as exhibition games. Hop on a bus and go down? No, we would fly to the states. Really? Yeah. In the old DC-3 planes, I remember that. I'd never been on a plane.

And it was kind of scary watching the sparks out of the motor behind the wing when you did that. But other than to Winnipeg when we played, University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg, we would either bus there or sometimes took to 15 passenger vans. We flew pretty well to the other places, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary. So that was great. We played in one tournament in Kingston, Ontario,

I remember, between Christmas and New Year's. But yeah, flew to Denver. and to Bimidgee State University for two in two years. Do you remember there being a difference in style of play going from Canadian schools to down to the United States? I wouldn't say not so much a style that they had. It was more that, you know, down there they had hockey scholarships. so you're playing against some pretty good hockey players that went to those places.

So it was a real test for us. Did you play growing up, you talked about midget. Did you rate from midget, do you go to U of S? No, then in grade 12 because Midget then went up to grade 11. Yeah. And so then there was juvenile, and then Malpheret also had a junior B team. So I happened to play for the junior B team, but also played some games of juvenile.

And then I know a buddy of mine and I, we also played with the senior team at times, you know, when they were short, so I played a lot of hockey that season. And I think that really grew me in, you know, in different parts. You know, you're playing against men, basically, and I'm not a very big guy now,

but it was, and it wasn't a lot less in weight, but I, you know, the smaller at that time, Junior B style was well, because you're, at that time, and still, you know, it could go to 21. So I was playing, I was young, started 16, or sorry, 17. It didn't turn 18 until after I finished grade 12. And then, and then, of course, so that was, that was really good. you know, the senior against some pretty tough guys. And those times in the senior leagues, you know,

there's guys who came back from semi-pro leagues, you know, and we're playing in there with Prince Albert, for example. And then Tisdale had a really good senior hockey team, the Burgess Boys, which some people remember. And so, you know, you learned a lot. Kept your head up, of course, because it was a little different game then. And so it was me, I had to rely on my speed a lot, I think. Now, is this, I feel like I missed something here.

Was this all in Melford then that you're playing this? Yeah, that was in Malford, yeah. That was in my grade 12 year, yeah. That you're playing anywhere from Junior B to senior hockey. Right. And your people can't see me doing this. But in my brain, Junior B nowadays, if you look at different provinces, some provinces don't see Junior B, they see Junior B,

they see junior be above senior hockey, not the other way. Yeah. And the way you talk about it is getting the call up to senior hockey. Yeah. Definitely was that. And that was for a long time. You know, even here, you know, in Lloyd Minster, and they had some very good junior B teams.

But, you know, the border kings were still very well known when we, you know, when we began. And then it tapered off a bit. I know after I left, I played for 10 years with the border king. And I mean, that was a great, great, great bunch of guys. And we had some pretty good hockey teams there, tapered off a little bit. And then, you know, we got stronger again,

where we had some junior big guys, like the Jervais boys, the batty boys, Scotty Kennedy, and then a mixture of them that were younger in ourselves. I know someone like myself was playing that at 32, 33. And, you know, won the provincials in 83. again and had a couple good runs. Then it tapered off as well, and then in the late 80s, 90s, you know, it kind of picked up again.

And then had the great fortune of actually coaching them from 99 to 2000, 98, 99, 2000. And we had some very good hockey teams where we kids that I taught in high school, you know, the man boys. We're playing. Just a great bunch of guys who were very dedicated, you know, to playing. And we had a very good hockey team going to the Allen Cup two of the three years that, you know, that I was coaching.

So that was really good. So did you win an Allen Cup that? We didn't win. We went to Stony Plain and we lost in the semifinal. The next year we hosted the Allen Cup and we went to the final. and I thought we had a very good team. We lost to Prince George in the final that year. I remember there was, I remember people saying the fans,

I think there was over 3,000 people in the arena, yeah, in the Civic Center at that last game. And we just, we played very well. They scored in their opportunities, and we did in their goaltender, who ended up being the most valuable player in the tournament. kind of beat us that night. And that's hockey.

Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, and that still goes on today, right, if a goaltender gets hot. Dallas is in the Stanley Cup finals because who had opened. Great example. It's standing on his head. Yeah. Yeah.

You played an awful lot. Then you coach an awful lot. I'm jumping all over the place on you here. But did you like playing or did you like coaching? I like both. Yeah, I like playing and still play to this day, you know. The Never Sweets. Yeah, I played with the Never Sweets for a long time.

What is it about the Never Sweets? Now I'm really jumping on you. The NeverSwits are a fabric of Lloyd Minster in itself. They're this, you know, all you got to do is walk through the multiplex and you walk down the dressing rooms and you got, I don't know, I don't know, J.P. Kelly comes to mind and MacArthur and Holpey and heart and all and never sweats. Right, yeah. And if there's, you know, everybody knows the never sweat bus

and there's just something about it. What is it about the never sweats? Well, just, you know, a group of guys who like playing hockey, like playing, you know, competitive hockey, but in the right way, you know, at the age that we were and are at, but still like playing very competitively. who get along very well, you know, go out, have a good time, but on the ice, you know, still very serious.

It's a group of men. I wasn't involved in the, you know, the original part of the Never Sweets. But as a, when the time came, you know, coaching kids, you know, coaching kids in football, of course, and hockey, my own kids and hockey, and both of those, and then asked if I'd play and just, It became part of that camaraderie, but put on a tournament, I think that's next to none, that, you know, when you hear the visiting teams talk about how they're treated. But it originated from people like Kenny Kyle, Bob Dunham, Tiger McKay, Tiger Cecil McKay, who started it, you know, in the right way and had people enjoy playing, but enjoy playing together. enjoyed their families together, you know, their spouses, it always get together and we still do, you know, to socialize as well. That's, you know, that's a part of it too.

And so that camaraderie is, is really important. And that continues, you know, that continues to this day. Yeah, that's a very, human beings enjoy what you just talked about, right? getting a group that everybody's bought into the same way and you invite the spouses in and everybody's part of a family and do some good things along the way and do the work and have fun along the way and geez I hear people talk about the never sweats and I just here I am again and I see it and it's it's a very cool organization that isn't uh government ran or I don't know like it's it's just a hockey team yeah yeah like team

You know, people there enjoying it, you know, pay their fees to go, you know, you kind of pay to play. And I guess if you don't mind me, I just curving off a little bit, as you said. And that struck me about when I was coaching the Border Kings, too. I mean, we always did. We, you know, we didn't play for any money. But, you know, when I was coaching the Border Kings in, you know, 98 to 2000, those guys. At the time, Border Kings were, you know, the crowds weren't very good because, of course, the Blazers were around, I guess, the Bobcats now.

And so they were, you know, they drew that. And just because it was more stable, you know, the leagues and all that. But these guys were playing for fun, but very competitive hockey. Man, you know, the hockey was really good. But those guys paid for their sticks, you know, everything. enjoyed being together with each other. And that, you know, that was, that was really noticeable to me. So it was just a pleasure of them.

