Team South East had the home team advantage at the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games, and was given a reason to celebrate their participation in the Games all the more, with the presentation of the Joe Griffith Trophy. The award was presented to the team on Aug. 4 by Sask. Games Council executive director Mark Bracken at Affinity Place. The award is given to a district team that has shown the most improvement from their standings in previous iterations of the Games.
Team South East showed an overall improvement of 9.6 per cent, compared to their previous Summer Games performance in Meadow Lake, in 2012. Team Saskatoon saw the second greatest improvement at 8.2 per cent and Team Parkland Valley had the third best improvement at 4.8 per cent.
Team South East athletes Lais Lindquist, Ethan Bill, Jolynn Hlvaka and Zach Ashworth accepted the award, along with chef de mission Helen Fornwald, while other members of Team South East looked on.
“I think winning an award like that, right in your our district, when you’re right in your own community is phenomenal,” said Fornwald. “We had a lot of people come out to support the athletes and they put their best foot forward, 110 per cent. It’s exciting to win in your own district, at your own Games.”
Scores from some of the events were late to arrive, which delayed the presentation of the trophy until a few days after the closing ceremonies of the Games. Bracken stated that such a happenstance was not a bad thing.
“They say everything happens for a reason, and I guess this is an example of that. To come back to Estevan to present this award is very fitting, considering who the award winner is,” said Bracken in a presentation in the lobby of Affinity Place.
Lorne Lasuita, a provincial Games consultant, said encouraging sport development in participants and getting governing bodies of professional sports to work with district coaches to help enhance the skills of athletes are the main objective of the Games. Those objectives are enshrined in the philosophy behind the Joe Griffith Award.
Lasuita said the excitement the award creates is meaningful, particularly when it is awarded to the host team. While a unique circumstance, he noted that a home team winning the award is far from unheard of.
Lasuita said the excitement of a team hosting the games creates can increase the likelihood of that team doing better in the standings. This is, in part, because there tend to be more athletes playing on that team.
“Even if you’re not winning a medal, but placing in the top eight or nine, you’re still getting points for your district,” said Lasuita. “It shows the dedication, commitment and passion they have, not only in terms of being recruited for the team, but the training they did prior to the Games, to ensure they kept at the level they had to.”
Lasuita noted there were a number of sports that Team South East did a great deal better in, than in 2012. He emphasized the team’s growth, stating that Team South East finished last in Meadow Lake, while this year, they finished in second.
“That’s an increase of seven points. That’s huge, in terms of our calculations.”
