This past weekend was the H

The course was altered so that each hole was a par three, making the hole-in-one goal achievable on the tougher holes.
“All the holes were 145 to 185 yards,” said Jeff Brockway, manager of the course.
Although no hole in one was made, 18 separate prizes were given to those who made it close; the closest being only 15 inches from the pin.
Ron Dumas and Rick Nault finished on top with the lowest score, and Randy and Rob Zdebiak were close behind in second. Gary Stoby and Dave MacDonald finished in third.
“Overall it was a good weekend,” said Brockway. “The golfers all seemed to have fun. The cold weather on Sunday didn’t dampen any spirits.”
Brockway noted that this event would not have been possible without the 26 local business and organization sponsors who put forward the insurance for the hole in one prize and the 18 smaller prizes.
He also noted that there are definite plans to run the event again next year.
“I even named it the first annual shootout,” he said, “so we definitely plan on running it again next year.”
The golf course is holding their wrap-up event on Sept. 18. The evening will include dinner and a comedian.
For more information contact the golf course at 874-6290.

One year away from the top was enough.
Carter’s Crushers, whose decade-long reign atop the Hay River Mixed Slo-pitch League came to an end last year, were back in the final Saturday with their sights set on another title.
Standing in their way were the Ashton White Shirts, who reeled off three straight wins to reach the championship game. The White Shirts, who had finished in seventh place in the regular season, were huge underdogs heading into the finals against the second place Crushers, who had come from behind to beat the league-leading Brewzers 13-12 in the first semi-final Saturday morning.

The Crushers wasted little time getting on the board, as leadoff hitter Brett Power smacked a Jason Coakwell pitch over the right field fence for his third home run of the season. After Carter’s tacked on two more runs, the White Shirts found themselves down 3-0 heading into their first at bats. The White Shirts’ Shaun Demarcke led off with a single, and advanced to second on Coakwell’s fly out to right field. Demarcke then scored on a two-out double by Steven Rosendahl. After one complete, the Crushers held a 3-1 lead.
The White Shirts didn’t panic when the Crushers picked up two more runs in the top half of the second inning. Ashton’s started the inning with back-to-back singles and were able to score two runs of their own, to trail 5-3 after two.
After shutting down the Crushers in the top of the third, the White Shirts offense exploded for four runs in their half of the inning to take a 7-5 lead. After four straight one-out singles, the White Shirts crept ahead 6-5. Tod Ashton added some insurance with a two-out single to bring in another run.
A Crusher rally in their half of the fourth gave them the lead for good. After Richard Jonestone walked with one out, Brett Power doubled to put runners at second and third for the hard-hitting Heather Coakwell. Coakwell promptly plated one runner with a single to left field. Shortstop Paul Power then cashed his younger brother with an RBI single. A two-out walk by Karen Pidhirniak loaded the bases for Crushers pitcher Glenn Smith. Smith’s single brought in two more runs. Pidhirniak and Smith then scored on a double by left fielder Ryan MacNeil. After retiring the White Shirts one-two-three, the teams went into the fifth inning with the Crushers leading 11-7.
After a scoreless fifth, the White Shirts shut down the Crushers offense in the top of the sixth. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Ashton doubled over a leaping Brett Power to put a runner in scoring position for Demarcke, who then drove Ashton in with an RBI single. The White Shirts inched closer with the run, trailing 11-8 as the game went to the seventh, and final, inning.
After once again shutting down the vaunted Crushers offense in the top of the inning, Coakwell led off the bottom of the seventh with a single. Barely able to make it to first due to a hamstring injury suffered in the semi-final, Coakwell was pulled in favour of the speedier Demarcke. Demarcke then advanced to third when Rosendahl reached base on an error, before scoring on a groundout. Down 11-9, the White Shirts brought the tying run to the plate with two outs. A groundout to Smith brought the rally to an abrupt halt and handed the title back to Carter’s.  Smith was quick to savour the victory.
“Last year we kind of stumbled,” he said in the dugout following the game. “It was good to spread some interest out last year, keep them interested this year, reel them in, and then stick it to ‘em in the end.”
Ashton said the team was pleased with how they played, especially in their 15-12 semi-final win over the league’s top team in the regular season, the Brewzers. When asked about the White Shirts’ key to success in the post season, Ashton had a little fun at the expense of some of his teammates.
“We finally got rid of all our dead weight – all those guys who went houseboating,” he joked. “We were scrambling to find players all week and we just barely had enough.”
Even as the White Shirts chipped away at his team’s lead, Smith said he remained confident in his team’s chances to win.
“It was a close game for sure,” he said. “We just stuck through there in the end but the game went so quickly we didn’t have too much time to worry. No team had a big inning so it just seemed kind of a casual and close game.”

