Brandon's Curtis 'The Demon' Demarce is the new reigning Canadian Featherweight Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Champion. The fight took place in Edmonton on Saturday September 30th. Unified 28 was one of the biggest fight cards of the year. There were three title bouts in front of a crowd of nearly 3000 at The Palace. Demarce fought Parwez Ghulam. It was a three round bout, ending in TKO. Demarce says, "the fight was very frustrating for me. He ran from me the whole fight. Anytime that I tried to close the distance, get on the inside to use my boxing or get a take-down he would circle away and run. I expected more pressure from him." "Half way through the fight I had to switch my game plan, find his angles and throw something unorthodox as he was circling away from my power. A lot can happen. A good fighter finds a way to adapt on his feet, switch the plan and get the win. Happy I could get it done." Curtis Demarce at Tastee's waiting on his champ burger. What's next for Demarce? He looks to move up a weight class and capture the Lightweight title and keep both divisions active. An ambitious feat for this career fighter. No other Canadian has ever held both titles simultaneously. Demarce trains here at home in Brandon at Brandon Academy of Mixed Martial Arts and does full training camp, pre-fight at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose California. He has been fighting for over a decade now, currently ranked in the top 3 in Canada. Some of his career highlights are featured on YouTube. In the MMA context, Demarce walked away from this fight virtually unscathed. Not a mark on his knuckles, merely a broken nose, torn ligament in the foot and a couple stitches. All in a day's work. Champ Burger @ Tastee's. Curtice Demarce and his squad in Edmonton inmmediately post fight.

Those that know me well, know I have no time for being politically correct. I think it is the single most part of social behavior that ails society and I think it's why Donald Trump is so popular. People hate the politically correct world so much they overlook all of Trump's other glaring flaws as a human being simply because he says what he wants. That's not a scientific study, but just a personal observation and an informal poll I've conducted. One of the things that gets on my nerves is when someone tells me I don't have the right to comment negatively about something because I'm a white male, which is to say I've been entitled my whole life and I don't know what it means to have dealt with hard times. I may write more about that in a future column, but if I don't have the right to criticize the politically correct for changing the lyrics to our national anthem, then I'd say unless you are a woman, you don't have the right to comment on what a marvelous change this is for the anthem and its citizens either. We are both disqualified from commenting and only a woman can comment. Disclaimer-if a woman speaks negatively about this, the politically correct will brush her off and label her with some horrible title and disregard her opinion. Which brings me to a recent politically correct movement that has just floored me with the response: air shows. You see air shows are now offensive because we have a lot of new people in our country who see air shows as a glorification of the tools of war. Well, actually I didn't read that NEW Canadian people thought this. But, rather some long time Canadian people in search of trouble to start, decided this would be a fitting label for air shows because we just need to be more sensitive. Once this thought became public, of course, it gained traction from other trouble makers and other Canadian citizens who feel it necessary to spend their whole lives apologizing for being terrible a couple hundred years ago when their ancestors came to a land not yet called Canada and who weren't as sensitive to others. So, what I've done is I've decided to jump aboard. Air shows are offensive. Cancel them. Now...what do we do about the Winnipeg Jets? I mean, the Jets are not named after Air Canada. It isn't unrealistic to think someone attending a Jets game could become traumatized by viewing the logo and reading up on the team name and discovering it's a tribute to fighter planes. The time to get out in front of this is now. Let's not wait until someone shames us into realizing how offensive this name is. Let's change it. I'd also like to suggest the New York Yankees also change their name. If you Google the term 'Yankee meaning', the number one definition that comes up is 'derogatory - someone who is from or lives in the United States'. But, nobody pays attention to this one. Why? At the same time, the Washington Post conducted a survey with Native Americans and it was revealed 9/10 are not offended by the term Redskins. Yet, there are white people everywhere who are bending over backwards to change the name. Why? If you think I'm being ridiculous, ask yourself this question: if someone told me a year ago that air shows would be deemed offensive, would you laugh it off and say that's ridiculous? I think we all would. Where does it end? Will it, someday, be offensive to be called the Edmonton Oilers due to its indirect slight to environmentalists? Are the Montreal Canadiens offensive because the French spelling leaves out Canadian people who are non-French? Now, just a minute. Before you say the English would never get their way over the French, I'm not, necessarily, talking English. We are a melting pot of cultures now and it's possible a non-English person could raise this issue. Then what? We know English people come last due to the behaviour of Christopher Columbus in the late 1400's. But, where do the French fall when a different ethnic group complains? All of this can be stopped. It just requires a stand and the ability to shake off vicious name calling from the politically correct. Most of us cave once the race or bigot card is played. It's a terrible label to brand someone. But, the people who resort to using it when having a debate are misusing the term and the rest of us need to recognize that and keep up the good fight. Unless of course, you agree the name Winnipeg Jets is offensive.

