UNews - Calgary Flames

Horns play with greater purpose

trevor.kenney — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 22:30:40 +0000

Erica Williams’s father Len was able to get out of bed and go for a walk the other morning. For that, his daughter was thankful – it was a good day.

Since being diagnosed with terminal cancer in April, the good days have dwindled for Len, and likewise for his daughter, a fourth-year forward for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s hockey team. That has not dissuaded Erica from pushing forward with a positive attitude culled from the example her father displayed throughout her childhood in Weyburn, Sask.

Erica Williams has taken a positive approach as she deals with her parents' illnesses.

“I obviously don’t know what he’s feeling right now but I can understand that he wants to be his best for his family so he’s decided not to do any more chemotherapy treatments and is just focusing on the quality of his days,” she says. “I think that’s pretty courageous, but he’s a pretty brave guy so I wouldn’t expect anything less from him.

“There are days where I’m sure he’d want to just lay in bed but he still manages to get in the car and come out here to Lethbridge and spend some time with me for a couple days – that’s just who he is.”

Williams and her teammates will have Len on their minds this weekend when they take on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan Huskies for a pair of Canada West games at Nicholas Sheran Arena (the puck drops at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday night). The entire weekend will double as a fundraising effort for the Len Williams Coaching Legacy Fund and the Jack Ady Cancer Centre.

“I couldn’t imagine,” says Erica, her voice cracking, “being on a different team because they have all been so supportive, everyone has done their best for this.”

Williams is self-described as “pretty loud”, an outgoing personality, but that has all changed since the phone call she received late one evening in April.

“I’d talked to my mom beforehand about the tests my dad was getting and we’d broken it down into option one, two and three, with three being the worst-case scenario where they had found cancer everywhere,” says Erica. “When she called, all she said was “It’s option 3” and I had to end the call and cry it out.”

Four days later, Erica returned to Weyburn, having postponed her finals to be with her family. The night she arrived home, her mother suffered a stroke, further compounding the family’s troubles.

After an extensive hospital stay, her mother is recovering, and Erica says the family had a very good summer. Her father was able to take part in a number of community events in support of the legacy fund established in his name, and reconnected with countless people he’d influenced as a coach and prominent Weyburn citizen.

For Erica, getting back to school and playing hockey was an important aspect of returning some normalcy to her life. Now in her fourth year, she is readying to graduate with a double major in psychology and sociology. She has already applied to graduate school at the U of L, looking to get her master’s of counseling in psychology or, as a back-up plan, apply to the social work program.

“As every day goes by I think about what was good that day,” she says about how her philosophy on life has been affected by her parents’ illnesses.

The support she receives from her teammates has been invaluable.

“There are a lot of times when nothing is said but nothing needs to be said. They’ll just come up to me and give me a pat on the back because they know what I’m going through and I know what it means,” she says. “We don’t talk about it but we don’t need to. They are so understanding – it’s hard to put into words.”

The weekend’s activities will include a raffle and silent auction, as well as a jersey auction of the special periwinkle-coloured jerseys the Horns will wear against the Huskies.

Over the summer, Williams and her family raised in excess of $65,000 for the legacy fund, helped in no small part by the contributions of her famous uncle, Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams. The former Toronto Maple Leaf great was able to use his hockey connections to bring in a number of items for auction, including two tickets to any Leafs game this season in the Alumni Box, a gift that netted $16,000 at auction.

This weekend, a Taylor Hall signed jersey, four lower bowl tickets to a Calgary Flames game, gift baskets and more will be up for grabs at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

Len Williams won’t be able to attend but he’ll no doubt be on everyone’s mind. His daughter wants the weekend to be a celebration of everything her father represents.

“My dad got to go for a walk yesterday morning, and even though he wasn’t feeling that good, he got to go for a walk,” says Erica. “That was something to celebrate.”

