A large yard on the farm provided an ideal place for throwing and kicking a football at various targets.
The practice paid off as in Grade 8 our school played flag football in a league against our rivals from Elphinstone and Rossburn.
Even though we ended up only winning one game, we enjoyed being part of a team effort. Attempting to complete a pass or kicking a convert after a touchdown was always a thrilling experience. In the ensuing high school and university years, a variety of other sports-related activities provided excellent recreational times.
Sports-related activities initially occurred on Saturday nights during the early 1960s by listening to the hockey broadcasts on CBC radio. One had to use their imagination to visualize the plays described by Foster Hewitt and Danny Gallivan. When my parents purchased a black and white television, one could finally watch their favourite players skating for the original six NHL teams.
My parent’s farm was located nine miles from town. Playing any organized sport was not deemed part of the usual farm routine. After I bought a pair of used skates and a hockey stick, the next best option included building my own rink and practicing my hockey skills. Countless hours were spent shooting a puck against a sheet of plywood.
I did get to play in a game in full hockey equipment with a group of high school classmates at the Elphinstone arena.
All of the moves that I learned on the outdoor rink had a very minimal impact in an actual game situation against participants who played regular organized hockey.
Several years later, while attending Brandon University, a group of us regularly got together to play hockey at an outdoor community rink. Those were great times just playing for the fun of it.
Our hockey skills helped us when we entered a broomball tournament for one of the “Spirit Week” activities. We lost in the finals to a team of varsity team hockey players.
In 1972-73, the Brandon University Bobcat hockey team joined the newly-formed Great Plains Athletic Conference. Lakehead University, the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg provided the opposition.
My friends and I attended the games at the old arena. We braved several snowstorms walking from the university to the rink to support our team. A group of us even travelled in a friend’s car to watch the Bobcats play in Winnipeg. We arrived back at Brandon very late that night. Luckily the Husky
Restaurant was still open so we really enjoyed a snack of fries and gravy.
My friends and I utilized the university gym to play floor hockey, badminton or shoot some hoops. We also enjoyed attending the varsity basketball games.
Our loyalty to our university school sports teams was evident at the home games with vociferous cheering in a win or lose situation. Since some of the athletes were in my classes or lived at the university residence we cheered extra hard for them. One of the team members, Bob Fosker, played for the Bobcats basketball team. He lived several doors down from my room at the men’s residence at Darrach Hall. Bob loved to sing and there were times when we met at my friend Frank’s room to play and sing some tunes. Bob and I ended up recording several songs on Frank’s four track reel to reel recorder.
Frank’s keyboard skills also came in handy when he volunteered to play music during stoppages in play during the Bobcats basketball games. Every time he played, the crowd showed its school spirit with loud cheers. During one game the opposition coach was so annoyed with the loud cheering that he came over and unplugged Frank’s keyboard and amp.
As soon as he walked away, Frank plugged in the keyboard and amp and kept on playing and we kept on cheering.
Many years later it’s still fun to participate in activities such as slow pitch baseball, bowling or pickleball. It's also great to see my grandchildren starting their journey involving sports-related activities.
Anyone up for floor hockey in the basement or playing catch with a nerf football in the front yard?
