It’s Day One of Sask Sport’s 12 Days of Sport, and we are kicking this year’s review off by celebrating 50 years of Sask Lotteries and the one-of-a kind, longstanding fundraiser it has become in the province.

In 1974, Sask Lotteries came into fruition thanks to the efforts of volunteer Sask Sport Board of Directors, Joe Kanuka and Cas Pielak. After months of developing and growing the lottery fundraising program, Bill No. 122 ‘An Act Respecting Lotteries in Saskatchewan’ was signed, dedicating the proceeds of Sask Lotteries to sport, culture and recreation in the province. In the five decades since, that funding has gone on to support more than 12,000 organizations across the province, including athletes, teams and sport organizations from the grassroots level through to high performance and has made the following 11 Days of Sport possible.

On Day Two, we’re recognizing the two multi-sport games that happened in Saskatchewan this year, the Tony Cote Summer Games and the Saskatchewan Summer Games. Both multi-sport games are a part of the province’s rich amateur sport community.

• From August 10-16, the summer edition of the Tony Cote Games were hosted by the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, with competition in archery, canoe, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball and athletics. By the end of the week, the Woodland Team claimed the most medals and finished top of the Games’ standings after tallying 100 medals.
• Over 2,000 athletes, coaches, officials and support staff travelled to Lloydminster July 21-27 to take part in the 2024 Saskatchewan Summer Games. Across 14 sports, split between two phases of competition, Regina’s district team finished the week at the top of medal standings after tallying 111 medals.

For Day Three, we want to feature the families who have deepened their bond through sport and created family memories on the field of play.

• Teri Gamble competed in the Tony Cote Games in her youth and returned to the multi-sport event because of motherhood, taking to the helm of her daughter’s softball team as a coach.
• Saskatoon Valkyries football player Kelsey Murphy, shared her experience coming out to her family, on and off the football field.
• Since childhood, sport has made up a large part of Amou and Ajok Madol’s memories, alongside their three other siblings. After their parents immigrated in 2000, sport enabled the Madols to find their footing in Canada.
• Attending the Brier is an accomplishment in and of itself, but for twin brothers Kevin and Daniel Marsh, the event meant so much more. The sibling duo were able to represent their province in front of a home crowd in Regina and claimed silver.

It’s Day Four and we want to give a shoutout to the young athletes who help represent the province at various levels of competition. Sport allows youth to explore their passions, make lasting connections and develop skills that can be used in the future.

• After idolizing the women in her life, Etta Love has stepped into her own identity on the platform and now stands as a model to others. Recently, Love set a new youth world record in the female over-87-kilogram weight category.
• First being introduced to baseball at four years old, Merek Yeager has since fell into his passion for the sport and is committed to a AAA team. In addition, Yeager was one of 30 athletes selected to attend the Canadian Junior National Team’s Pro Academy Camp in the spring.
• Mila Stonechild, who is a member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation, aspires to be a mentor and coach to young athletes one day and hopes to share her experience from attending various events, such as the North American Indigenous Games.

For Day Five, we are honouring the five medals claimed by Saskatchewan athletes at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the 38 individuals who travelled to Paris as part of the province’s contingents

• Between the two Games, the contingent featured 25 athletes, nine coaches and four mission & support staff members who travelled to help represent the province on the world stage. Saskatchewan athletes brought home five medals, three of which were of historic significance.

Waldheim’s Carissa Norsten and the Canadian women’s rugby sevens team captured silver, the country’s best-ever finish, while Pike Lake’s Rylan Wiens partnered up to earn Canada’s first-ever medal, a bronze, in the men’s platform diving event. Meanwhile, Melfort’s Julie Kozun joined the Canadian women’s sitting volleyball team in winning their first-ever medal, which was also a bronze.

Joining them on the podium was Saskatoon Para swimmer, Shelby Newkirk, who claimed a bronze medal in the S6 100-metre backstroke event and Midale’s Keely Shaw, who raced to the second Paralympic bronze medal of her career.

• From qualifying for her first Olympic Games to reflecting on her time in Paris with Canada’s first 3×3 women’s basketball team, Humbolt local, Paige Crozon shared it all in her blog.
• Regina wheelchair basketball player, Nik Goncin detailed his experiences from his time as a grassroot level athlete, up to qualifying for his third Paralympic Games in his blog.

On Day Six, we want to highlight the women and girls who challenge barriers in sport and help empower others in their journey.

• Over the last 110 years, the University of Saskatchewan’s women’s hockey team worked to dismantle gender inequality and pushed to create a space for women in the sport. After decades of inequality, the women’s Huskie team played host to the U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship and achieved numerous milestones in the decades prior.
• 2016 Olympian, Jillian Gallays stepped back from her wrestling career and had to learn how to balance life now that she was no longer a high-performance athlete. Post the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Gallays struggled with feeling of burnt out and has since decided to return to school for her Master of Management Analytics.
• For the first time in more than four years, Emily Clark and Sophie Shirley shared the ice together as teammates. To make the reunion even better, the Saskatoon duo donned red and white jerseys in front of a home crowd.