Calgary Chapter continues to gain momentum

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:14:04 +0000

In 2008, two years after completing his management degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Brock Melnyk (BMgt '06), financial advisor for ATB Securities Inc., attended a golf tournament put on by the U of L Alumni Association Calgary Chapter, where he was promptly recruited to be a member of the board of directors.

He served as both a director and vice-president before taking on the role of president (he will complete his term in spring 2013), after which he plans to stay involved with the board and sit as past-president. During his tenure, Melnyk has witnessed a great amount of hard work and dedication from his fellow board members and he is grateful for the gains that the chapter has made in the last five years particularly with the annual golf tournament, which, Melnyk admits, is his baby.

Carolyn Seward, top left, with Liza Worthington and Steve Worthington, had a great time at the Calgary Alumni and Friends Golf Tournament.

"For our Calgary chapter, the annual Calgary Alumni and Friends Golf Tournament is our single fundraiser for the year. When I first joined the association almost five years ago, we were earning enough money to give out one $500 bursary each year. Since then, we have seen a great increase in the success of the tournament in terms of numbers of people participating, increased donations and increased corporate sponsorship," says Melnyk. "This latest tournament was the most successful so far; we raised $8,000 and had approximately 80 people in attendance. We were able to offer four $1,000 bursaries to students and have ensured that this contribution to student success is sustainable in the future."

Money raised at the golf tournament comes from raffle revenues and corporate donations. This year, for example, Calgary-based West Jet agreed to donate a flight for two to anywhere West Jet flies as a raffle prize. Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames donated a Top Shelf Experience, which includes four premium tickets to a Flames game, signed jerseys, dinner and a chance to meet one of the players after the game.

"Jeff Wilson, our vice-president, has been instrumental in increasing our corporate sponsors. Thanks in large part to his hard work with the advancement committee, we have doubled our corporate network," says Melnyk. "Our legacy sponsors have written cheques to us every year since I started with the tournament in 2008. Their generosity, and that of our other sponsors, helps us continue our mission of enhancing the exposure and image of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and alumni in Calgary, while providing networking opportunities for new graduates and students."

Although the Calgary chapter is heading in the right direction, Melnyk believes they still have a lot of work to do as they continue to generate ideas and events that will support all alumni.

"This year, we are introducing our first child-friendly event," says Melnyk. "On Dec. 28 we have rented a suite at the Saddledome for the Lethbridge Hurricanes-Calgary Hitmen hockey game. We are hoping alumni bring their families and enjoy the game in a relaxing, friendly atmosphere, and we would love to have to rent additional suites to accommodate everyone!"

Every year, the Calgary chapter holds a reception at the Big Rock Brewery. It is an evening for alumni to relax, catch up on what is happening at the U of L and in Calgary and to get to know each other. This year the board has decided to hold its AGM at the Big Rock evening in late spring.

"This is always a very successful event," says Melnyk of the Big Rock reception. "Other than the golf tournament, this has the largest turnout, and it's a different demographic in attendance. We would really like to take advantage of how supportive our alumni are by coming out to Big Rock, and similarly, how supportive Big Rock is to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. The majority of our board members are from the Faculty of Management and we encourage alumni from all faculties to get involved so that we can meet the needs of all our current and future alumni."

Melnyk's motivation always comes back to his belief in giving back. It is a philosophy that he hopes all alumni will live by.

"My wife and I have just established scholarships at our high schools to help students pursue their dreams. Without that same kind of help, neither of us would be where we are today," explains Melnyk. "I encourage my fellow alumni to really think about what you have achieved and the help you have received along the way. Whether it is with your time or your chequebook, give back so that others can have those same opportunities."

