In 2013 Yorkton Minor Football decided to start the "Gettin in the Game" program, a new initiative designed to get special needs children the same opportunities to participate on road trips for local sports clubs.
The program was inspired by Yorkton Regional High School student Tyler Senchuk, whose love for the school's football team led to the inspiration for Yorkton Minor Football to start a program to raise money for not just Tyler, but for any special needs students in the community who want to be apart of a team and need funding for special assistance to do so.
In 2013 Chad Nehring, a former Raiders linebacker who is playing pro hockey in the ECHL, auctioned off a game-worn Idaho Steelheads jersey for $3,800 as part of the Raiders' annual Football Night in Saskatchewan where Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin was the keynote speaker. Those funds helped Tyler enjoy road trips with the YRHS football team as they went all the way to the Moose Jaw High School Football League Championship.
Already down 40-8, Sharpe and the YRHS Raiders team decided to give their inspiration and their waterboy the moment of a lifetime by sending him out on the field for the final play of their season. Senchuk, who was travelling with the team thanks to their new Getting in the Game program was sent out in his Raider jersey and a helmet to throw the final pass of the Championship game. Senchuk received the shotgun pass almost perfectly, went into a classic three step drop and delivered a pass to a wide open Tyrell Ulmer for a first down. After the game Sharpe said that the moment allowed the players to get a perspective that despite a loss, life goes on after the football season.
"He's an awesome kid. You think about him, the kid would give anything to play. So we're going to complain that we lost? We've got a kid there who would give anything just to be out there with the guys," said Sharpe on that day last year. "He had his chance today too. Which was awesome."
"Lee Rusnak, a local businessman here bought the jersey last year in 2013 the first year we did this jersey auction at our Yorkton Minor Football fundraiser. That money went to this program we have called Getting In The Game so kids like Tyler could travel," said Sharpe. "It's not just for football. Any special needs student could travel with the team with a teacher's aid and have a regular high school experience."
Now after another generous charitable donation from Farrell Agencies, who bought Nehring's game worn Las Vegas Wranglers jersey for $4000, Yorkton Minor Football are hoping that more local teams embrace using the program.
"It is important for the community to know this program wasn't designed just for one person or one sports team or even just for Yorkton Minor Football," says Sharpe. "We started this so that any special assistance needed to ensure that those who couldn't participate in being apart of a team can do so which is our main focus of the program."
"Getting to be apart of a team is an important part of being a child and getting to experience being a kid so we really hope that other programs take advantage of the generous donations local businesses have given us these last two seasons to get the Gettin in the Game program off the ground."
Sharpe says that local clubs looking to take advantage of the opportunity to use this program can contact Yorkton Minor Football at any point of the year.
"For those interested you can simply contact Yorkton Minor Football and our treasurer Darcy Zaharia who looks after the program for us and will set whoever wants to use the program up to make things possible," closes Sharpe.
