TIMMINS - The 2024 OFSAA boys' golf championship wrapped up Thursday at the Hollinger Golf Club.
The Timmins schools put up a respectable and very competitive showing in the area's first crack at hosting the event.
I must apologize for not mentioning that Roland Michener Secondary School also had representation at the tournament. Carter Mairs was part of the RMSS representation.
A lot of the participants in OFSAA are only announced just prior to the event. It was only after last week's column that I was notified of the omission.
Full placement results were not yet made available in time for today's column. I pretty much know, but in the interest of accuracy, I will wait to list a placement list until I receive the official listings.
TH&VS coach and tournament convener, Colin Sullivan took the time to answer a few questions about the championships.
How do you think the Championships went overall?
Sullivan: The championship was a great success. We had 120 athletes from across the province compete in the two-round event. The winner was Jordan Hwang, who shot a tournament record round of 65 on the last day.
We hosted 200 people at the Dante Club, who put on a great meal. Our guest speaker was Owen Rigg, vice president of the NGA and David Hearn, Canadian PGA player gave a special video message to all the athletes.
How was the feedback from the participants/parents?
Sullivan: The participants coaches and parents loved the Hollinger golf course. It is a challenging course that requires you to really think about what you are going to hit off the tee. They thought the course was in fabulous shape, and the scenery was beautiful. Here was one email I received.
“Just sending my thanks ... for a great event. From start to finish, Timmins and Hollinger GC played great hosts. The banquet was fun, the town was friendly (great wings and vibes at Wackys), and the golf course was impressive, especially with players taking the scenic route on many of the holes! Kudos to you, your team, and the community for all the behind-the-scenes efforts to make it fun, competitive, and memorable for us. I've been to a handful of OFSAA Golf Championships, and you truly set a new standard for future events.
I'm a bit bleary-eyed after getting back into town after 3 a.m. last night, but I know I've banked more sleep than your crew. It can be a thankless job running events like this, so please share my heartfelt gratitude to whoever you think needs to hear it.
I hope you're able to recharge over the weekend with your family. All the best into the rest of the school year, and maybe see you at next year's championship. I'm hearing Lindsay?”
Was the team's very respectable 12th overall finish about what you expected?
Sullivan: I was pleased with our team’s performance, 12th in the province is a good showing and definitely an improvement from the last two years. Brody Dagenais was tied for sixth in the open division shooting two over in the second round. A very respectable showing.
Are you hoping or planning for any future OFSSA golf hosting?
Sullivan: I would love to host again but I think I’ll take a couple of years off. It was very busy, but I am thankful for all the help from volunteers and sponsorship.
Do you think that hosting this event will entice more golfers to join the excellent programs the local schools offer?
Sullivan: I really hope that the younger generation of golfers will see that Timmins is a successful and prominent golf community. We have golfers that can compete at a high level and I hope that golf courses and members continue to encourage junior golf by making it affordable and continue offering junior golf programs.
Are there any spring events for the team or is this pretty much it until next fall?
The team will compete in a two-person spring tournament that is hosted by O’Gorman High School teacher Jaimie Skinner.
Any shoutouts or thanks you would like to mention?
Sullivan: I need to thank all the volunteers from TH&VS — Kris Koskela, Krysta Bernier, Kellen Morin, Grace Donaldson, and Brett Andrews for all their hard work before and during the banquet and tournament.
Thank you to John Elliot, who was in charge of the officials and course setup, and Owen Rigg, who was our guest speaker and liaison with Hollinger Golf Club. Dean Rigg organized and ran a fabulous and efficient driving range.
Hollinger members Dean Deluca, Archie Berube, Kim Mills, Chris Salvador, and Brian Getty helped with officiating and scoring.
Thank you to course superintendent Corey Hofferd and his staff for having the course in fabulous shape.
Thank you to the Hollinger Golf Club for allowing us to use the course and having wonderful staff and support.
Also, I would like thank all our sponsors.