GET THE FACTS

· Calgary Alumni and Friends Golf Tournament Legacy Sponsors include: LARC Resources, ATB Financial, BMO Nesbitt burns, CGA (Certified General Accountants), CMA (Certified Managerial Accountants) and Trafigura

· Tickets for the Hurricanes/Hitmen game are priced at $25 each, include a meal and can be purchased online by e-mailing uoflcalgaryalumni@uleth.ca or calling toll free 1-866-552-2582. You must RSVP by Dec. 20 and prepayment is required

· Melnyk also runs the annual ATB Brock Melnyk Invitational Golf Tournament, which is in its 10th year. It raised $10,000 for the Alberta Children's Hospital and the Edmonton Stollery Children's Hospital this past year

· Melnyk has been on the organizing committee for the United Way Day of Caring for the past 10 years, and this year he organized 120 bankers to paint 30 houses in one day for underprivileged seniors

This story first appeared in the December 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the entire issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

A place to call their own

trevor.kenney — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:26:33 +0000

Kathryn Manson doesn't enjoy 5:15 a.m. wake-up calls, but the 21-year-old
U of L student diligently sets her alarm for that exact time three days a week. As the captain of the Pronghorns women's hockey team, she drags herself out of bed well before the sun comes up and makes her way to Nicholas Sheran Arena for morning practice.

"Practice doesn't start until 6:15 a.m. but most of us are up much earlier than that because it takes so long to dress for hockey," explains Manson. "Once we're on the ice, our practices are really fast paced – probably to keep us awake."

Manson jokes about her alertness that early in the morning, but it's clear she feels at home on the ice. Unfortunately, off the ice is a different story.

Assistant coach Deb Marek, left, head coach Chandy Kaip, middle, and captain Kathryn Manson, right, are excited about the new dressing room facilities being constructed.

Although established in 1997, the Pronghorns women's hockey program has never had a dedicated dressing room. Tangibly speaking, this means players have to haul equipment in and out for every practice and game; on a deeper level, the lack of a space to call their own makes these Pronghorns feel like a visiting team in their own rink.

"It's unheard of in the CIS these days for a women's team to not have their own space," says Chandy Kaip, now in her third season as the Horns' head coach.
"These girls are here every morning at 5:30 a.m. and have to lug their bags in. Then, afterwards, they have to dry their stuff out at home, whether that's a dorm room or a basement or a freezing cold garage."

Thankfully, all that is about to change. In 2010, the City of Lethbridge announced renovation plans for the arena that include the addition of a dressing room for the women's hockey team. A grant from the Daryl K. Seaman Canadian Hockey Fund has allowed for the finishing touches to be added. The addition of private showers and washrooms, as well as an athletic training space and a coaching office will make this a truly personal and private space for these student athletes.

"The impact of this gift will be immediate," says Deb Marek, assistant coach of the Horns and manager of facilities and services for Sport and Recreation Services here on campus.
"Our players are already excited and we anticipate a surge in pride when the project is completed. This new space makes our women's program more professional and appealing in the eyes of our current and even potential players. It's going to be a great recruiting tool."

Manson, who's been dragging equipment in and out of the rink for the last four years, is looking forward to her own stall in a dressing room full of Pronghorns pride.

"People don't realize how huge it is for us to have our own dressing room," says Manson, speaking on behalf of her team. "It's going to make our lives so much simpler – it will certainly make getting up at 5:15 a.m. that much easier."
Finally, the women's hockey team will be home.

GET THE FACTS

· Daryl (Doc) Seaman, who passed away in 2009, has been described as a hero, icon, pioneer, philanthropist, visionary and legend. He was an original owner of the Calgary Flames and was instrumental in bringing the team to Calgary in 1980.

· Manson broke her arm during the team's trip to Europe after colliding with another player at a game in Germany. She's been in a cast for 6 weeks and has missed 10 games.

· In addition to the new dressing room, Nicholas Sheran Arena is also adding dressing rooms for minor hockey and Lethbridge Sport Council office spaces.

· The enhancements supported by the Daryl K. Seaman Canadian Hockey Fund include: two large whiteboards, a workbench for prepping sticks, a small fridge, a projector or large TV, a washer and dryer and a stereo.

This story originally appeared in the Legend. For a look at the February issue of the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - Calgary Flames

Horns play with greater purpose

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Calgary Chapter continues to gain momentum

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A place to call their own

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