And, of course, having taught a lot of them to see them doing that and carrying on like that with that tradition, but, you know, not that hockey owes me or people owe me because they were there, they enjoyed each other and just enjoyed playing for the love of hockey. And I can't remember who said it to me. So I apologize for that. But you play hockey and it gives you so much. And then when you retire from hockey,

you're supposed to give back to the game that gave you so much, right? Something along that lines. I might have just butchered that. But senior hockey is, the reason why all of us love senior hockey so much is it is, if you've never played it, you just don't understand the camaraderie, You're showing up to guys who just work full days, probably got kids, probably got a wife, and still go to work, then get there, you're tired, you're worn down, and then you go to battle, and you have a little competition.

It's, man, some of the funnest times in my life have come from playing senior hockey. Oh, exactly. And as you know, a younger guy, but, you know, in small town, Saskatchewan, it's still, you know, senior hockey is still the big part of the big part of. the town in the winter and that's that's what we're all about on the prairies right is that so that's there's still but you're right it's people who go out enjoy the game the camaraderie uh competitive but you know in in the right way in the right way because they have families they got to go to work uh so it's i think it really i think it builds a lot of character and as you get older you know you realize um what it takes

takes that you do that you're competitive, but doing it in the right way because it's also, you know, it's not your livelihood, but you're there to enjoy it. And it's something that sticks with you for all your life. And I think you use a lot of, though, I believe, I did. At least I hope I did. I hope that teams that I've coached to hockey football, baseball, ringette, my daughter, you know, and ringette and ball, to pass all. and instill some of those good characteristics into the youth coming up. Well, is there, you know, growing up you play minor hockey, minor sports, whatever it is, baseball, ringette, hockey, it don't matter. But you're always kind of like year older, year younger, year older, year younger, right, all the way up.

Then you had senior hockey, walk in the dressing room, and you got the guy who is still playing and his body's all broken down, he's 40, And then you got the green-eyed, it's never a step to put in the senior dressing room. You guys got guys drinking, guys smoking, you're getting hit by a 40-year-old, you know, whatever it is. It's such a interesting snapshot of society to have that dressing room because, and then they all come in and have some fun. There's a lot of lessons to be learned sitting in a dressing room with that span of age groups. Yeah, for sure. And they come with different ways of how they see things, right? Because you're saying, the youth are, you know, gung-ho, giving her, you know,

like there's no tomorrow. And I think, and I remember coming through that, you know, when I first started with the Rosedown Redding, my first teaching job was in El Rose, Saskatchewan after graduating from the U.S. and playing with the Huskies for two years. and then had the great fortune, I guess, of meeting Bill Armstrong and L. Popoff, who approached me at the end of the second year with the Rosetown Red Wings and asked if I'd be interested in teaching coming and teaching in Lloyd Minster.

You know, I'll never forget that. Yeah, gee, I think it would. Because at the time, if I may, I guess I've kind of swayed a little bit from your original question, but it brought me to that as to how I got you. here and I was teaching the K-12 phys ed in Elrose, Saskatchewan. But I knew then into that second year that I liked the high school age, and they talked about coming to Lloyd Comprehensive High School. And to make a short story longer, as I like to say,

I had the opportunity. I got a call towards the end of May about coming to Lloyd Minster. And took that up and never regretted it. It's been a great move. So, yeah, you come there. So I learned as a young guy going into that Rosedown dressing with the men, people who had played semi-pro hockey again. It would come back there.

We're playing Byron McCrimmon. People will know that name around Lloyd Minster, too. He coached here. Doug Piper, that was another one. Yeah, we had a number of people there. We had a very good hockey team. Then coming here and then maybe trying to pass on some of those things to the younger guys who came up with the Border Kings in my 10 years.

And I saw that with the guys that I coached them with the Border Kings as well. So those different age bands you learned from them and how to deal with things, not only on the ice but out in the street as well. I got to ask about Rosedown for a second because I think, like, Rosedown Red Wings have been around for a long time. Stepping into their dressing room, was there certain things you just noticed about how the organization was run or the players or putting on the red and white when you look back? Yeah, you know, there definitely was. As I said, I played with the Huskies for three years and then came here. so, you know, they had seen me, I guess, playing at the U.S.

Some of them people had, but their organization, yeah, was very good. Treated you very well. But we had some veteran people at that time. You know, as I said, Byron McCriman was a playing coach, Doug Paper, Gordon Smith, yeah. A number of those guys, but the people in the management treated you very well. but those guys also talked to you about

the way you conducted yourself I remember some of the old guys about on the ice of course was taken care of by the players and coaches but you know off the ice as well because you're representing your community but that that was the same here too when I moved here with the Border Kings

and in those times those days both places you didn't travel on a bus we didn't travel on a bus to begin with it was business people business people who lent cars or they usually had someone who would drive the car. So there might probably four other players in with each car. That's how they did it in those days.

It really was a community thing. You know, it was great. So we're traveling from Rosedown. We're going to, I don't know, play Lloyd. Yeah, yeah. You'd go talk to, say, five businesses, get five cars that they'd drive to load up your team and drive down there? Yeah, the management of the team would arrange that. So when you got to the ring, so for example, I was teaching in

all rows, I'd drive to Rose Town and then I'd catch a ride with someone, you know, business person was, had a vehicle at the arena, hopped in through your bag in there, hopped in the way you went, you know. Yeah, we did that. And in those days, it was a really good leg, Kindersley Clippers. Yeah. North Battleford Lloyd Minster

and Rose Town when I was in Rose Town and then some very competitive games that's for sure it's an interesting way to do it that'd be a way to get when you sit and deal with or talk to the players the entire time

if you're not a you know you're just a business owner you get to know the players and pretty soon you're part of the community that's surrounding the team because you know them all yeah Yeah, and vice versa.

I mean, we got to know the business people. Yeah, fair. And, you know, and as I said then, you, that's when you realized you, okay, you know, you're representing your community. So your actions, you know, on the ice, not just the plane, but how you handled yourself or was noticed by the community. And so you had that sense of community, which is very important and is very important, I think, no matter where you live, no matter what you do. do, you know, being involved and that got you involved in the community, too. You went to school for education. Growing up, is that what you always want to do?

Were you like, you know what? I want to be a teacher. I'd say I pretty well knew that coming out of grade 12. You know, I didn't know too much before then, but I knew I liked, and then I knew I liked working with youth, even at that time. I thought that's what I'd really like to do. And I thought it liked teaching, and in particular, you know, phys ed came to mind. But when I went there, I had a double major, a major and something, especially at the secondary level.

So it was phys ed and math. And that's what I got into here. I had a chance to do to teach the things that I really, really like to do. Here's a personal. This is my best memory of you, which you can either laugh at or whatever else. But I was saying to the siblings, and I'm sure anyone who went through a Larry Sour math class remembers you fake smoke in the chalk. That's funny to say that because almost everyone I meet, you know, have met later in life after they graduated. Talk about that, you know.

