2005 Parkland Schools Tour

On Wednesday February 23rd Ron Edwards and his 7-year-old assistant-daughter Courtney, hit the road for the Parkland Region. Their mission was to introduce table tennis to schools in Dauphin and to revisit Gilbert Plains Collegiate. Now table tennis is nothing new to the Parkland Region. McCreary hosted the Parkland Regionals for the 2004 MTS Manitoba Summer Games and the Provincial Finals were held just south of Dauphin at the Selo Ukraina venue. Table tennis is played in schools in Dauphin, Gilbert Plains, Grandview, Camperville, Barrows, Bowsman, Minitonas Swan River, Waterhen and probably lots of other places as well. Cody Lumax, of Swan River represented Manitoba at the Canadian Junior Championships 5 years ago. Ray Sanderson is working hard to build the sport in the communities of Waterhen, Saltpoint, Skowan and Mallard. However, the trick is to get table tennis above and beyond the level of in-school-play, to get some club activity and tournament play happening. This was the hope and is also the hope of Peter Conway of the Parkland Sport Region. Pete, formerly of the Norman Region, over the years had helped the M.T.T.A. build the sport in the Norman Region. Now working for Parkland, Pete is helping co-ordinate activities with the M.T.T.A. and some of the communities in Parkland.

Ron and Courtney arrived in Dauphin early Wednesday evening and met up with Tanya Love and her husband Jeremy. Tanya and Jeremy are teachers at “competing” elementary schools in Dauphin. Ron’s hope is to get their volleyball competitiveness carried over into table tennis as well…Inter-school match play! Loser buys the other diner! Anyways, after getting the briefing on Thursday and Fridays schedule, is was off to the beautiful Dauphin Recreation Centre where Jeremy thoroughly thrashed Ron at squash! Meanwhile, Courtney was having a swim with Tanya and three of her girls.

Ron and Courtney were up early Thursday morning and were off to Gilbert Plains (30 miles west of Dauphin) where they delivered two eighty minute classes of table tennis to 31 kids in grades 9 and 10. Phys. Ed instructor Trevor Beals still has 4 tables in Gilbert Plains at his disposal. After this it is was a rush back to Dauphin where we delivered 3 forty five minute classes of table tennis to Jeremy’s grades 5 and 6 classes. Henderson School, where Jeremy teaches, was the beneficiary of the table legacy from the Manitoba Summer Games. Friday morning, Tanya’s kids from Whitmore school arrived. Another 3 classes of table tennis were conducted with Courtney being very eager and proud to show off her fledgling table tennis skills. “Dad, these kids are all in grades 5 and 6, I’m only in grade one. I can beat them! Do you think I’m good?” That afternoon, Jeremy’s kids from the previous day returned and Ron and Courtney introduced a number of fun-type games to play. Not surprising, was the fact that Luke Love cleaned up-Luke having represented Parkland at last summers MSG.

The ball feeding robot-as always-was a big hit. Ron left behind some balls and coaching resources and hope that between them Tanya and Jeremy can fan the flames of table tennis rivalry in Dauphin, heart of the Parkland Region.