BRANDON – Manitoba's gridiron community is rallying around Brandon University's football reunion. The Crocus Plainsmen, Neelin Spartans and Vincent Massey Vikings will pay homage with Homecoming games on Friday, October 13 to officially kick off the weekend celebration. Neelin will host the River East Kodiaks at 1:30 p.m., while Vincent Massey entertains Crocus at 3:30 p.m. in a clash of crosstown rivals. Both are Winnipeg High School Football League regular season games. Vincent Massey is led by coach Mike Steeves, the son of BU Sports Wall of Famer Doug Steeves. Doug coached Bobcat football and served as Athletic Director. He later formed all three Brandon high school teams. "Our family and football have a long history together and our Brandon roots start at BU.  Football has always been in my life and some of my earliest memories are based around the Bobcat football team," said Mike Steeves. "BU football laid the foundation for football in this community and began the growth of this wonderful sport in this region. Many players from those BU teams have helped grow the sport throughout Manitoba and Canada and football continues to flourish because of their efforts." The Spartans have a strong connection to this year's Wall of Fame induction class with Peter Hagberg having coached the team following his days with the Bobcats. Hagberg is a former BU football MVP and guided Neelin to an undefeated season in 1981, which included capturing the SouthWest Football League championship and a provincial title. "We know this event will have a big impact on our community and our team is privileged to have a role in the reunion," said Spartans' coach Rob Cullen. "Mr. Hagberg was an impactful coach at Neelin and we are excited to honour his return to our community." The Rural Manitoba High School Football League will also be highlighted as part of BU's football reunion. On Saturday, October 14, the Neepawa Tigers will take on the Swan Valley Tigers at 1:30 p.m. at Vincent Massey. The RMFL game will follow Saturday's Wall of Fame induction ceremony where former Neepawa coach and Bobcat star Lorne Lagimodiere will be also recognized. Lagimodiere led the Tigers to seven championships over his 17 years at the helm of the program. In his final season, Neepawa won the league title with an undefeated record in 2003. "An opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate an exceptional educator and football coach such as Lorne is an honour," said Neepawa manager Dale Swanton. "Neepawa Area Collegiate has a storied football history in the RMFL thanks to Lorne's contributions." There is an impressive list of former College Caps and Bobcats who coached at the grassroots level. Teaming up with the Winnipeg High School Football League and the Rural Manitoba High School Football League is an important step to bridge the gap. "We really want to stress the fact that our football reunion is more than just a Brandon University celebration, this is an event that all of Manitoba can get behind," said Athletic Director Russ Paddock. "The Caps and Bobcats football era was a great one in the province." "It is an honor for us to help celebrate this great sport with these football pioneers and legends," added Steeves. "Without their efforts and sacrifices, football in this area would not have been as successful and numerous athletes would have missed out on the positive benefits of the sport." Over 200 football alumni have been invited to attend the reunion, which coincides with Homecoming 2017, which will take place from October 12-15, with events across the campus. For more details on Homecoming 2017 events, visit BrandonU.ca/Homecoming.

On Twitter one day, we stumbled on something new in Brandon, Caswell’s Wiffleball League. Now you might be sitting there asking yourself, “What on earth is this.” According to Wikipedia “Wiffle ball is a variation of the sport of baseball designed for indoor or outdoor play in confined areas. The game is played using a perforated, light-weight, resilient plastic ball and a long, typically yellow, plastic bat.” Carthy Caswell, a young up and coming entrepreneur, had a vision to start what he believes is one of the only Wiffleball League’s in Manitoba.  He, and his family, built an official Wiffleball diamond in the family’s back yard which eventually led to Carthy wanting to start a league here in Brandon.  (Video of Caswell Field) BDNMB had a chance recently to witness a game and following the game, I sat down with Carthy to find out some more information about his league. BDNMB – Explain to us what wiffleball is? Carthy – It is basically like baseball. It’s really close to the same rules except we use a wiffleball, a much lighter version of a hardball …we use a plastic bat, and the game is played on a much smaller field… it's a miniature, easier version of baseball and games are only 3 innings long. (Carthy's official league rule book can be found here.) BDNMB – It seems like your buddies take it serious. This is your first year, and you already have 4 teams and a league web site.  How have things been going so far? Carthy – The response has been nothing but awesome. We have shirts…we have everything, so I think this will be a great year.  We hope that our league can be competitive and more teams can be added down the road. BDNMB – Is there anyone else in Manitoba doing this? Carthy – No, I don’t think so. I am not even sure if anyone in Saskatchewan has a real wiffleball field. BDNMB – Did you dad help out putting everything together? Carthy  - Well, ha ha,  I am not sure if that is true. BDNMB – Who is all playing in the league this year? Carthy – Mason Kaspick, Nolan Ritchie, Dylan Halliday, Nate Hunter, and my brother…most guys are AAA Bantam or Midget hockey players. Official League Website Official Twitter Account (click to see more photos/videos, or to become a part of the league.) Sample video of what a wiffleball game looks like.

It’ll be Act II for the Westman Softball Umpires’ Association when the Softball Manitoba U14 ‘A’ Girls’ Championship begins two weeks from today at Simplot Millennium Park in Brandon. The three-day Championship will be the second major softball event hosted by the WSUA this year, having hosted a highly successful exhibition game between the New Zealand ISA and La Salle Bullets on June 20th. The U14 Championship features eight teams including the host Westman Magic, coached by Jason Slator. The Magic, who are currently fourth in the Manitoba Ladies’ Super Softball League standings with an 8-7-2 record, will open the full round-robin with a matchup against the Manitoba Angels on Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. The MLSSL leading Central Energy and defending champion Smitty’s Terminators are among the other seven teams competing for the Provincial title. Manitoba Thunder, Winnipeg Lightning, Eastman Wildcats, Interlake Phillies and Manitoba Angels are the other teams involved in the Championship. The top three teams at the Championship will qualify for the Softball Canada U14 Girls’ Jamboree in Brampton, Ontario from August 16-20 while the 4th and 5th-place teams will represent Manitoba at the U14 Western Canadian Championship in North Battleford, Saskatchewan from August 4-7. The Softball Manitoba U14 ‘A’ Girls’ Championship is being held in conjunction with the Baseball Manitoba Pee Wee AAA Qualifier at Simplot Park, making for an exciting weekend of action for Western Manitoba fans. Admission is $20 for a weekend pass, $10 for a daily pass and $5 for a ‘last draw’ (after 4:00 p.m.) pass. Fans can also follow the results online at http://westmansoftballumpires.blogspot.ca/, on twitter at@U14provsbrandon or via our Facebook page. Two other exciting softball events are on tap in Brandon later this summer. The Western Canadian U16 Girls’ Championship will take place August 10-13 at the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex, and then the ANSC will hold their official grand opening on September 9th.

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The grand opening of the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex is slated to take place on Saturday, September the 9th, 2017. Gates will open at 10:45 am that morning, followed by opening ceremonies at 11:00 am. A double-header softball game between Dickenson State (Ashley's alma mater) and Maryville State softball teams will take place following the opening ceremonies, starting at approximately noon. Cost to attend is only $2.00. You can purchase advance tickets here. The Westman Softball Association along with the Westman Adult Orthodox Leagues, Brandon Slo-Pitch League, and the Westman Old-Timers undertook the project to build a new softball facility in the City of Brandon. It has been named the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex to honour her commitment to the sport and Brandon. The facility includes 4 full-sized diamonds and 4 mini diamonds for youth ages 4-12, a canteen and washrooms. Location Brandon 331 -10th Street North Brandon, MB