I've never realized that. I know I did it all the time, but almost everybody mentions that. Well, I was, you know, pretty nervous grade, whatever I was, 12-11 kid. So you'd do it and you'd chuckled, but I didn't know why you were doing it or the backstory to it. You know, I think with math, math can be pretty dry. And so I just thought, you know, you know, you know, got to make this fun. And it's difficult for some students. Some just didn't get it. So you had to make the, I thought, the atmosphere a little more jovial and, okay, let's get something a little more

into it. So I can't remember necessarily how it started, but just, you know, someone to have a career and I kind of look and then, okay, just the talk. That's how it got and kept on going as people would always remark about that. And as I said, to this day, like yourself right now. Talk about that. The Larry Sour smoking the truck. Yeah, I guess anybody who

listens to this broadcast. There's people listening to it going, they have no idea, but there is so many people probably laughed right now. It's such a vivid memory for me sitting in your class and you're doing it because it happened all the time and it was hilarious. Yeah. Well, I hope you learned a little bit of math, too. I certainly did, I think.

What is it that you enjoyed about working with students? Because, I mean, how many years did you teach? 31. 31. So you had 31 years. You got to see three decades of different students. And, I mean, in those 30 years, a lot has changed. What was it that you enjoyed about going to the classroom every day?

Oh, I said, you know, I talked about working with you. So I enjoyed that. I enjoyed teaching math, enjoyed how could, worked on different ways, especially as a younger teacher. I mean, the first two years, you're just kind of surviving how to get there and how to get through those days. But then as you hone your skills a little bit more, just like playing a sport, okay, how can I help them to get better?

And just going to, but I think the other part of it was the extra-cricketer parts. Working with youth in extra-cricketer, and I coach football a long time, and just really enjoy that. But working with them outside, the getting to know them outside the classroom,

really helped for in-the-classroom part as well. I think that was a big part. Being interested in what they did outside, and it didn't have to be. Of course, I was involved in sports a lot. But doing some extracurricular things, no matter what they did,

That was 4H, for example. I just remember, you know, guys like yourselves came from the farm, a lot of people, you know, asking them about, you know, how'd that go? They'd have the big sale here, I know, the big 4-H show each year, things they learn from that, but being interested in kids and what else they were doing. And showing a genuine interest, I think, was really important. but saying get involved, encouraging kids to get involved in different community things or school things, even being on the SRC,

being involved in Drammel Club. So you get to know people, so you get to work with people. That's what made it, and then that just made it so enjoyable going into the classroom. And I think really helped me when I got into administration when it became vice principal.

It certainly helped me there in dealing with kids and parents. You know, when there's some tough situations, obviously, because we, you know, we're a big school. So those arose, but not very often. And I think when people knew me and how I did things, you know, it made it work a little bit better. Well, it was maybe the biggest change you saw in kids coming to school over that time when you first started until,

your last day? I think, you know, the first, oh, you know, up to 20 years, of course there's always been an evolution, but there you're teaching a subject matter a lot of the times, especially for, say, the first 15 years. And so it was a lot of that. In the last 15 years, there's been, I think maybe a lot of it due to the 15 years,

family dynamics, which we talked about earlier in this session, right? And so it became, the groups weren't so more homogeneous. It was, it was, you saw kids coming from all kinds of walks of life. So you had to deal with the person more, you know, maybe a few more disciplined things. But you had to deal with the individual, I think, a lot. And find out, you know, what made them? Were they having a bad day? They've had a, you know, tough time at home or out in the community that you didn't know of.

So that has changed a lot. The mental health part of it, I think, is a big part that teachers, I think, has made it a lot more stressful. Certainly in my last number of years and still talking to teachers today, they talk about that as being one of the things that is the most difficult to deal with. Is the mental health? Yeah, I think that's become a very big part. And it has, I'd say, even just in any community, in any walk of life, even in business. And what do you draw that correlation to?

What is that to? The mental health. Why has that become such a big, is it all the social media technology, Oh, I think that's had a played a large part in the last several years. Yeah. You know, everything's so open. You have to be careful what you say, you know, what you do. Otherwise, it can be taken out of context easily.

And, of course, with social media, it's out there right now. So I think that's put a lot of stress on young people. and even older people, but young people growing up, cyber bullying, those types of things, you know, so you can be singled out. So it has put a lot of mental stress,

I think, on people. And so, and that's something that, you know, you're hearing way more often that people are having to deal with and, you know, getting professional help to help with it. It's been around, and you were just before then you kind of looked down it wasn't looked at it wasn't looked at as a disease

you know it's something that you need help with but it is now and and we need to we need to look at people in that context and work with them. With football you coach football for a lot of years yeah 28 years it was yeah Did you grow up playing football? I know you said you're a Rough Rider fan, but were you actively playing football?

Yeah, well, I did, you know, but we just did pick up football. I know when I moved to Macklin at, you know, 10 years old, knew football, and they didn't do, I hardly saw anybody, had a football, had a plastic helmet that I wore, and kind of introduced it there. and then so going there and then in Malford though there was there was high school football and yeah loved it got into that

loved playing the game and you know again even in Malford then I'd go to the rider games probably half the home games because that was a two and three quarter hour drive from Malford but went to watch that but really enjoyed playing the game and would have carried on, but I loved hockey as well and at university level.

You know, you have basically that's your season all the way through and was fortunate enough to make the Husky hockey team, so I played hockey. But after I got out and got teaching, you know, and coming to Lloyd, I first started, Bill Armstrong was there and was the coach at the time. And I got into football and just loved. you know, the cerebral part of it, like the getting ready for a game, because it's different than hockey. You have one game a week and a short season,

and so you've got to beat your best every week. And so just learning the game and how can I help get our guys to be better? It's a tremendous team game. It's a tremendous team game. Where are you a running back no matter how good. And some, once they get daylight, they can do a lot of things. But until that hole is opened by the offensive line, for example, you're not going to go anywhere.

And so it's a great team game. And it got players playing that were all sorts of body types. Some guys who couldn't have played probably another sport because he had to be quicker, leaner, that sort of thing. but we have positions, there are positions at football that require different body types. And so it was great to see kids did a lot for their self-confidence. That's a big part of it too.

And then would help them later on in life, at least I hope it did. I know I've seen it for those who stayed around in the Lloydminster area, and they're still here as adults. But I hope it helped others who, you know, moved away into the, their into their future endeavors. So I just really loved preparing the team, you know, working with the other coaches to try and get better, you know, so when you play the team, you're at your best.

You know, obviously, you can see it when you talk about it, but 29 years you said you coach football? 28, yeah. 28. Yeah. It seems like an awful long time. Like, you never had, you know, year nine and you're like, you know, maybe I'll just take a break. Never had that?

Well, I guess I did actually, the one year after the 82 season. I did take a break, although I followed them a little bit, but I became coach and general manager of the first junior A hockey team. The Lancers? The Lancers. Yeah. And that was a great opportunity, and I'm very thankful. It wasn't very successful.