It’s Day Seven and we want to say “Thanks, Coach!” to the more than 20,000 trained coaches in Saskatchewan who positively impact the sporting community by guiding all levels of athletes to reach for success.

• For her second attendance of the Olympic Games, Mary Carroll took on the role of mother and coach. With her daughter in attendance, alongside her two divers, Carroll had to divide her time between three schedules.
• From small town athlete, to attending numerous Olympic and Paralympic Games as athletics lead, Carla Nicholls learned through each experience how to best guide others.
• After achieving a high-level baseball career, Andrew Albers returned to his home province to coach in the Western Canadian Baseball League.

On Day Eight, we want to celebrate the developments of the Indigenous sport community in Saskatchewan. From the creation of new programming to working together in support of an international event and more.

• The Future Sport Program is composed of three sections – Future Sport, Future Stars and Future Leaders – each with a particular focus within developing Indigenous sport.
• The Indigenous Sport Timeline is supported by the Indigenous Sport Leadership Council and was developed to celebrate the growth in Indigenous sport participation throughout Saskatchewan. This year, updates were made to recognize which items on the timeline address the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action 87-91.
• It took over 130 Saskatchewan volunteers in attendance of the 2023 North American Indigenous Games to help organize the multisport event.
• Margo Erlam was recently named a recipient of the Tom Longboat Award, which recognizes Canada’s top Indigenous athletes. In the summer, Margo made her Olympic debut in Paris and was honoured to represent her Indigenous heritage on the world stage.

For Day Nine, we want to celebrate a few of the individuals who have received grants throughout the year and have been able to reach for new heights in their personal or sporting career because of the funding. With the support of grants, the Saskatchewan amateur sport system can continue to expand Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility.

• Former Team Canada volleyball player, Bryan Fraser made the transition from athlete to coach after an outstanding career. Amidst his effort to expand his coaching abilities, Fraser received the Coaching Association of Canada’s, Coach Education Grant and used the funding to help cover the cost of the Performance Coach Workshop.
• Saskatchewan Athletics in partnership with Running Wild Athletics Club, was one of the first recipients of the Spark Ideas Grant and used the funding to expand their communication practice to further accommodate participants.
• As a three-time recipient of the Sask Sport Officials Professional Development Grant, Kylee Howard has used the funding to further develop her skills as a basketball official. From loving the sport throughout childhood, to now taking to the sport in a new role, Howard shares the impact of grant funding.

For Day Ten, we want to applaud the decades of commitment given by these five individuals during their careers. From helping promote the development of curling to increasing the sales of the lottery products that benefit more than 12,000 sport, culture and recreation groups in communities across the province, they’ve all left a lasting legacy.

• After 36 years in sport, Warren Proctor stepped into retirement. His passion for sport brought him through various roles in and out of the province, before taking his final step to join Sask Sport.
• Klara Miller’s passion for sport, lead her through a 55-year long career in Saskatchewan’s amateur sport system, with her final three decades spent as Gymnastics Saskatchewan’s CEO.
• During her 34 years with Sask Sport, Lisa Hodnefield oversaw the support of numerous communities with Sask Lotteries funding. She travelled around the province, making sure grant programs could accommodate a variety of community requirements.
• Karen Fradette dedicated over four decades to Sask Lotteries, helping introduce LOTTO 6/49 when it was first released, as well as helping grow the retailer network.
• For 38 years, Mark Bracken dedicated himself to Saskatchewan sport and recreation. In his time, he attended over a dozen Canada Games and various other national multi-sport events, before he joined Saskatchewan Games Council as Executive Director.

On Day 11, we want to highlight a few of the teams, athletes and officials who have represented Saskatchewan on the national stage and made the province proud.

• As futsal continues to develop as a sport in the province, Team Saskatoon Green & White claimed the national women’s championship in April 2023, putting Saskatchewan in the spotlight.
• Isaiah Ritcher attended the RBC Training Ground Top 100 event. Although, Ritcher is no stranger to representing his province, as he joined Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 Canada Winter Games.
• During his years of dedication to speed skating as an official, Jason Coutu collected an impressive resume. He attended two Canada Winter Games as a Competitor Steward for long-track (2015) and short-track (2023).
• Jesse Olsen attended the ISSF Shooting Final Olympic Qualification Championship in Rio de Janeiro and has since set his aim on qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
• Saskatchewan was represented by 48 athlete, nine coaches and 18 support staff at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games, in Calgary. The team claimed 29 medals across five events, nine of which were gold.
• Blake Tierney swam a Canadian record-setting time at the Canadian Swimming Trials in May, securing himself a spot as Saskatchewan’s lone representative in men’s swimming, at the 2024 Olympic Games.

For the Day 12, we look back over the past year of Athlete of the Month recipients and their outstanding achievements. Our December 2024 Athlete of the Month nomination is still open for submission until January 7, 2025.

• December 2023 – Janz Stein
• January – Graeme Fish
• February – Luca Veeman
• March – Gil Dash
• April – Savannah Sutherland
• May – Blake Tierney
• June – Carissa Norsten
• July – Kash Tarasoff
• August – Rylan Wiens
• September – Shelby Newkirk & Keely Shaw
• October – Enzo Kristian
• November – Jonathan Podbielski