Six local biathletes have returned to the Territory after a week of summer of training in Alberta.
Kim Ring, Andrew Lirette, Angeline Magtibay, Colton Glaicar, Joseph Lirette and Christopher Lirette were among the 46 young athletes from across Western Canada to attend the five-day Alberta Biathlon’s Summer Development Camp at Augustana University in Camrose, Alta from Aug. 11 -15.

“The camp consists of roller ski and shooting training exercises, classroom sessions on gun maintenance and race preparation, and concludes with three competitions – shooting, roller skiing and a summer biathlon race,” said Chuck Lirette, one of the biathlon coaches.
“There is also lots of social activities planned and the chance to experience life as a university student, as the kids all stayed in the residences on campus.”
The six biathletes finished in excellent positions in each of the three competitions, and are preparing for the upcoming season.
Joseph finished at the top of his class in the shooting competitions, and with the highest score of all the competitors.
The junior division saw four Hay River athletes competing with Colton coming in third, Christopher fourth, Kim eighth and Angeline in ninth out of 12 athletes.
In the roller ski race, all the senior and junior athletes were combined for a total of 22 athletes. Joseph finished in second place, with Chrisopher in seventh, Angeline in 12th, Colton in 13th, and Kim in 20th. In the younger division, Andrew came in tenth out of 12 athletes.
The Shoot to Win Summer Biathlon Race saw Andrew coming in sixth out of 12 in the Junior Boys category.
Angeline placed first with Kim right behind in second out of seven athletes in the senior girls competition.
In the senior boys division, Christopher placed 10th out of 14, and Colton was unable to compete due to illness. Joseph placed first in the youth men category.
Upon returning to Hay River, the biathletes have begun their training for the season.
They have been working with former biathlete Amy MacDonald have completed thee to four shooting practices as well as roller skiing sessions on the Pine Point Highway.
Anyone youth or parents who are interested in getting involved with biathlon are asked to contact Chuck Lirette, April Glaicar or Larry Ring.

This year marked the second annual Fort Smith Slopitch Tournament, and the turnout far surpassed that of the inaugural year. This year 14 teams registered for the event, over twice the number of last year’s six.
Teams travelled from across the NWT and even Alberta to take part in the weekend long tournament.

Two teams from the Hay River area made the trek, making the most of a fun filled weekend.
“From my standpoint, the ball tournament was really well organized,” said South Slave Selects member Darlene Lamb.
“There were lots of activities for the ball players. The [South Slave Friendship Festival] happened at the same time. The campground was full, the hotels were full. It was great.”
Peace River cleaned up and came out on top winning the tournament.
The Fort Smith Northstars came in second place overall.
Lamb and the South Slave Selects finished in third place overall, followed by the Fort Chip 2 4’s. The Hay River Ballskins finished in fifth.
Josh Campbell was named the top male batter of the tournament, and Theresa Bourke the top female.
Lamb and James Sanderson were both named the most sportsmanlike for the weekend, and Terry Webster hit the most home runs.
The batting derby winners for this year’s event were Sandy Poitras and Justin Bourque.

Hay River’s roller derby has been out in full force this summer, but as the warm season draws to a close, the women are scrambling trying to determine what is next.
There are five women who have been showing up to the practices, which have been held at least once a week.
“It is usually more like twice a week,” said Keelen Simpson, one of the organizers of the league.

The women have been meeting at the Kiwanis rink for practices, and have held a few in the Ben Sivertz Arena.
“It is warm out and the area is clean, so it worked out well,” said Simpson. “But soon it will be cold out and there will be snow on the ground and the ice will be in the arena.”
Simpson and her co-organizer Jenna Hamilton have been tossing around ideas for a winter location, but have yet to make firm plans.
“Now we are kind of thinking, what do we do, who do we contact,” said Simpson. “We are hoping to try to find somewhere to use during the wintertime.”
But a winter location is not all that the league is looking for.
“We are definitely looking for more people,” said Simpson.
She acknowledged that roller derby is a difficult sport for people to come out and be involved in, unless they are already actively skating.
“It is a really expensive commitment to make,” said Simpson. “It cost $300 or more for all the equipment. It has been an ongoing process trying to find used equipment for people to try out skating. But we are working on it.”
Anyone who is interested in joining the roller derby league is asked to message Simpson or Hamilton on Facebook, or message the Hay River Roller Derby League Facebook group.

The Fort Smith Northstars proved they were the cream of the crop during last weekend’s Coors Slo-pitch Tournament, going undefeated through the round robin and playoffs to capture the title on Monday afternoon.
“It was a really good tournament,” the Northstar’s Matt Bourke said moments after his team defeated the South Slave Selects 12-2 in front of a vocal crowd at Pine Point Ballpark.
“We all had lots of fun, and it was really well organized.”

