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The golf season in Manitoba will continue over the weekend; however, there are some changes being implemented beginning on Saturday.
You aren't permitted to gather with anyone outside of your house, which means you can't golf with anyone that you don't live with.
The new public health orders will expire at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26.
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Emmalie Thompson has been playing hockey for more than a dozen years and when she started at the DRCSS in grade 9, she decided to join the soccer team.
A multi-sport elite athlete, Emmalie has known for years that she wanted to continue playing sports competitively once she graduates, which she will this year. And now, Emmalie is heading to Brandon, where she is originally from.
From Ste. Rose, Thompson has double committed to Assiniboine Community College as she will play for the women's hockey team when they get going in the fall and she will also suit up for the women's soccer team.
Although she only played in five games this season with the Yellowhead U18 Women's Chiefs, Thompson did enough to impress the coaching staff at ACC. Her strong start came after she was named the team's most valuable player in the 2019-20 season. Thompson says committing is a dream come true and she can't wait to head to Brandon.
"I'm so excited about this, it's something I have been thinking about for a long time," said Thompson. "All my family is also in Brandon so I'm happy that I'll be able to spend time with them."
The Cougars are the defending national champions as they brought home the title from Frisco, Texas after downing Minot State University in the 2018-19 national championship game. The nationals have not been held in the past two seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"To get the opportunity to play with a team that is used to winning, that excites me," offered Thompson.
When it comes to soccer, Thompson has only been playing for about four years, but that hasn't stopped her from excelling in her short time on the pitch. She was selected as the most valuable player in a tournament back in 2017. Thompson was also named rookie of the year in track and field that year.
Emmalie isn't the only Parkland athlete to commit to the Cougars as she will join Remy Buchanan of McCreary who is also joining the hockey team in the fall. The Ste. Rose native says she's really looking forward to meeting all of her new teammates.
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Players that play with the Ste. Rose Stingers fastpitch program are getting the chance to hear from an Olympic silver medalist tonight.
The program is very excited to say that Mallard's Brigette Lacquette will join over Zoom to chat with all of the young athletes in the Parkland that play with the Stingers in the summer.
Steven Hopfner says the call will be around Brigette sharing her success stories and some of the obstacles she faced while becoming an Olympian.
"Having her on board with us is a great opportunity for our girls, our town, and for everyone involved," said Hofpner. "I can't wait to see all of the smiles from our girls, it's going to be a very exciting call."
Steven wants to show all players that just because they don't live in a big city, that doesn't stop them from becoming elite athletes.
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The Dauphin Kings are playing the waiting game, hoping that they can hold their Par 3 Extravaganza as planned next month.
After a successful event held last year, this year's event will be played at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club. However, unless restrictions are lessened at the end of the month, the event won't be played on June 12.
At this time, gatherings are limited to five people outside and eightsomes are used for the event. So registered teams will have to wait until the end of the month to find out if they will tee it up on June 12. Registration for the event has long been over as 43 teams signed up in less than two weeks.
Ashley Shaw says it was great that so many teams signed up so quickly.
"It was great to see, we've been having tremendous support from the community and surrounding communities," said Shaw.
If the event isn't able to be played on June 12, Shaw has confirmed that the rain date is Saturday, August 14. The Par 3 Extravaganza is one of the organization's top fundraisers, alongside the AG Project, which of course, will be back.
"This tournament is huge for our organization, there is a ton of support, and sponsors," ended Shaw. "It's always a tremendous day and we're looking forward to hosting the event once again when we can."
Gord McKay and Jason Shaw were the biggest winners in the past two years as they both won a $10,000 hole-in-one prize.
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Whatever Ben Talbot has done over the course of his life, he has given it his all. Whether that be in the classroom or playing with the Dauphin Clippers, Talbot is a firm believer that working hard now will provide him with a great foundation moving forward.
Ben has also volunteered many hours of his time for different activities in the community, no matter how small or big they are. In the summer, you can likely find him at the Dauphin Lake Golf Club where he works on his game multiple times per week.
And although he is putting a lot of focus on his future, Ben will never forget about his time at the DRCSS and as a Clipper. Ben played three seasons with the high school's hockey team and he went a perfect 15-0 in that time, to go along with a superb 1.36 goals-against average.
Ben has been quoted in the past by his coaches as the hardest worker in practice and games.