You know, as a team that year, but the different circumstances, the way we had to set up the team, but really, really enjoyed it. So I guess there was a break, but I certainly missed that. Most people's breaks are like, yeah, I'm going to go, like, sit at the house and not worry. Your break is let's become the head coach and general manager of a junior A franchise. guys. Well, you've got to shed some light on the Lancers. I mean, once again, I've seen the jerseys. That's about as far as it goes because I wasn't even born yet. What was junior A hockey coming to Lloyd like? Well, it was, you know, something that people in the community,

you know, wanted to see come. Great junior B teams here, that's for sure, you know, leading up to that, but just thought they'd want to go another level and had that opportunity and actually bought the Prince Albert franchise because Prince Albert then went into the Western Hockey League. And that's how it developed. But, you know, the board put together, asked me if I'd be interested in coaching. At the time, I was just finishing up with the Border Kings. and it went out. It was quite a decision, you know,

going from teaching, I think finished my 10th year then, of teaching and, you know, very stable into that. But it's something that I felt I wanted to try and don't regret it. I mean, learned a lot of life lessons. We weren't so successful wins and loss, but a great opportunity.

The team, some kids, I remember, well, Brent Dellen was our first captain, you know, he played in the Western Ocular League, came back, played that last year, and was, you know, was a tremendous player and captain for us. And then stayed in the community and led the Border Kings as a player after that. So there's a guy, you know, who gave back. A kid who came back, if I can go to that, I guess, talking about them. Trent Cressy, some people will remember that name. He came as a 16-year-old made our team,

and great potential saw, and he ended up doing some very good things for us. But he went to the Swift Current Broncos then next year and led them, but he was a player that was killed in that bus crash. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, great kid from Kindersley that, you know, I think probably would have gone on after playing with Swift, Curran, you know, to some extent in the, whether it be at the semi-pro level or whatever. But, yeah, it was, you know, very tragic. But we had some couple of kids from Bonneville area, Manville. We had a great group of kids,

but as I say, I was very thankful for that opportunity. Learned a lot of things about when you go out, do something different. So I really like the opportunity. Was it like today where it's a full-time job? Yeah, it was, yeah. So you had to quit your job from teaching? Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

That was a big decision, sure. Had a young family, a big decision to take that on, you know, where is it going to lead to? But I did, it was a big decision, but I always felt that, you know, I kind of made my mark, so to speak, you know, and teaching that I could always go back to that if that's what it came to, you know, and it did, which was fine. But I think, and I'd say more people stayed in their jobs, you know, and went through a long time. And you don't see that now. People change and just seems to be that that's what you do. You know, I'm going to go on.

I'll just do this. So it was a bigger decision at that time. But an opportunity that I thought I'd like to try. Why the name the Lancers? Do you know? Well, as far as I know, they had a contest for a name and came up and the board, I wasn't involved in that at times

because I wasn't hired at that time but came in and it seemed that that was a name that came up the most office and not the board late and that's what they went with. When you look back at that first season, is there anything that sticks out? Like highlight from the season or a memorable story?

I think probably it was just that, you know, the guys you had pretty young because at those time, we played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. That's where it started. And there, they could have unlimited 20-year-olds. but when we started, we were only allowed, we couldn't have any 20-year-olds except for the ones if they were a local player

or were on that list that we got that took over from Prince Albert. But we never got. The ones that were never came here from Prince Albert. So we had a pretty young team playing against all these other teams in there. I remember York. and Weaver. They had like

14, 12 to 14, 20 year olds. So, you know, it was really tough. So other than Brent, who played in him, and he was outstanding for us. It was tough. So I think it was just the way the young guys grew, you know, and learning the game and really developed. So, you know, that was satisfying to see.

because it was tough because we certainly took our lumps. I know Elmer Franks and I was kind of director of player personnel and we talked about it afterwards and we over the season, including training, inviting kids to training camp, we had a little over 200 guys. So that's, you know, that's tough to deal with.

You know, kids coming and going but that's what happened in junior hockey. And I guess speaking of that, I said, I remember telling the board, and I said, if I'm taking on and I'm taking these kids who are going to school, I'm sticking with them. So, of course, you had a roster that was larger than what you could play each time.

But they, so they, you know, they would sit. But I said up there in school, and I told the parents, of those kids. I talked to each of them and I said, if they're in school, they will stay here. I will not let them go during the season or at the trade deadline

without talking to you first if you are okay with that. And I don't think that wasn't common in junior hockey and I don't think still is. I mean, you're just, if you're not good enough, you can go. So I did.

So they had to go to school. and be checking on them. And that came from my, I mean, there I was, a former teacher, and I'm not going to change my philosophy at the time. People say, you know, well, you should have, because that's just how it went, but I didn't. And so I did, I stuck with them. And so, you know, we took our lumps that way.

But it was true to my word. And I had a number of parents, you know, thank me for that afterwards. So I was willing to go through that year and, you know, see what goes and and then try and keep the team advancing. How many years did you coach though? Just that one year. Just the one year? Yeah, yeah. So what changed at the end of the year?

Was it board's decision or was it your decision? I think it was a mutual one and I remember saying, you know, to them, I could have signed a longer contract, but I said, no, let's just go with one year. Maybe you won't like me or how I do things, and maybe I won't like it. And we can mutually change. And in fact, it wasn't for the full year. You know, it was at New Year's time that I decided it wasn't fun. There were some things that went on. You learn about other people as you go through, and it wasn't as fun.

And I think that some people didn't maybe like the way that I handle the thing. I know some people say, well, you don't, you know, you're not yelling and screaming, getting on them. And I didn't believe in doing that, showing that out on the bench in front of people. I did it, I did it my way in the dressing room, but people don't always see that. But that's okay. And so it didn't work out, but still, it was a great experience. Well, we've talked about hockey for an awful long time. I've got to go back to this football because I know there's going to be people going,

Can we talk a little bit about the Barons? I mean, even when I was in school, I never played football. It's maybe, I don't have too many regrets, and it's not really a big regret by any stretch of imagination. But we didn't grow up in Ontario when I was out there playing hockey. They had high school hockey, like a team sport in a school setting. So you get the everybody comes to watch, like the rah, raw of the school in your. and football in Lloyd, the Barron specifically in my time and well before that,

were very, very, very good. And everybody went and watched games and it was, you know, it was a school sport. It was something, if I could go back, I'd probably try and talk myself into football. But, you know, knowing fate in the way world works probably would have broke something and never went anywhere and that would have been that. But, you know, going back through your, the barons and football there and everything else, you mentioned that all the kids get to play, right? I mean, there's a position for every body type and everything else.

Over all those years, there has to be a few things that have stuck out to you. What are those? Yeah, certainly are. I think I mentioned it before. It's the ultimate team game, that's for sure. More so than even hockey. I would say it is.

