One month ago, Brian Senchuk said he felt Thursday's meeting about a potential bid for the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games was the single most important step on the way to getting them.
"Once we get that gumption to go forward, I think that's all we need," Senchuk said in the March 27 issue of The Mercury.
"I think that's the biggest challenge we have right now. Do we have the support to make the bid? I think once we know that, our bid will be superb. I think we have the desire and the people in place that are going to motivate the rest of the people. That initial meeting, by far, is the crucial step here. We're at that part now. It's either go or stop."
After Thursday's session, it is go, not stop.
Senchuk and Brian Smith delivered a presentation to the roughly 40 people in attendance at the Days Inn, outlining the bid timeline, the major undertakings of the project, the budget required and the structure of a bid committee.
At the end of the night, there were 14 names signed up for the bid committee, although no chair yet.
As Senchuk said though, taking on that kind of responsibility requires some thought and isn't a decision that can be made in a couple of hours.
However, with some of the local power hitters who volunteered for the committee, I'd bet that the future chairperson will be found among that group.
Not only did a lot of people show up, but many of them were people of influence, who represented many of the user groups the bid committee will need to partner with.
Introductions went from one end of the room to the other at the start of the night, and you got the sense that the people who needed to be there had shown up. A handful of others couldn't make it, but were on board.
Those who put their names forward will now need to work quickly, as the bid deadline is expected to be in mid-September. The 2016 Games could be awarded by the end of the calendar year.
Finally, kudos to Senchuk and Smith for stepping up and spearheading this ambitious project. Although they would like to pass on the leadership mantle to someone else for the actual bid, they have done a service to the community by putting in the work to get it this far.
I was away for most of the weekend and didn't get to see much of the Estevan Bruins' spring camp, so it would be silly to try to provide any analysis on the weekend's proceedings.
However, it sounds like it was a strong camp, with a smaller group of top performers and a lot of parity after that.
From what I saw of him and from other reports, it seems like 1995-born left winger Chris Thorimbert was one of the most impressive players in camp.
The Saskatoon native, a mid-season acquisition from Kindersley, posted 15 goals and 40 points this past year with the Saskatoon Blazers.
If Thorimbert has as much natural ability as his older brother, former Klippers goalie Josh, the Bruins may have a keeper.
Contact Josh Lewis at 306-634-2654 or [email protected]. He is thrilled about the Leafs clinching a playoff spot for the first time since before YouTube was created, although a first-round series against Montreal would be the icing on the cake.