This is pure gold. Anyone who lives in Manitoba, and perhaps most of Canada, is fully aware of the video which went viral of a thief dressed as an old hockey goalie robbing a local beer store in Russell, Manitoba on August 15th, 2016. While the video alone is funny enough on it's own merit someone from the community has now stamped their own brand of original humor onto the situation. One creative, and imaginative family, has recreated the now famous images from the popular security video utilizing scarecrows to decorate their front lawn as part of Russell's “Scarecrow Competition” during their annual Beef & Barley Festival week long celebrations. Each year the Russell Beef & Barley Festival holds a Scarecrow contest where homes are encouraged to decorate their front yards with the best scarecrow design in hopes of winning one of four different award categories: best single household, best multi household, best business and best traditional scare crow. Winners of the Scarecrow Contest are to be announced at the Pancake Breakfast on Saturday October 8th. Expect entry #15, below, to take home at least one of the different categories at that pancake breakfast. Photo: Damien McNabb

The Winnipeg Jets have returned Jordan Stallard, a former member of the AAA Midget Wheat Kings, to the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. Jesse Gabrielle, a one time member of the Brandon Wheat Kings, was reassigned by the Boston Bruins to the Prince George Cougars. The rugged winger is coming off a 40-goal campaign in the WHL last season. A couple of former Brandon Wheat Kings defensemen have joined MJHL clubs. Jordan Thomson has recorded 7 points in his first 4-games with the Portage Terriers while Matt Taraschuk has 1 assist in 5-games to date with the Steinbach Pistons. The Philadelphia Flyers have loaned Travis Sanheim to the LeHigh Valley Phantoms, increasing Ivan Provorov's odds of staying with the big club. Curtis DeMarce, a Brandon mixed martial arts fighter, wins the Unified MMA feather weight title over the weekend in Edmonton, at the Royal Palace. The Brandon Boxing Clubs next event, Halloween Hustle 3, is two weeks away on Saturday, October 15th inside the Victoria Inn's Imperial Ballroom. Tickets are only $20 and bell time is 7:00 pm. David Glenn was this years winner of the annual Ridge Bowl held over the weekend at the Deer Ridge Golf & Country Club. David defeated Geoff Gregorie in the final to claim the championship.  

Over the last 15 years it appears the popularity of hockey, and the actual numbers of players, has seen a decline. People can say it is too expensive, or coaches are too hard, or it just isn’t fun anymore, and kids want to do other things. Here is the math Total Hockey Canada registered players – 572,000 ( that is down 200,000 from a peak in the 90’s ) More players in the USA than in Canada now. 8,000 hockey based injuries in 2012 in Ontario ( 34 percent body contact injuries the rest were accidents ) AAA Hockey costs $8,000 to $15,000 per year according to CBC. Female Players in Canada – 85,624 according to Hockey Canada. The numbers over the past 15 years have seen some large increases and some smaller ones as well. Children 5 – 14 years old – More kids played hockey in 1998 than they did in 2010 according to Macleans magazine (22 percent of kids played hockey in 2010 and 42 percent played soccer). Now before I get into this story I did Email questions to Hockey Brandon – Hockey Manitoba – Brandon AAA Wheat Kings – Southwest Cougars AAA Midgets and no response from anyone. A term I was told at an airport recently was hockey is now considered a "white collar” sport. The costs are the costs, and if you kid is in dance or figure skating etc all those sports will come with a price tag. But what are the costs to play hockey at a house league level? Money Money Money Without a doubt the biggest stumbling block is the costs of playing and equipment. So we reached out to the local chapter of KidSport to see what they can do for parents and their kids. Trina Bandura the local representative for KidSport says the problem they face is the most they can give per application is $300.00 and with even house league hockey costing $1,000 plus equipment and travel she says the parents are not in a position to pay the difference. Trina says they fund lots of families with kids playing soccer and baseball because the costs are so much cheaper. Hockey Brandon House League Atom - $830.00 Pee Wee - $910.00 Bantam - $940.00 Now that doesn’t sound horrible really when you consider your child will be doing something for 7 - 8 months of the year. Basic equipment if you were to buy everything would cost around $700.00 and you can still buy sticks for $75.00. You will hear that sticks cost $350.00, and they do, but if you kid is playing Atom does he really need to have the latest and greatest Easton stick on the market. Lord Selkirk Minor Hockey Association–AA Bantam Hockey $750.00 to register for Minor Hockey $500.00 upfront Bantam AA $250.00 a month after that $500.00 at Xmas for tournaments $6,300.00 were the total costs including hotel rooms for AA