The Northstars came out of the gate quickly in Monday’s final, scoring two runs in the top of the first to take an early lead.
The Selects responded in their half of the inning, thanks to a one out, run-scoring single by pitcher Brian Dyck.
After both teams went scoreless in the second, the Northstars blew the game open with a five-run third. Fort Smith led off the inning with a double to deep centre, cashing that runner with a one-out single to left field. After quickly loading the bases, the Northstars continued their rally with a single to left field, scoring two. With runners at both second and third, Fort Smith scored one run on a sacrifice fly to deep in centre field. They scored another as the relay throw sailed into their dugout.
After setting down the Selects one-two-three in the bottom of the third, the Northstars solidified their lead with a four-run fourth.
Dyck tried to help his own cause in the bottom of the fourth, lining a pitch over the fence in centre to close the gap to 11-2 after four.
The Northstars led off the fifth with a triple to centre field, bringing the runner home on a one-out single to right field.
Down by 10 heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Selects had to score one run to prolong the game.
The Selects, made up of players from Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort Resolution, Fort Providence, and Yellowknife, had made the final thanks to a
“I think we did all right,” Morin said moments after the game. The team had been able to recover from slow starts in previous games, though they were unable to in the final, Morin said. “When we’re on, we’re on.”
Two Hay River teams were eliminated from play in the semi-finals. Andy’s Auto had gone undefeated through five games en route to a semi-final showdown with the Selects on Monday morning. Despite being up 10-6 heading into the top of the seventh, Andy’s were unable to contain the Selects, who scored five to take a one-run lead.
Andy’s pitcher Kenny Power forced extra innings with a two-out solo home run. Both teams scored one run in their half of the eighth to send the game to the ninth.
The Selects offense exploded for 13 runs in the top of the ninth, blowing the game wide open. Down 25-12 heading into the bottom of the inning, Andy’s quickly scored one run on a sacrifice fly but were unable to muster anymore offense, losing 25-13.
In the other semi-final, Carter’s Crushers faced off against the Northstars. Fort Smith quickly jumped out to a 8-0 lead through three innings before surrendering two runs in the top of the fourth. Neither team was able to score from that point on, with Fort Smith coming out on top, 8-2.
Morin said the Selects are hoping for some revenge at the second annual Fort Smith Mixed Slo Pitch Tournament from August 13-15. The Selects took the inaugural championship last year.
“It should be good,” Morin said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
Bourke said he twelve teams have signed up for the tournament, which features a $10,000 payout.
“We just hope that people will come out to Fort Smith,” he said. “We are taking 12 teams, and I think there are three left.

Norland Agencies fifth annual Lynette Storoz Memorial Tournament look place this past weekend, with approximately 24 women saddling up to play.
The theme this year was obvious, as bandanas and cowboy hats frequented both the fairways and the clubhouse.
The two-day tournament kicked off both days with a continental breakfast for all who registered, before a 9 a.m. shotgun start.

Prizes were awarded for every hole, for accomplishments such as closest to the pin or shortest drive.
The tournament has been named in honour of Lynette Storoz, a member of the Ladies Golf league who passed away from breast cancer several years ago.
The tournament raised $863 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Saturday’s play saw sunny skies and a slight wind that made conditions perfect for playing 18 holes.
“It has been a very enjoyable day,” said golfer Kathy Irani. “It is very relaxed, not rushed.”
“It is beautiful and the bugs are not out,” added Viv Cadieux.
A steak dinner was provided, as part of the registration cost for all the golfers Saturday evening, which was followed by a horse race event at 7 p.m.
Sunday’s weather was not as ideal but that did not discourage the golfers.
The rain held off until 10:30 a.m., but the mosquitoes were out in full force.
“Right up to this point it has been perfect,” said Shereen Naidu as the rain started to fall. “The bugs are pretty bad though.”
To help raise money for the Cancer Society, there were several silent auction and raffle items available.
Golf gear, a round trip to Yellowknife with Buffalo Airways and even a cowboy hat were some of the items on display.
Irani finished the tournament with a total score of 185, the lowest of the weekend, and Liz Bailey-Hopt was named the tournament’s “Most Honest Golfer.”
“I think the weekend went very well,” said this year’s organizer Margaret Jerome. “There were no problems and everyone had a great time. Everything went very well.”

