Looking to stay busy while at home? Looking to fill the void of after school activities? Aqua Essence Swim Academy can help! During the pandemic, the company took their strength in working with babies to youth, and amped up their efforts to reach people online through virtual courses. They were one of three places in Canada that piloted the online Red Cross Babysitting Course (for 11-15 year olds).  These courses are complemented with their signature At Home Babies program (4 months to 2.5 years) from families’ own tubs and their At Home Heroes (grades 2-6) program. They have been busy meeting families needs and teaching safety during these challenging times. At Home Heroes ™ This course is designed as an introduction to the world of first aid/leadership and meets Phys-ed curriculum for grades 2-6. We have been teaching this course in schools for the last 4 years with incredible results and feedback. We talk about how to recognize an emergency and the steps to take when one arises bleeding. The course also teaches what kids need to know about first aid kits, poisoning, choking and more. Participants will learn in an online environment in their own homes and will get a chance to try out their leadership skills while practicing mock phone calls with a 911 operator. Kids will feel independent, helpful, smart and powerful. They will also learn skills that give value to life-long learning and growth. They are given the chance to excel in an area outside the traditional walls of a classroom. Kids are loving these classes so much that they have asked for more! It’s a fun way to build confidence and leadership skills in children. There is no first aid certification with this course. https://aquaessence.ca/available-courses.php#home-heroes The Babysitter’s Club Virtual Red Cross Babysitting Course: This course is for participants aged 11-15. It is taught by certified  instructors using Zoom and is a great opportunity for children to sign up with their friends, cousins, and neighbours.  Aqua Essence has had participants take the course from all over Canada. https://aquaessence.ca/available-courses.php#babysitting At Home Babies ™ At Home Aqua Babies: Aqua Essence brings their trademarked Aqua Babies program to Canadian’s own homes, tub or pool of any kind. Their specialized approach to teaching babies how to swim is focused on safety, confidence, and family connection. This is a skills-based learning program taught by expert instructors who understand how babies react to water and how they learn best. Babies from three months to three years old are welcome to participate in their home Aqua Babies. Classes will run for 20 minutes a class. https://aquaessence.ca/available-courses.php#aqua-babies (submitted)

Brandon, MB – The Brandon Wheat Kings have added two coaches to their staff for the 2020-21 Western Hockey League season. Todd Miller will join head coach Don MacGillivray on the bench as an assistant coach and Daniel Johnston will be stepping into the role of video coach, a first in franchise history. Miller, 42, is a native of Elliot Lake, ON and has a long history of coaching in the Canadian Hockey League. He spent eleven seasons with the Barrie Colts (OHL), acting as an assistant coach to bench boss Dale Hawerchuk, before taking the reins as head coach in the 2019-20 season. Miller took over as head coach in January 2020, after the club parted ways with interim head coach Warren Rychel, and coached the young team to a 13-7-2 record, finishing the shortened season in second place of the OHL’s central division. “Last year was a very different one for me losing one of my close friends and colleagues, Dale Hawerchuk,” said Miller. “He told me a lot about Manitoba as it was his second home and he always had a lot of high praise for the province. I know he must be smiling up there knowing I’m headed to Brandon. This is a great opportunity for me joining the Wheat Kings and I’m excited to meet the team and get started”. Johnston, 28, from Calgary, AB is no stranger to the Western Hockey League, having played with the Portland Winterhawks and the Lethbridge Hurricanes from 2007-2013. Johnston joins the Wheat Kings on the heels of his playing days, having hung up his skates after the 2017-18 season following a five-year career in the ECHL. He will be looking to bring a new perspective to Brandon, setting the stage as the team’s first ever video coach. “I’m really excited to be coming to Brandon,” says Johnston. “I’m just retiring from playing and I’ve been video coaching with players over the last year, so this opportunity felt like a perfect fit for me. I remember Brandon well from my playing days; it was a tough building to play in on the road. I consider it one of the model organizations in the WHL so I couldn’t be happier to get the chance to join this club”. The Wheat Kings and the WHL are slated to begin their season on January 8th, 2021 with an interdivisional Regular Season schedule. Wheat Kings General Manager, Darren Ritchie believes Miller and Johnston will be valuable additions to the club. “This is great news for our team,” said Ritchie. “Any time you can add a coach who has extensive experience in the Canadian Hockey League, like Todd does, you have a chance to make your team better and I think we’ve done that. Daniel’s experience in hockey, between playing and as a video coach, is going to be a great way to improve the development of our players on the ice. We’re really excited to add these two new members to our team.” (Brandon Wheat Kings Release)