CDE Timmins, Agnico Eagle, Underarmour, Canadore College, Baron, Pick of the Crop, Gorf, Fortier beverages, Northern College, Humber College, Kruzee, SmartGolf and the NGA. Without all this support we could not have put on such a great tournament.
Congratulations to all involved in last week's tournament. Timmins does another bang-up, first-class job on an elite-level event.
Did you expect anything less?
Congratulations to the Timmins Majors U15 Team who grabbed their first wins of the season at the Peterborough Icefest. A weekend like that will put some fresh air into their sails.
Local hockey is in full swing and local arenas are once again abuzz.
The gorgeous weather may take away from some of the regular excitement of fall hockey, but that will change soon enough. And with the arenas all abuzz again it's important to appreciate the efforts of the innumerable amount of volunteers required to keep the games going. Retention is sometimes a difficult process, but a lot of times attracting new people to keep the game afloat can be challenging as well.
Back in the 1990s at the Majors, we used a unique way to try and alleviate that.
My good friend Ken MacNair and I talked about attracting teenagers to find the value of volunteering or taking on positions in minor hockey. Ken was running Timmins Minor Hockey Association (TMHA) at the time and was also active in a support role with the Majors.
We also wanted to increase the ways in which the current Majors players could give back to minor hockey. As always, officials were in dire need.
So Ken and I made an offer to the players. Wednesday was a big game day for TMHA. It was also the night we had dryland sessions with the Majors. So we offered our players the opportunity to take the officials course and those that did could be excused from dryland to officiate Wednesday games. They were also able to do games at times we were not playing or practicing. Plus they were picking up pocket money as paid officials at the games. I also thought it was an excellent opportunity for the players to see the game (and learn it) from a different perspective. That of a referee or linesman. I was surprised at the number of players who were excited about the opportunity. And it sure wasn't because they could be excused from dryland.Tmha picked up some valuable manpower to help officiatte their many games and the kids learned a ton about responsibility and helping the game out. The players were always available from the Majors to assist teams with practices etc., but the officiating gig was something fresh. Much to both Ken and my delight after the season was over a number of the boys continued to officiate for many years. I recently talked to one of those players who continues to officiate to this day. So for a period of time in the 90's the Majors were not only involved in developing players , but played a small part in helping develop officials.
I've received some feedback from some of you about how Mully's Next Shift is displayed here. You will (for at least the time being) not see the bold Mully's preceding the current week's column headline. So if the column doesn't jump off the page or screen at you, you can always find Mully under the column's headline where you can find an archive of all my columns if you miss any. And usually, as you scroll down the page you will find a number of the latest Mully's displayed lower right. Easy enough, eh?
News from MLB scout types. Apparently, Mutti can't hit. Oh well
One thing I really like about the ALCS and NLCS is the 2-3-2 format. The NBA has sometimes used it as well. The highest seed plays first two at home, next three on the road and last two, if needed, at home. There will always be the rationale that if you drop one of the first two at home you might not get back for a home game. But during the long grind of a seven-game series does it not make a lot of sense?
Would it not make sense in hockey? A series that goes the full seven requires four trips in the 2-2-1-1-1 format so entrenched in hockey. In a 2-3-2 format it would require two trips for a series that goes the full seven. In a Vancouver/Dallas series or a Toronto /Tampa series going the distance, that's a fair amount of travel distance wise. Would it reduce some of the wear and tear of a lengthy playoff? I'd like to know what the players themselves would think, but as is usually the case with the NHL, who cares what the players feel or think?
The format could also lead to the Stanley Cup playoffs ending at a more appropriate period than the beginning of July.
As a coach I would welcome the 2-3-2 format. It's a conversation that is probably overdue.
I realize that a lot of the first round NHL playoff (especially in the east) are geographically centric, so the 2-2-1-1-1 format may not be much of a difference there but it may be of value in subsequent rounds. If it's good enough more mega franchises like the Dodgers and Yankees I'm sure it's good enough for the number four pro sports league in North America. Just Sayin'
Later skater.
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