Yeah, played a lot of hockey, coached a lot of hockey, but it really is. You know, and you could ask former players that you might know and their parents what they thought about,

you know, their kids playing barons football. But it really is the ultimate team game. A camaraderie. There you had kids in grade 10 and grade 12s. You had different age levels.

When it first started, you could play four years. And that changed in 1992. So you could play as a grade nine? No, you could play as a year past grade 12. So you could come back and play high school sports? Right, yeah. Yeah, you could. And a number of players did that, you know, just to play the football season.

Did they have to be taking classes? Yes. Yeah, I'd be taking a minimum of three classes. So they'd come back, take a few classes to play. quite often for that first semester, you know, and sure, they were, you know, they were good players. I don't think it was the best scenario. And so the Alberta Schools Athletic Association, you know, talked about that. And then so limited it to three years or you couldn't be 19 as of September 15th. So that, you know, and I think that that was.

was a good thing and that's what it is you know to this day so basically you have three years but yeah uh when it first started off well almost all the time i was coaching we didn't have minor football here which by the way has helped tremendously both teams both the barons and the raiders well having kids playing it all the way up you bet yeah just like minor hockey yeah if you had no feeder system. Yeah. Kids, it doesn't mean a kid won't be a great football player, but now you're trying to cram into two or three years what they've learned for the first 10 years of their life.

So we needed them in grade 10. I just really encouraged kids in grade 10 to come out and learn. So they're learning the basic stance, you know. The basics. The very basics that now they can just go into schemes because they know that through minor football. But that hasn't, there's still some athletes who are just. very good athletes can come out, you know, and play and make the team and learn that position.

But, yeah, so we would spend a lot of time. We would spend two and a half hour. Wouldn't get home to 6.30, a lot of nights would go from 4 to 630 in September because, and we'd had a lot of kids come out. As you said, we were fortunate enough to be very successful and always tried to, you know, to become better and better. as a coach, they said, you know, you were successful. How did you do it?

Well, you know, it wasn't so much what I put in. I think there were some things I did look around, but I looked at other coaches and I saw what they did and say, hey, this can fit in our scheme of what we do. So I stole a lot of things about them because it fit our particular team, the types of players we had. and with that, we just became better and better. And then provincial started.

So I started here in 1974 when I moved to Lloyd Minster. And in 1984, then we went to 12 men. So we played nine-man football. And then in 1984, it went to 12 men. I really pushed for that, actually, in 83, but that's when I went to coaching, but I pushed for it then to go into, to go 12 men, in our league,

the Wheatland Football League. And finally, teams decided, okay, let's give that a shot. And then we then could start into provincial. Provincial started in 1985, so the first one. And we actually made it to the provincial final in 86 against Cardston. The Cardson Cougars were, that was our benchmark,

because they won that perennially for the next number of years. So we're always striving to be as good as them. But at that time, there were only basically two tiers. And so Edmonton and Calgary were in there. But their teams, if they ended up in the bottom, I think their top four, went to. their playoffs and played for a provincial. And then they started this next year.

So the next teams, who were, you know, very good at that time. And they had minor teams in Edmonton and Calgary before that. So those kids were pretty good football players. But I remember playing the first number of years against Salisbury Comp. And in 1988, we had a very good football team, you know, a great football team. that we played, and we went to, we lost in the provincial semifinal to Salisbury by missing a convert right towards the end of the game, or probably would have won the first provincial championship at that time.

But our kids, I think the camaraderie is another thing. And we always looked at our senior guys, our grade 12, guys in particular, especially those who had played now in their third year or fourth year as being good leaders. I know I talked a lot about conducting themselves on the field and off. We used to have, you talked about people coming to the games. Yeah, we drew some very good crowds. They really like to come and watch that. The students, you know, became quite a thing, getting behind your school. So that, you know, that was really, really good. The kids really love that, of course, having their parents and having the school support like that, worked so well. Later on,

remember the school band then started coming out and playing. I remember some opposition. The team, what's this? Bringing this out, you're beating us bad, and then you got the band playing. but it was kind of a school community like you're saying like you saw when you said went into Ontario about high school hockey which in eastern Canada I didn't know necessarily about Ontario but I do know the Atlantic provinces that's still a big thing you know

that they go out to so those are great things but building the confidence of young people I won't mention names, but I know we had one boy came in grade 10, and he was 310 pounds, and he couldn't run 10 strides. And after the first day of practice, he's going to quit. I said, no, no, you just come out and do it.

Talk to our leaders, our captains, and said, you know, you're just going to help this get along. You're going to make him feel a part of the team. By the end of the year, he could jog because we'd always do the whole field. And this was around the school field, not the football field. By the end of the year, he could do that. In grade 12, he was a force.

He was a force. He was down to 265 pounds, but, I mean, he was a great force, but I just saw the confidence in him going that and just helped him personally. And that's one example of many that I can think of them. And you said, what are some of the highlights? Well, to me, that was a big highlight.

Watching those young people gain that confidence and just being part of that team, you know, and feeling really good about being part of something. And that's good. A second one I've got to say probably just as high for me, you know, was being able to coach my two sons. I coach them in hockey as well, and my daughter in ringette and in ball, but being able to coach them, you know,

and having them being part of that. And if I can say, now I'm coaching my grandstand, son in football. So I'm coaching what you know is Bantam football. It's called U-15, the red dogs here in town, and coach them in U-13 here the last two years. So that's great, being doing that, having the family being a part of that, you know, another highlight. And the third thing is, that's come out of football and just out of sports generally. is seeing people in our community that I had the opportunity to coach and teach being community leaders. You know, that's very rewarding to see them take spots, whether it's in athletics,

whether it's being, I've seen a few of them being on city council, for example, all those kinds of things where they've taken leadership roles. So those are the big rewarding things. You know, you're in a very influential spot, in a very influential time in kids' lives. That high school age, I even extended into, I can't speak for everybody, but for me, probably until your early 20s, there's this window there where people can really change

the way you see the world and where you're going. and you mentioned the one kid and instilling confidence, you just wonder, if you invite him back, where does that go, right? And you see where it went. And that's a cool story. That's super cool to see you bring him back in. Just keep coming. Keep coming.

And then he becomes the leaders feed off what you're saying and keep him involved, and he goes that way. That's a cool story. That's a really cool story. Yeah, it's great to see him. Just you have a real good feeling. So, I mean, I've had a number of them call years later, you know. This is what you remember about football and this is what I did.

And now I'm, you know, I'm coaching my son, daughter in our community. Yeah, it's great, great to keep those, to hear about those people. And for them to get back to you that they, you know, they learn some of those things. So those are the big things. You know, and I never talked about. the, you know, the championships. Yeah, we won the, like the Wheatland Football League. We were very successful.

I think there was 15 of those 28 years that we won that. But that was in here. We got to provincials five times. Only won at once, but we were there, you know, close. So, but that's being successful, I think. You know, you know, getting that far each time. and striving for that. So, you know, certainly those are highlights.