A strong start had become the Crushers’ trademark throughout the tournament and the final proved to be no different. The team took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but left a runner at third base.
The Ghostbusters responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first and scored two more in the second after holding the Crushers scoreless.
The teams then each scored a run in the third inning, before the Ghostbusters increased the lead to 7-3 by the end of five.
In the sixth the Crushers scored one run to inch closer. In the bottom half of the inning, the Ghostbusters scored two runs to take a 9-4 lead into the final inning. After a one out single, the Crushers rallied for three quick runs but watched as the rally ultimately fell short.
Team member Glenn Smith said he thought the team competed well throughout the tournament and was proud of their performance.
“It was certainly close,” he said. “I think it was a good balance of good ball and good times. It was a good weekend all around.”
Smith said the entire team’s performance impressed him, though the play of 15-year-old Brett Power stood out. Power went 15 for 23 in the tournament – including an inside-the-park home run in his first at bat.
“It was kind of fun to watch him play,” Smith said. “He’s so fast (and) he’s got some power.”
Tournaments tend to bring the best out in teams, Smith said.
“In my mind that’s where you get better – at tournaments, when you’re under a little bit of pressure.”

Northern corporations gathered on the Hay River Golf Course on Saturday in support of two local organizations with hopes of raising $25,000.
The third DeBeers Charity Golf tournament was held to raise funds for the Hay River Hospital Foundation and the Junior Golf program.
Approximately $30,000 was raised this year, raising the total funds for the Hospital Foundation to the $90,000 mark.

“I am just floored by the generosity,” said Cathie Bolstad, director of external and corporate affairs for DeBeers.
The funds raised for the HRHF will be going towards the Lumps n’ Bumps Treatment room proposed for the Medical Clinic.
The registration cost for the tournament was $500 per corporate team, and $150 for individuals.  The fee included breakfast, a full day of golf and a dinner put on by the Ptarmigan Inn. Eighteen corporate teams registered for this year’s charity tournament.
“It has been great,” said Dale Wheaton of the Ti’Cho Logistics team. “It has been sunny and warm. Any day you can be golfing and not working is a good day.”
After 18 holes, Kingland Ford came out on top with a score of 66.
With a final score of 70, both Midnight Petroleum and Detan Cho Logistics tied for second. The team with the highest score was FSC Architects and Engineers with a score of 83.
There were competitions on several holes, designed to raise money for the respective charities.
On hole nine, First Air was giving away two tickets to whoever shot closest to the pin, and all money raised was going to the Junior Golf program. The contest raised $1,000 for the program, and was won by Dan Kipling.
There was also a men’s and women’s long fly competition, which were won by Steven Rosendahl and Judy Goucher. The longest putt was made by Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Bob McLeod.
Throughout the day, virtual golf was available for anyone, including non-golfers, in the club house. For $5, you could buy a scratch card with 18 golf holes. Each hole scratched reveals a number – the score for that hole. Tara Smith won two tickets from First Air through the contest with a total score of 74.
The final contest was the seventh hole closest to the pin competition. Each shot could be purchased for $20, or three for $50. Up for grabs was a .62 karat diamond from Snap Lake Mine valued at approximately $5,000. If a hole-in-one occurred, the winner would receive a second diamond valued at $4,500.
Robert Bouchard won the diamond after over 100 shots were made by participants.
“I think typically DeBeers has only given out diamonds for significant community events,” said Bolstad. “We are doing this because we are a company who sees themselves as part of the community, and hospitals help everyone.”
There are approximately 20 DeBeers employees who live in Hay River so DeBeers tries to visit and help out in their employees communities outside of Yellowknife.
In addition to the contests, both a silent and live auction were held which helped the tournament exceed it’s goal.
“We wouldn’t have been able to get most of the stuff we have now without [DeBeers] help,” said Heather Coakwell, chair of the Hay River Hospital Foundation.
“All I heard was positive results on everyone having fun. DeBeers has been a wonderful sponsor. We want to make it bigger next year.”

Kingland’s 24th annual best ball golf tournament was held July 3 and 4 amid some less than ideal conditions.
Over 50 players were registered, with a fee of $100 per person which included a steak barbeque dinner.
Saturday’s 9 a.m. shotgun start was delayed by half an hour due to a downpour. The rain cleared up allowing players to get on the course, only to be met by swarms of mosquitos and sand flies.

“I was joking about wearing a life jacket,” said Angela Carter.
A steak barbeque dinner was held for all the participants that evening, which was followed by a fun horse race.
The weather cleared up on Sunday, much to the relief of the golfers.
“We have just been praying for the weather to change, and it did,” said Jeff Brockway, manager of the course. “Everyone seemed to have fun.”
But despite an iffy start to the tournament, everyone who had registered, local or out of town, showed up to play.
A table of prizes was set up for the winners of various categories and holes, including a deep fryer, putters and clothing.
The winning team was Ron Dumas, Rick Nault, Dave Gauthier and Matt Maurice who finished with 126 after 36 holes.
Dallas Weaver, Alex Daigneault, Pat O’Conner and Steve Giguere came up in second place with a 136.
In a very close third place, with a 137, was Bob Halifax, Dave MacDonald, Kathy Irani and Steve Malesku.
The full results were unavailable as of press time.