"Playing with the Clippers was incredible. I had such a tremendous three years with them," said Talbot. "It was unfortunate that we never had that chance to win a league title, but it is what it is. I'll cherish my time with the Clippers."
Talbot plans on beginning his days as a university student in the fall and as he prepares for that, the Dauphinite applied for any scholarship that was available to him. One of which was the Alexander Josephson Memorial Scholarship -- one that is awarded to two Manitoba students in honour of Josephson -- who tragically passed away in a car accident in 2005.
The recipients of this scholarship are students who demonstrate strong leadership and team play, high scholastic standing, a hard-working attitude, who are proceeding to a post-secondary institution, and Talbot checks off all of those boxes. So as a result, the former Clipper undefeated netminder has been chosen as one of the recipients of the scholarship.
On top of the prestige that comes with winning it, Ben will also be awarded $2000 and he will use that towards his studies. Talbot says it's a tremendous honour.
"It came by surprise, I just applied, and hoped I guess," offered Talbot. "When I got the email letting me know I won, my eyes lit up, I was so happy."
Ben didn't only excel on the ice, but he also did a tremendous job in the classroom. With the mindset of setting himself up for the future, Talbot maintained an academic average of 85%.
"I believe that school will set me up for life," ended Talbot.
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Golf courses remain open under current public health orders in Manitoba, but the province is clarifying the rules around who can ride in golf carts.
Golf Manitoba says it received confirmation from the province on Monday that if you don't live together, you can't cart together unless there is a barrier in between.
In addition, Golf Manitoba has pushed back its match play championships, with the qualifier taking place on June 5, while the matches will begin the following week.
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Organizers still have every intention to run the Grey Owl tournament at the Clear Lake Golf Course next month; however, that decision may be out of their hands.
At this point, organizers still aren't sure if they will be able to hold the annual event from June 11-13. Under current public health orders, competitions aren't allowed and the current orders will either be extended or expire on May 30.
Golf Industry Update from the Province of Manitobahttps://t.co/44sZwFR6XE
— Golf Manitoba (@golf_manitoba) May 14, 2021
This year's event will be the 60th anniversary after the first event was held way back in 1960. A three-day event offering up two competitive rounds for all players, the Grey Owl has welcomed players from all across Canada and even golfers from the United States. And while no Americans will be in the field this year if the event is played, there will be some new faces teeing it up.
260 players signed up to compete as of two weeks ago and that's about 30 more than the 10-year average. Kirk Penton is the past president and he says everyone is thrilled with the fact that registrations are going up.
"This was a tradition started 60 years ago and we're extremely proud that it's still being played all these years later," offered Penton. "Golf is one of the only sports you can do safely right now and so many are getting excited to be on the course."
If this year's event is cancelled, all players will receive a full refund, which Penton hopes isn't the case. Russell's Jay Thiessen won the event in 2019 with a four-under total. He was aiming to play in the event next month once again.
Although registration for this year's event has come to an end, you can make your plans to tee it up next summer. And if you do, Penton says you will have a ton of fun, whether you play great or poorly.
"It's a great time for people to get together. Most people that play in this event aren't here to win, they want to see their friends," ended Penton. "The golf course is beautiful, we encourage any golfer to try it out if they haven't before.
Do keep in mind, you must be 18-years-old to play.
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Ryan Pulock, Barry Trotz, and the rest of the New York Islanders are off to a good start.
Playing the Pittsburgh Penguins in game one of the playoffs, Kyle Palmieri scored the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory.
The Islanders lead the series 1-0 with game two going on Tuesday.
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Dawson Tweet batted .357 last summer with the Rivers Comets of the South West Baseball League. A former member of Team Manitoba, it was decision time for Dawson after his season with Rivers as he knew he wanted to play baseball at the next level, he just didn't know where.
But when Mesabi Range College came calling, it ended up being an offer that Dawson just couldn't pass up. So he packed up his bags and moved to Virginia, Minnesota, where he would excel with the Norsemen. Playing in the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, Tweet was a man on a mission, although he went into the season with no real expectations.
Suiting up in 35 games, Dawson was seventh in the entire conference with his .429 batting average and his 51 hits were the third-most in the conference. Dawson is also joining nine other players that were named to the MCAC North All-Division Team.