Had some great teams, some great players that played. You know, that went on, too. We've had a number of players over the years that have gone on and played university football with the most notably with the U.S. Huskies and the Golden Bears, but also the hilltops, the junior, I mean, there's a storied football junior program, right?

My two sons played for the Edmonton Wildcats, and we've had a number of players that have gone on and played junior football in Edmonton with both the Huskies and the Wildcat programs. But the Hilltops, one that comes in mind is Sean Zaykowski, who was our place kicker and quarterback, grade 12 and he went on and played one and two national championships with the hilltops.

Do you say he was your quarterback and your place kicker? Yeah. And that happened a lot actually. That's awesome. Yeah. He actually got a trap with the riders as a punter. He was our punter place kicker.

Yeah. Yeah. Didn't make it, but I mean he had that, you know, what a thing. And then he, so he played junior football and then played with the Golden Bears. Yeah, it was very successful with them. You know, speaking of different athletes, I got to bring up Wade Redden, the hometown, same hometown, both from Helmand.

He's been on the podcast before. I was told he played Barron's football for a year. Any truth of that? He did. Well, it wasn't for a year, though. He came in his grade 10 year, his brother Bart. It was 11 then. They were both playing football.

But he made the junior A, or I guess junior B team that first year. Yeah. So he made that team and so it couldn't play because scheduling conflicts. So he ended up not playing. But he got in and I have practice and I know he played an exhibition game for sure and I'm not sure if we got into the first league game or not. But yeah, he was there. I'm racking your brain, but what was Wade Redden like as a football player?

Any recollection? Well, you know, it was short, but of course he was an athlete, right? Wade was a good all-round athlete, so he could play and compete even at grade 10. Because, I mean, he was a slighter guy at that time, right? So he's playing against grade 12. So, you know, it would have been tough. But I think probably at that time as a defensive back, you know, he probably could have fit in there right then. But we didn't have a great opportunity to see him and see how he would, you know, progress through the year.

But yeah, he did play a little bit. You walked in, you had a summer games jacket on. and I always am intrigued at people and why they volunteer their time and become involved in the community. What is volunteering in our community? I mean, you just list it off, like, whether it's football, hockey, et cetera, et cetera, of different ways you've been coaching and everything else influencing a lot of the youth of Lloyd Minster. Summer games is obviously a big undertaking. What is volunteering in the community?

What is drawn you to that? Why not just coaching a team, I'm doing whatever. I'm okay. I'll sit back and watch. Why get involved and continue to get involved? Well, I guess it's just something about always done. But if I was believed, you know, you want to be a part of the community that you live. I think it just makes that community better,

but it also gets you to know the community and then the community people. And I believe it's important to give back to our youth as they grow up so that they learn those lessons to want to be involved in how that makes them become a better person. So, you know, volunteering in something like the summer games, you know, a multi-sport game, where you bring in everybody from the province.

In this case, Saskatchewan, because we're going to be hosting the Saskatchewan summer games. And now it was supposed to be here in 2020, but of course due to the COVID-19 that we couldn't. So it's now slated for next July in 2021. I just believe it's something you do to get you started in some type of activity. And when it's multi-sport games, it involves some individual sports, and involves some team sports. But to do that, there are things you learn. you learn by

by volunteering that cooperation compromise responsibility all of those all of those things that I think you need to make a community go

that makes a community better and bringing in something like the summer games is going to bring in something that well as a guy sitting in the community man I'd be really intriguing to see all kids doing all these different sports, bringing the best athletes into Lloyd. Like, that's a huge event. It is, yeah.

It's super cool to watch some of it. Huge event, a huge undertaking. And, you know, we have a very good committee. And people who are on the board of directors leading that have got things set up pretty well. You probably, if people take a look around in our community right now, you know, a couple new baseball. diamonds have gone up. So it's been a chance to work together because you get some funding from the province to help in making some of your facilities better in terms of infrastructure that you may not have gotten, but it's also been working with the city, i.e. City Council,

you know, because they need to be on board with that. That has to be. But it also helps in terms of money, you know, for example, it's been a lot of it has been like a 50 cent dollar. You know, they put in some money, but we've got some grants from the community to get the infrastructure that then will last for years going on to help keep people involved. The other thing, and that's a big part of the summer games and the Saskatchewan Games Council, of which I was president for a few years, is a big, part of hosting somebody like this is to get people involved in volunteering so that they will continue to volunteer at various levels during various things,

not just sporting things but just volunteering to help your community. Because your community, you just, there's just not enough funds that go around. It couldn't, things could not happen unless you had people volunteering. And so that's a great thing. I kind of ask a question knowing a little. It's kind of like one of those questions where I kind of know the answer coming because I always, if you get the right group volunteering, and maybe there are, no, it's the right group. If you get the right group volunteering, it is an extremely fun time.

And it's, for sure. I don't know if it's addicting, but it's enjoyable. And so you look forward to that experience. And if you can grow that group, so you have, you know, for everybody, it's different. maybe it's just another couple, maybe it's just another person or two that you enjoy hanging out with, but can really do some good. That becomes enjoyable to go spend your free time away from, you know, you're going to give a little extra time to something away from the wife and kids or maybe the wife's coming along.

If you can go there and it be enjoyable, that's healthy for you. And that's healthy for your community. And then you enjoy doing it and it becomes less of like, man, I got to go, I don't know, flip pancakes to more like yeah I'm going to go down and do flips of pancakes we've got some things going on it's a lot of fun and and then that snowballs into where you're almost 70 years young still rolling along doing it yeah exactly yeah that's you've said it right and correctly and hit the nail right on the head that getting about wow you know this this was a good experience I'm going to volunteer for something else.

And for people who are new to the community, that's a great introduction to meeting people. That's right. To the community, meeting people. Oh, this is what Lloydminster Neri is all about. You know, yeah, people get involved. I've met some pretty neat people and create friendships that way. And like you're saying, you hope that it snowballs

that they will want to continue in getting involved in those. as I said, not only just necessarily sporting events, but maybe in something like lions, Kwanis, you know, which are also important organizations that volunteer to make things happen

in the community. Rotary, those things for business people. There's a ton of them. And, you know, you're proud of them off. Like, yeah, right. There's just so many of them that are doing, you know. It's been something in Lloyd's history in particular, I'm sure lots of different towns have the same thing.

There's a lot of that, a lot of different community groups that have done a lot of good things for the city. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. The volunteers, I know the Legion Ballpark. Those were first set up fences, lights, scoreboards by volunteers, donations, donations, donations, by business people, companies, you know, to do work that set that up. You know, the city maintains it, and that's a lot of money in itself. I know that personally being on council. But those people who organize it, fundraise to get capital,

and then putting in hours of time. You know, that's one example. And I just know the two new baseball fields by the hospital there now. A lot of donations, but a lot of time then that. that people involved in baseball. They're made their time to put the, yeah, we'll put this together if we can get the, if we can get the equipment, you know, and some other donations to get the electrical, those types of things put in place.