A Weyburn man, Dean Schenk has built the ultimate backyard rink for his two children and himself. Schenk told bdnmb.ca that he has been building an outdoor backyard rink for the last 5 years and it seems to get bigger and better every year. The building measures 25'x55' and the ice surface is 25'x32'. The project started with some scrap lumber and a tarp and he's not sure how it escalated to what it is today. "I lost track of hours it takes to put it all together. I painted the boards and painted the “sponsor” logos this year so that took some time. Having a level concrete floor this year vs a sloped back yard lawn saved a huge amount of time and water" he said. According to Schenk "there’s something oddly satisfying and relaxing about putting on a late night flood in January after a long day of skating and hockey that only a backyard rink builder will understand". The rink was built for his son Ashton (8) and daughter Emily (4), and maybe a bit for himself. The door is always open to friends and their kids to use too. With everything going on this year and anticipating covid will likely shut down hockey at some point, he wanted to switch it up and do something special for the kids. Getting out of the wind and not having to shovel snow is an added bonus. Understandably, the rink gets plenty of use. It’s not uncommon that Dean is tying skates for a quick skate before school, after school, after supper and multiple times a day on weekends. His son is crazy about hockey and his daughter is well on her way skating. As it relates to upgrades planned for the future, Schenk said "I have some netting on it’s way to protect my shop walls from the slap shots that seem to be getting harder every year. I’m sure I’ll think of something to upgrade or add next year". "If anyone has ever thought about building a back yard rink, I highly recommend it. There’s lots of resources available online with advice and tips from guys like me that have already made all of the mistakes. Both of my kids learned to skate in our backyard and the memories we have made on the rink as a family and with friends makes all the hours and dollars spent to build it worth it within minutes of hitting the ice" he concluded.

Over the last 25 years, various Wheat Kings could be deemed as “iconic” and one player that fits that category is Chris Dingman. When you go to Elite Prospects, a website that many hockey industry people use, and type in Dingman’s name it states he was a "cult/star player for the Brandon Wheat Kings”. Dingman spent 4-years in a Wheat Kings uniform before turning pro in 1995-1996. He appeared in 385 regular season NHL games, winning the Stanley Cup twice in the process. Upon completion of his playing career, Dingman had a morning sports talk show "Kirk and Dinger 98.7 The Fan". The ratings were good, they made it to the top 5 but after two years the owners changed formats. After doing TV, he moved into coaching and running youth programs for a number of years. His last year in Tampa he coached 6 teams ranging from 8yr old's to 15yr old's. In 2017 the family decided to move back home to Edmonton where both of his sons now play prep hockey for NAX (AAA program in Edmonton). On Oct 22 of last year they welcomed a daughter, Willa Rose, to the family. When Chris moved back to Edmonton, he decided to help his brother in law with a company called Stout Gloves. The gloves are designed for use in the oil and gas sector and Chris (Senior Account Manager) says they can ship gloves the same day. His wife and other brother in law work for the company as well. "Basically working to pay for youth hockey and diapers" joked the now 44-year old Dingman. "I am always open to getting back into the game, but really enjoy being able to watch my kids and take them" he added. When asked about his thoughts on Kelly selling the Wheat Kings, Dingman said "Was I surprised at the sale of Wheat Kings? A little, but nothing really surprises me when Kelly is involved, he is a brilliant business man. I texted with Kelly through the playoffs mostly congrats on wins and congrats on the sale. I don’t like bugging people in playoffs".

The Brandon Wheat Kings have named Don MacGillivray as the 24th Head Coach in the history of the Western Hockey League club. MacGillivray, who has spent the past four seasons in Brandon, has a wealth of coaching experience having served behind the bench in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) with the Portage Terriers, Neepawa Natives, St. James Canadiens and the Winnipeg Blues. MacGillivray has also spent two seasons as Head Coach with the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) as well as three seasons at the helm of the University of Manitoba Bisons (CIS), where he was named Canada West Coach of the Year in 2008. Before joining the Wheat Kings in the fall of 2016, MacGillivray won championships with the Terriers in 2005 and again with the Blues in 2014 as Head Coach and General Manager. During his time in the MJHL he was named Coach of the Year four times (1995, 2005, 2012 and 2013). “I’m very excited about this opportunity and I’d like to thank the ownership and management of the Brandon Wheat Kings for entrusting me with this position,” said MacGillivray. “I’m honoured, and I’m also grateful for the opportunity that I had working with Dave Lowry last season and David Anning the seasons previous.” MacGillivray has worked with Wheat Kings General Manager, Darren Ritchie since he started with the team in 2016. “This is a great opportunity for Don, he deserves it as he will do a great job leading our players,” said Ritchie. “He has a wealth of experience in junior hockey and I look forward to working with him and our coaching staff moving forward”. The 2020-21 WHL regular season begins on January 8th with interdivisional play, as announced by WHL Commissioner Ron Robison in October. The Wheat Kings will compete in the East Division against the Winnipeg Ice, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades, Prince Albert Raiders and Swift Current Broncos.