SPORTS FLASHBACK 1989: Local athletes win bronze at Canada Summer Games

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This article was published 21/09/2024 (233 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three local fastball players came home with bronze medals from the Canada Summer Games in Saskatoon last week.

Nathan Giesbrecht and David Neufeld of Landmark and Kleefeld’s Russ Barkman were members of the Manitoba team at the Summer Games.

Going into the Games, the Manitoba softball team was ranked dead last among the 10 teams competing. That ranking was determined from last year’s midget nationals, where the Manitoba team did not win a game.

But Manitoba coach Roger Poirier of Flin Flon, says this year’s team knew they were better than their ranking, and realistically hoped for a fourth place finish. But the Manitoba boys defied all the experts by defeating Newfoundland 2-1 in the bronze medal game.

According to Coach Poirier, Barkman, Neufeld and Giesbrecht all made significant contributions towards the team’s success.

In fact, Barkman drove in Manitoba’s only two runs in the game against Newfoundland, with a double in the fifth inning. Giesbrecht was the winning pitcher in the game, coming in to pitch the last four innings of the contest.

Neufeld played five of the seven games behind the plate and at third base, Barkman played shortstop, and Giesbrecht played in the outfield as well as pitching.

Manitoba got off to a slow start, losing the first two games of the round-robin, but won the next three to qualify for the medal round.

Prince Edward Island defeated Manitoba 3-2 in the first game, and in the second game Newfoundland scored all their runs in the seventh inning to shut out Manitoba 5-0.

But then the Manitoba team got it going, defeating the Yukon 11-5, and evening their record with a 7-5 win over Alberta.

Manitoba then went up against the hometown Saskatchewan team, with the winner advancing to the medal round. Manitoba scored a dramatic 3-2 win in the contest.

Manitoba lost its first playoff game 11-1 to Ontario, the eventual gold medalists, before defeating Newfoundland for the bronze medal.

The three fastball players were part of a group of nine athletes to represent the Southeast in the 1989 Canada Summer Games.

Three members of Manitoba’s field hockey team all attended high school at Vita. Della Stotski of Caliento played for the University of Manitoba the past two years. Joanne St Godard, who hails from Roseau River, is also a member of the U of M team and Lisa Gosselin of Piney, has played field hockey at Vita for three years and is completing her final year of high school there this year.

On the men’s baseball team was 18-year-old Jason Mateychuk of Vita, who currently plays for the Elmwood Giants where he is one of the top pitchers in the Manitoba Junior Baseball League.

On the women’s volleyball team was Michelle Sawatzky of Steinbach, who is the University of Manitoba setter and was named the Manitoba Junior Volleyball player-of-the-year in 1989.

On the women’s softball team was 19-year-old outfielder Adriane Cote of Vassar. Pat Colburn of Ste Anne was on the Manitoba mission staff, with responsibilities for women’s field hockey and rowing.

With files from Terry Frey