So, yeah, for sure. Your community can't run very smoothly and have things going unless you have a lot of volunteers. You know, one that comes to, another one that comes to mind is I was talking with, Wayne and Barb Russell, Russway. And they were talking about building the second nine on the golf course and that they donated all the equipment and helped get that going. You just, well, you fast forward how many years since that's happening, you never even think about it.

You know, you moved to Lloyd in what year? 1974, yeah. 74. What was Lloyd like in 1974? Like if you could just go back in time and, reminder or remember driving into town you just got a house or rent an apartment whatever you guys are doing what are your your first thoughts when you were pulling in the lloydminster uh i guess uh maybe not pulling in well you know a little bigger community but when i when i go back i believe

it was around 8500 people you know and we're sitting at 32 000 now i think it is yeah so uh but bigger than definitely what I was coming to. I remember going to LCHS had an interview. And so one of the first things you remember, going in that school, my wife and I went in together. We met Hugh Morel, who was becoming principal that year of the school for an interview. And I just remember the cleanliness,

it was a beautiful school, but the cleanliness of the school. And so it was very impressed that, you know, when the back said, yeah, we're going to move, we want to move there. But I guess then when we got here and then just the people that we saw, you know, getting into school who helped us kind of get established. So Bill and Celie Armstrong will come to mind. I mean, I taught with him in phys ed, but then they became good friends right away. okay, what do you need?

What are you looking at getting set up? We moved into the trailer court. So the helpfulness. And of course, so September, so by those days, then it would be the first of October when hockey got going, oh, late September, I guess.

And then, you know, getting into that community. So then you got to know people right away and who would help you. So it was those things. The first impressions were, oh, yeah, here. People are here. to help you and get to know people in the community right away.

There's another one on Lloyd specific. I think in the last, well, in the last probably, and you could correct me on this, because in the last 20 years, some of the big additions to Lloyd, and I'm speaking sports, I guess, and it doesn't need to be sports specific, but the multiplex was a big addition to the city.

I'm removed from baseball, but I assume the vault at Holy Rosary is a big addition to the city. Oh, yeah, absolutely. From 74 until the multiplex, so before the multiplex, what was one of the big additions as a city was growing that you got to witness or when it got built here? You're like, man, that is awesome. Well, I think you said not necessarily sports, but certainly the theater at the college, the Vick Juba theater. The Viguba?

Yeah. You know, that was a big thing to the arts and culture community, which has carried on to this day. They've done a tremendous job there, I think, putting that together and how it's brought, you know, different performances from different. artists here that we don't have to go very far, don't have to pay a lot of money, and can enjoy some great things, performances that go on there.

And that our schools use, Christmas concerts, band concerts, those sorts of things that the school community, so that intertwining of those entities have gone together. So that's one that I remember. The aquatic center. Oh, the pool. Yeah, the pool came in in my time. And actually, you talked to the multiplex, but I remember not very long after it got here,

you know it as a, and your family might know it as the communiplex, but the Lloydminster Golf and Curling Center. Really? That just got going, yeah? The late 70s, yeah, the fundraising around to different doors, yeah, you pitched in. And so that was built. That was built. I can't remember the exact year, but I'm pretty sure it was, you know, in the late 70s.

And so that was a big addition at that time. So curling them, man, an eight-sheet curling center. Wow, things really took off. And, you know, the community knows about how they, how they, how they, those volunteers and board went together with the big classic that, the curling classic that they had here every fall was super. So those are things that, you know, got, those are ones that come to mind.

I know there's some others that I'm just, you know, I'm not thinking of at this point. Yeah, well, no, I hadn't even thought of the curling center and the pool is an interesting one because that had to have been, I mean, think of, I don't know, my childhood might be different than other people's, but swimming lessons there and, I don't know, the wave pool and the diving board. Yeah, all, all, you know, new things. And we're just, yeah, you know, state of the art at that time.

At that time. For sure, yeah. People went around different communities and saw what they like took from other places. You know, here we now have swim clubs. So we now have an indoor, you know, a winter club. Yeah. As well as it used to be just a summer because we had the outdoor pool, you know. great

synchronized swimming so the different types of athletic things that can happen not just kind of your traditional sports that allowed other people to get involved in which which is great yeah which is tremendous yeah absolutely you know you were on city council

for seven years what was what was the draw to go to city council I guess just wanting to be involved more in the community. Okay. And, you know, to be honest, I had several people approach me. Okay.

I don't know if I had thought about that much, but I was always interested, of course, in what's going on in the city. And then being involved in various activities saying, okay, well, you know, for example, ransom hockey schools, so you have to rant ice. Okay. So you go to the city. oh, why do you do this or why do you charge that being involved in minor ball and minor hockey

and okay, so we have to pay for this minor hockey, why is it set up this way? Why don't you do it that way? Which people ask to these days, right? Legitimate questions. And then so people said, ask me and approached me and said,

would you consider it going on? You've had a wide, I guess, a fairly broad perspective of things, especially. especially in terms of facilities as it pertain to sports, but do that. So, yeah, and it was. It was a great eye-opening, another great opportunity to look at things.

Okay, now I can have some input into how things are gone, and maybe I can have something that can contribute that they think, oh, yeah, that's a pretty good idea. So what was eye-opening about going on the city council, And you start mentioning why do they do it that way? Certainly you must have had like big aspirations or maybe like we get in there and we can change a couple things and it's going to be great. And then you get in there and you're like, oh. That's a great question, Sean.

That it is. You know, unless you've been in there and see the inside of how a city operates, most people have no. idea as to how you do it. So you're right. That first year is a very steep learning curve. So you get into involved in the debate as to some things that you believe in and how you think it should go with your colleagues. But you learn a lot as to how it's on, oh, this is why this works this way. You know, the water treatment plant, the wastewater, and how they're so important, how infrastructure that we don't see, you know, how that works and why that's so important. But the dealing with two governments here in Lloyd Minster is so unique, right?

We have to deal with the province of Alberta and the province of Saskatchewan, and we have our own charter, so, you know, there's jurisdictions from each province in that, and you can't do certain things because one has jurisdiction over the other. Different developments, why they're developed that way, why certain things can go in a development and why they can't or why you don't want them, you know, in that. So, yeah, the workings of what happens in City Hall, when people run, just as you said, I'm going to do this, this and that. But once you get in and actually take a look and listen,

it doesn't work as quickly as that or the way you think it should work that way because the province has jurisdiction over municipalities. You can't do something that the province allows, for example, and federal over provincial, so you have to run under those. A lot of red tape is what you're saying. Yeah, yeah, you know, unfortunately.

Did you enjoy it? Certainly did. Yeah, overall, it was great. It was great. It was nice that you could be involved in some decision-making about things. So over- I guess I pushed for a lot of times, as you might think, some recreational things.

