Taking the gold medal at the high school curling provincials was a first for Okotoks, a first for the Foothills Falcons’ mixed curling team and icing on the cake for the school as hosts of the competition.
The Falcons won the provincial mixed championship by downing Holy Rosary High School from Lloydminster 9-2 Saturday in the final at the Okotoks Curling Club.
The Falcons said they worked hard for the win, despite the wide margin, and the tension was evident on the ice.
After landing one particularly tense shot in the fifth end, …

It’s easy to be a good sport when you are racking up wins like the Canadian Women’s Olympic team.
However, when things aren’t going a team’s way it’s easy for the players to shift blame and point some accusing fingers at the men and women in stripes.
A team that has taken some lumps in the win column, the Okotoks Peewee B Oilers, received the Okotoks Referee Association’s 2009-10 Most Sportsmanlike Team prior to its game at the Piper Arena on Feb. 20.

When referee Bryce Honish was putting on his skates …

An Okotoks wrestler didn’t get down on himself when he lost his first match at the rural high school provincial championships in February.
In fact, Foothills Falcon Eric Seifert picked himself up, listened to a few words of wisdom from his coach and found his winning ways advancing to the 62kg final.
Seifert was one of six Okotoks Wrestling Club members who qualified for the provincial championships this weekend by finishing in the top five at the rural championships in Lethbridge on Feb. 26-27.

Seifert was literally working from the bottom after …

Before Sidney Crosby could slip his gold-medal winning goal by an American goalie, he had to get by a volunteer from Okotoks.
Diana Bird of Okotoks would scan 2010 Winter Olympic athletes’ credentials as they entered the accommodations at the athletic village in Vancouver.

When Bird scanned Crosby’s accreditations after Canada’s 7-3 victory over Russia in the quarterfinals on Feb. 25, she broke a small rule when she spoke to him.
“We weren’t allowed to approach the athletes for pictures, autographs or speak to them,” Bird said. “This was their home and …

An Okotoks Oiler defencman got walloped against the boards in a game near the end of the season.
However, he practically had a smile on his face when it was over because  it meant he’ll be as strong as ever for the upcoming Alberta Junior Hockey League playoffs.

“I took a hit from Brad Drobot of the Calgary Royals (on Feb. 15) and I came off the boards really hard,” said Oilers defenceman Matt Strong. “Before that, my collarbone would kind of reverberate, but it was fine on that hit and …

The Okotoks Oilers know they need some meat behind them if they are going to be able to push their way through the Alberta Junior Hockey League playoffs.
The players make a point of pushing weights on their days off to ensure they have the strength to hold their own with other teams in the league.

Weightlifting is almost a necessity if you are going to play hockey at a high level.
“I started lifting weights when I was in 14 as a freshman in high school (Grade 9),” Oiler forward Cody …

A High River chuckwagon driver is awfully fond of the western drawing hanging on his den wall.
However, Brian Mayan has grown even more fond of the Okotoks artist who did the drawing. Bernie Brown’s name on the corner of the artwork will be the same name on Mayan’s tarp at his first trip as a driver to the Calgary Stampede’s Rangeland Derby this July.

Mayan’s tarp was purchased by Boot Hill Gallery out of Okotoks for $50,000 Thursday at the Calgary Stampede tarp auction held at the Archie Boyce Pavilion …

The Okotoks Raiders went looking for some home-cooking at the recent Rocky Mountain Junior A Lacrosse League entry draft.
The Raiders found some high-quality Alberta beef that will stay with them for a while, not some fast-food selection.
The Raiders chose three players from the Okotoks Midget Mustangs at the February draft, Raymond Banister, goalie Dylan Bachmyer and Carson McCormick from High River. The Calgary Mountaineers selected two Mustangs, Colin Koskie and Dylan Gibson.
Banister was selected eighth overall in the draft.
“Raymond played a game for us last year in the playoffs,” Raiders …

Fresh off their league title the Foothills Falcons are charging into the South Central 4A Senior boys basketball zones.
The Falcons open their best-of-three zone final against the Bert Church Chargers Wednesday in Airdrie.
“In terms of size, their team is similar to ours, so the two teams match up very well,” Falcons head coach Amron Gwilliam said. “They have two big guys just like we have in Lee Campbell and Branden (Heslip). In terms of the roster we match up very good. They are a very good team and we will …

A Foothills Falcon had no problem reading the fine print on the school’s fourth consecutive Foothills Athletic Council Senior high school boys championship thanks to a new pair of contacts.
Foothills Falcon Lee Campbell scored a team-high 26 points in the Falcons’ 73-43 victory over the surprising Notre Dame Collegiate Timberwolves Saturday in the final in High River.

“This is just the second time I have played with contacts and now I can see the basket so much better,” Campbell said.
Being six-foot-seven and having the shooting touch of a point guard …