"It's been a lot of fun, I really enjoyed playing in this league," said Tweet. "The biggest thing for me this year was approaching every day with a new mindset. You can't carry at-bats from previous games, it was all about being in the moment."
An elite multi-sport athlete, Dawson also excelled on the ice, but it was baseball that ultimately led him to the next level. It's been his goal for a long time to play at the next level and his first year of achieving his goal brought forward an all-star season.
"I couldn't be happier with the situation that I ended up with," offered Tweet. "I played with a great group of guys and I can't wait for next season."
The team ended up going 7-9 in conference play which landed them in fourth spot, two wins ahead of Hibbing Community College. Dawson will now make the trip back to Russell this weekend where he'll get the chance to spend the summer with his family. He plans on returning to Mesabi Range for one more season before hopefully, getting an opportunity to join a program that is four years.
For now, though, it's all about the Norsemen and Dawson knows how important this summer is and he plans on taking full advantage.
"The biggest thing this summer is just trying to stay focused," ended Tweet. "I was hoping to play senior ball with Rivers, but with all the restrictions, I think I'll just be spending a ton of time in the batting cage."
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The golf season is well underway in the province and Golf Manitoba is getting set to host their provincial championships.
First up is the match play qualifier on May 29 at the Grand Plains Golf Course. The event will feature the best amateurs in the province, all of which will battle for a spot in the 32-man main field.
The event is open to any male golfer aged 18 and older and Jared Ladobruk, Executive Director with Golf Manitoba, says playing tournament golf is a great way to really get the feel for where your game is at.
"It's a unique opportunity for golfers who are looking to get a little more competitive," said Ladobruk. "It's also a good opportunity to play alongside some of the best amateurs Manitoba has to offer."
Eric Prokopowich of Dauphin advanced to the 32-man field last year after two solid qualifying rounds. He ultimately lost a close 2&1 battle against Derek East. This year's qualifier has been reduced to one round.
Golf Manitoba's events calendar includes the Nott Autocorp amateur men's championship, the senior men's and women's championship, and the junior championship, just to name a few. You can find a full list and register for one here.
Golf takes over:
There's no surprise that the sport has taken off in the past two years. There was a worry last year that revenues at courses would be down with restrictions put in place due to the novel coronavirus. But that wasn't the case at all, in fact, many courses across the province enjoyed record years.
At the Dauphin Lake Golf Club, there were more than 50 new members and tee time traffic was up about 35%. The Gilbert Plains Country Club also welcomed dozens of new members and people that hadn't played golf before, became frequent players.
And with this season well underway and the weather providing us with lots of sun, it appears that another record-breaking year is on the way for courses in the Parkland and across the province.
More than 50 new members have joined the Gilbert Plains Country Club while the Dauphin Lake Golf Club has welcomed many new faces as well, stay tuned for numbers at the DLGC next week.
"Right from the start of the day until the end of the day, golf courses have been telling us that they have been fully booked," ended Ladobruk. "That tells us that we're either having new people play the sport or those fringe golfers that only play a few times a year have increased their frequency and that's very exciting."
If you're looking to get into the game, the Parkland is a tremendous place to be. With several great options including the Clear Lake Golf Course and Poplar Ridge Golf course, you can enjoy your summer on the course and make some new friends in the process.
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Known as one of the finest golf courses in the province, the Poplar Ridge Golf Course is open for the season and they're already off to a great start.
An open golf course with not much trouble, it's very playable for golfers of all skill levels. Lavern Popple is back as the Director of Golf and he says the course is in fantastic shape, as you would come to expect when playing the course.
"The course wintered very well, we're really happy with how things are looking," said Popple. "With a little bit of heat, we have our irrigation system going so things are greening up very nicely."
The Parkland is a tremendous place to be if you're a golfer with many great courses in the region. And while it may take about 50 minutes to get the course from Dauphin, it will certainly be worth it.
Playing to just more than 6200 yards from the white tees and just more than 6600 yards from the tips, the Poplar Ridge Golf Course could be the perfect destination for your next tee time.
"We offer a great value for what you get. The course is always in tremendous shape and we're in a beautiful area," ended Poplar. "The course is well set up and we have a very friendly staff."
On top of the spring special that is currently running, you can tee it up on Mondays for just $36 and that includes a half-power cart. You can book your tee time by calling 204-848-2382.
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