So I know we certainly did some big renovations at the Civic Center. you know and since then it's kind of running out of its I wanted to ask you about the Civic Center since we started what's your thoughts on the Civic? Well I mean we did a lot of things at the time we knew that you know that it is run but but had engineers take a look at it and said you know it's still fairly sound so we made a lot of things now the chair seats, right, the bucket seats. That has all helped for spectators going in there. There have been the box seats. Yeah. All of those things.

It's a beautiful rank. You know, have been great. Fixed up the you know, the vestibule area there. Another one that I know I felt really good about, Russ Robertson.

You know, expanding the dressing rooms. We could only go. We couldn't past the as you know Pee-wee so you 13 because it didn't meet safety requirements. So expanded those restrooms and again you know the entrance area that people now there's more room to do that has we can now host any age level in there. You know it's for that. So it's allowed to make better use of ice time.

We don't need another, didn't need another, didn't need at that time. Another facility, because those facilities, can now handle that. Because we weren't utilizing all the ice time that it could have, just because of that. And even the Archie Miller, the Archie Miller Arena. There have been some very good. It's a great rink. It's been very good.

Worst rink ever growing up. So cold in that place. Yeah. And the chicken wire on. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. But it's very good. A lot of that, too, was, you know, was volunteer.

but I know we did some renovations when I was on council that have really helped it. You know, the heated floors, the adult recreation, a lot of those teams want that as their home arena. I've argued that you could stick a senior team in there and call them the Archie something or others. Yeah. It'd be a great little home rink because, I mean, you put 100 people in that place and it'd be packed. You wouldn't need to have 3,000 to make it seem like it was full and you could have a, and it's just, It's beautiful. Since I was a kid, that place was by far the worst rink

because it was so cold, the chicken wire, the one shower in the place for you to run down the hallway, and now what has been done to it is absolutely gorgeous. Yeah, so, yeah. It's just me to prolong the use, very good use, you know, efficient use of those facilities. What's the one thing Lloyd needs? Do you think?

If you could make, I can't think of the word, I want to say swing a magic one, but that's wave, thank you. Wave a magic wand. Do you don't know why I couldn't spit that out? And just boom, you got it. What do you think Lloyd is in need of? Well, I guess in terms of recreational, I'd say that some new soccer, soccer diamonds, you know, soccer is still quite big amongst the youth. Oh, and adults. I mean, we have a lot of adults that are

using it. And so making a facility that would be you could have more tournaments coming in, for example, out-of-town teams coming here, hosting something like provincials. I think that would be, from what I see, it would be that. Possibly some other slow-pitched diamonds and maybe an area where you had for slow pitch time because you need you need uh longer fence lines right just by the nature of the game uh to me those are two that come to mind that uh would would uh would need that you know arena we've i know people have talked about you know could we a better arena in terms of seating more so that possibly you could go from junior eight to possible WHL team.

I don't know. We can make pretty use of what we have at this point, but that might be something, you know, in the future to contemplate. But I do know that the Civic Center is running its life's course, and that's something that City Council will have to look. Okay, where do we go from here? By all accounts, the Civic Center is on its last day is, yes?

Yeah, that's, you know, that's what I'm hearing. And then we kind of saw that at the time, but we figured we could still get another 10 years out of it, and certainly can, you know. So that was the other thing, I guess, you know, you talked about what are things you learn? Well, maintenance of buildings. I talked about the school division,

and to this day I still walk into them, and they're very well maintained, no matter how old the schools are. And you need to do that, I believe, as a city to maintain so that you get some longevity. And so I guess there's the other one now that I think of it because I know when we went through the aquatic center, and I've been right underneath it, seeing that, how it works.

And we're going to be in need of an aquatic center. There's been some good things, some good renovations, but I also know we have some very skilled good people who've looked after that, that get that running on a continuous basis. And if we didn't have that, that might be long gone. So I think that's something that's going to be in the not too distant future either for recreational facilities.

But Miller Park is a gem in our city for people. And there's been a few things done now to rehabilitate that in certain areas. When you go back through your life and you've got plenty more days ahead of you, but when you go back through your life and look back through it, what's one of the maybe the best lessons you've learned? I guess it would be coming to getting involved in your community. If you want to contributed getting involved, just makes you feel a part of your community.

Makes you feel, you know, it's my community. And so I want to do the best job. I want to see good things happen to in the community that will help people, help people to be involved in things and still stay a community. You know, we've gotten larger. So it's been a little more of a strong, and of course lots of different people coming and going, right? It changed used to be, again, you know, you kind of knew everybody.

That's not the case anymore. But I think it was just seeing that all the different people that have had a chance to interact with that made this community what it is and continues to be to a large extent would be something that really sticks out to me. Yeah, well, with more people coming, you can look at it as good or bad. and I always err on the set of positivity and that you're going to find more, well, I mean, if Larry Sauer doesn't come through the door, right?

Look at all the good you've brought to Lloyd. You weren't originally from Lloyd. And if there's more of that that comes to Lloyd, get to have better things and more great volunteers and push for better things to come to Lloyd. And then just kind of, if you get it going the right way, it's snowball effects on itself. I agree.

one final one for you before i let you go if you what is maybe the biggest event you think that's happened in your time i mean we're in a big one right now with covid i mean i don't think anybody can overstate what we're going through right now but if you go previous to covid what was whether we're talking world event whether we're talking lloyd minster whether we're talking Canada, politics, you know, JFK, Man on the Moon, you know, what's one that you just, you go back and you go, oh, I remember being here and this happening and this changed the fabric of society or maybe the way I looked at things. Is there a vent or two that sticks out through your lifetime?

That's a bit of a tough one because, you know, if I'm thinking, you know, nationally or internationally, I guess I'd be more, you know, in the community. And I'd have to say it'd be in the community in the Lloyd Minster area. And it would just be the development, evolution of Lloyd Minster, mostly for a positive, you know, become very, fluent to now since about 2014 when you know the economy has been not so bad not so good and COVID of course even worse but our energy sector of which is a big part of ours certainly we've become more diverse in this area but still the energy sector and kind of being forgotten nationally, I think, which is really hurt, which has really hurt us. That would stand out.

You know, good thing our agriculture sector is still there, which of course is so needy in the whole world. We need that. But I think that's been a big thing. That probably would stand. out as sort of more of a national thing that affected has affected our community. And I hope that we'll be able to get back to somewhat of an assemblance of what that has been. Well, we've been going for an hour and 40 minutes. And everybody knows me by now. I can sit I don't know, I can talk for hours on top of hours.

But I think at an hour and 40 minutes, it's been really enjoyable. I really appreciate you coming in and imparting some of your wisdom and stories and a bit of your journey and just coming in and sitting down and sharing for the last couple hours. It's been thoroughly enjoyable. Well, it's been a pleasure. Thank you for asking me to come and do this. Hey, folks, thanks again for joining us today. If you just stumble on the show and like what you hear, please click subscribe.

Remember, every Monday and Wednesday a new guest will be sitting down to share their story. The Sean Newman podcast is available for free on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you find your podcast fix. Until next time.