Bantam (this price is not including equipment or sticks) But I still remember 35 years ago that my sister would have figure skates that were $1,200.00 so my point is everything will cost money. Of course soccer will appear cheaper but that only lasts for a few months and other than say Christine Sinclair kids really can’t look up to any Canadian soccer stars. Chasing the Dream Brandon Wheat Kings Dman and Philadelphia Flyers first round pick Ivan Provorov was the number 1 D Man in CHL last year and he is in a battle to secure a job with the Flyers or get sent home for one more year of junior hockey with the Wheat Kings. Will he make it to the NHL? Odds are you would have to say yes for sure. But Ivan is one of a select few that will have that chance this year. The grind to make it to pro hockey hockey is astronomical. An Ontario study shows that 30,000 players were studied and 48 were drafted 39 signed a contract 32 played in the NHL 15 played one full season and only 6 out of the 30,000 played 400 NHL games to qualify for NHLPA pension. So roughly .02 percent of the boys playing hockey in Ontario will have a “career” in the NHL. You have to ask yourself are you playing the game to perhaps play CIS Hockey ( Canadian University Hockey ) or NCAA in the USA and get a degree and use it to further your life and career. Or are you really chasing that .02 percent? Crazy Factor You see those parents at the rink they are standing in the corner with their arms crossed and have a cold cup of Tim Horton’s sitting on the boards. They will yell and scream and bang the glass to attempt to make a point. In Victoria last year they kicked all the parents out of the rink one weekend to make a point that the kids just want to have fun and not be abused from the stands from their parents or other parents. A few years ago this video clip from Winnipeg that went all over Canada. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woC6KZBwJ6k And this guy from Newfoundland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCvZRlE-5OM Parents Thoughts Chad Gaborieau a former Wheat King player in the 80’s has 4 kids in hockey and he says the costs are without a doubt the biggest issue and he feels that kids don’t need trainers and playing 11 months of the year. Chad feels kids should play ball and golf, etc in the spring and summer months. “Hockey is what our communities are based on and if we lose that then we lose everything" Kris Klemick a local goalie and hockey parent has this to say "Elitism is ruining hockey, people are forgetting it's supposed to be fun. The most entertaining pro's you can watch are still having fun. Just playing a game. We're taking that away from our kids" Solutions and Answers I don’t have the answers or solutions. We can analyze costs – is it fun? - crazy parents - “hockey politics” etc but is their a way to turn a corner or make the game more fun and affordable? When I was young 14 year old playing bantam hockey their was no pressure to be drafted in the WHL or checking 50 different websites to see where my name was ranked. You just played the game and on the way home my Dad would drive through McDonalds and that was amazing. Of course society changes and so does the family unit with divorces. But we need to start somewhere otherwise you see more teams like the Southwest Cougars Midget team begging for players to come to tryout so they can field a team. If the young 10 year old in your home gets cut from the Jr. Jets his hockey career isn’t over.  Milan Lucic was discovered by accident playing Tier 2 Jr Hockey in North Vancouver and is now one of the top paid players in the game. And btw Lucic never played in the Brick Tournament in Edmonton where the top 10 year olds come to from all over North America. Roughly 10 years ago a perhaps bizarre idea I gave to Hockey Manitoba was to install a parent penalty box in each rink. Then a referee would be in the stands and if a parent was going crazy and yelling and swearing the game is stopped and they go in the box for 2 minutes and their sons or daughters team gets a 2 minute penalty. Sounds crazy yes but how else are some parents going to learn other than to shame them. Can you imagine for a second the feeling of walking out of the Parent Penalty Box and how you would feel. I know this that parent will never say boo again. My friend Gerry was drafted in the NHL in the 80’s and he didn’t even know it until his uncle read it in the paper a few days later. The game was much more simple and perhaps that is the true starting point to fix what is wrong. Less pressure from parents and family members – focus more on what is fun and what kids want and not what parents want – 9 year olds don’t need $300 dollar sticks –11 year olds don’t need agents – 12 year olds don’t need trainers and diets. Sounds simple doesn’t it but perhaps we have gone too far and their is no fixing this issue…. Kind of like climate change not sure the problem can be fixed now. Darryl Wolski Player Agent – 2112 Hockey Agency League Commissioner – Wendy’s Winter & Summer Hockey League Tournament Director – Source for Sports AAA Hockey Challenge