DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: Summer senior sports schedule heating up
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As summer is fully established, the sports schedule for the year has now transitioned. Players are out of the gym and rinks and into the great outdoors to battle for their respective league championships.
Included in the ranks of those teams are the senior sports. While the massive heydays of fast-pitch and intermediate football may be behind us, there are still plenty of great options for local fans to root for local players.
The busiest sport is certainly soccer. With the Manitoba Major Soccer League boasting seven divisions, there’s a lot of teams. The Niverville Force are the region’s highest ranked squad, playing in division 1, one step below the top-rated premier division. Their home schedule begins June 8.
The Hanover Kickers are looking to rebound after a tough few seasons after COVID-19. They were relegated from division 1 to division 2 last year and are looking to yo-yo right back into the higher division. Other teams fill out the Manitoba soccer pyramid, including Landmark FC in the fifth division.
Baseball also gives fans some quality options to watch senior games. The Carillon Sultans play their home games in La Broquerie and Steinbach, and are in the highest division of the Winnipeg Senior Baseball League.
The Pembina Phillies and Springfield Braves play in the lower division, with home games in Niverville and Dugald.
Rugby is also building in the region, with the Eastman Warriors two-time defending premier division champions. The club kicks off their home schedule June 5 in A.D. Penner Park.
I love senior sports. The town versus town aspect of competition is so enjoyable to me. Local rivalries playing out between local players, who have battled for years against each other for nothing but the love of their respective sports. These athletes deserve our support.
I’d love to see more local senior leagues start up. I think a volleyball league with similar geographical restrictions as the Hanover-Tache Hockey League could be amazing.
So get out to support your local teams. Just sitting in the stands or alongside the field would mean so much to the athletes who pull on jerseys with your town’s name on it.