The Humboldt Broncos
By: Rebecca Nielson
It’s every town's worst nightmare to lose even a single young member of their community. On April 6th, 2018 the community of Humboldt, Saskatchewan faced that nightmare. At an intersection thirty kilometres north of Tisdale the SJHL Humboldt Broncos bus was involved in a collision with a semi-truck. The team was on their way to game five of their semifinal playoff series in Nipawin. The crash killed sixteen of the twenty nine bus passengers and wounded the thirteen others.
These sixteen include the team’s head coach Darcy Haugan, assistant coach Mark Cross, radio announcer Tyler Bieber, athletic therapist Dayna Brons, who passed away later from her injuries, bus driver Glen Doerksen, statistician Brody Hinz, and players Logan Boulet, Adam Herold, Logan Hunter, Jaxon Joseph, Parker Tobin, Jacob Leicht, Conner Lukan, Logan Schatz, Evan Thomas and Stephen Wack.
Though all of the sixteen have a story of their own, one that is resonating with readers the most is the story of Logan Boulet. The twenty-one year old sustained critical injuries in the crash and was rushed to hospital, but was put on life support shortly after his arrival. On the Saturday his family made the decision to take him off life support and honor his wishes to be an organ donor. Six of his organs were donated to help six people in need. However, Boulet’s donation has touched the lives of way more than six people. After word of his selfless act reached the media, the province of Manitoba saw nearly 4,500 people sign up online to become organ and or tissue donors. Alberta saw over ten thousand new donors sign up over a four day period compared to their average of slightly over a thousand in four days. The media is calling this incredible rise in donors the Logan Boulet Effect.
Of the survivors, some are still in critical condition, but most are recovering well in hospital. One player, Ryan Straschnitzki was paralyzed from the chest down, but is pushing through the pain and is working to stay positive. Straschnitzki is viewing his survival as a second chance from God and a chance to do his part to improve the world in any way he can. He has expressed interest in continuing his sports career in sledge hockey, but right now all he is thinking about is his teammates. He can be quoted saying: “We're not alone here. I mean the teammates that we lost, our bond is so strong that we'll always be together."
After much intense discussion and deliberation the SJHL have decided to resume playoffs. After speaking with the president of the Broncos organization, the Nipawin Hawks will face off against the Estevan Bruins for the championship. “We had a gruelling decision to make with respect on how we can pay tribute and honour the Humboldt Broncos,” SJHL President Bill Chow said in a press release. “The league will play hockey.” One SJHL player, Josh Roberts, had played two seasons with the Humboldt Broncos and had many friends involved in the accident. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to play after it. “At the start of the game, it was tough,” Roberts said after his team’s 7-2 loss. “Having that moment of silence and just thinking to yourself: ‘How am I going to play a hockey game right now?’ But I don’t know, once we got into the rhythms and the game, you just find that passion for it again. And you just think of the guys that you were with last year and the year before and you just know you have to do it for them and that’s what they would have wanted. Playing hockey – this is a good way to heal,” Roberts insisted.
A Go Fund Me page was set up to support the families of the victims. The original goal was set to raise enough money to cover the parking and some of the meals for the families who were staying bedside with their loved ones, but it surpassed all expectations. As of now, over fifteen million dollars have been raised in support of the Humboldt Broncos. It has become the largest Go Fund Me in Canada to date. When Rob Solomon,CEO of Go Fund Me, was asked how the page could’ve exploded so quickly he responded with: “It’s such a tragic event, obviously in Canada, hockey is just as important as any social institution. People knew these kids, if they didn’t, they knew kids just like this, so it’s part of the social fabric.”
However, monetary donations are not the only way people across Canada and the world are supporting the Broncos. Many NHL teams and recreational teams alike held a minute of silence before their games for the Broncos and wore Humboldt Broncos stickers on their helmets. The Winnipeg Jets even had special name plates bearing the name Broncos put on their jerseys for their first game after the tragedy. Hashtags like #prayforhumboldt and #humboldtstrong have been circulating social media along with #putyourstickout; a hashtag that people have been posting along with pictures of their hockey sticks on their doorsteps. These pictures have been pouring in from across the country, some from large organizations like the Calgary Flames or Hockey Canada, but many people from Brooks to Ontario have been posting photos as well.
The nationwide jersey day organized of April 12th to show solidarity with Humboldt was met with tremendous success. From nurses in Medicine Hat, to students in Toronto, to hockey moms in Langley, and to the hallways of our very own school, it seemed as if all of Canada had put on their jerseys to show our grief and our support.
There has even been a song written in honor of the Broncos by Ontario artist Jason Smith. Smith, who had heard about the tragedy could not fall asleep with the thoughts running through his head, and decided he needed to do something to let out his emotions. He wrote the song: Leave a Stick out by the Door, as a tribute to the players, and support staff that lost their lives. A link to the song can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-os3UqwBY
All across Canada, lives have been touched by the Humboldt Broncos and the outpouring of support for the victims has been inspiring for many Canadians battling their own hardships. Without a doubt we can say that the memory of those involved in the crash will be in the hearts of many Canadians for years to come, and no matter where we are, we will always be Humboldt Strong.
By: Rebecca Nielson
It’s every town's worst nightmare to lose even a single young member of their community. On April 6th, 2018 the community of Humboldt, Saskatchewan faced that nightmare. At an intersection thirty kilometres north of Tisdale the SJHL Humboldt Broncos bus was involved in a collision with a semi-truck. The team was on their way to game five of their semifinal playoff series in Nipawin. The crash killed sixteen of the twenty nine bus passengers and wounded the thirteen others.
These sixteen include the team’s head coach Darcy Haugan, assistant coach Mark Cross, radio announcer Tyler Bieber, athletic therapist Dayna Brons, who passed away later from her injuries, bus driver Glen Doerksen, statistician Brody Hinz, and players Logan Boulet, Adam Herold, Logan Hunter, Jaxon Joseph, Parker Tobin, Jacob Leicht, Conner Lukan, Logan Schatz, Evan Thomas and Stephen Wack.
Though all of the sixteen have a story of their own, one that is resonating with readers the most is the story of Logan Boulet. The twenty-one year old sustained critical injuries in the crash and was rushed to hospital, but was put on life support shortly after his arrival. On the Saturday his family made the decision to take him off life support and honor his wishes to be an organ donor. Six of his organs were donated to help six people in need. However, Boulet’s donation has touched the lives of way more than six people. After word of his selfless act reached the media, the province of Manitoba saw nearly 4,500 people sign up online to become organ and or tissue donors. Alberta saw over ten thousand new donors sign up over a four day period compared to their average of slightly over a thousand in four days. The media is calling this incredible rise in donors the Logan Boulet Effect.
Of the survivors, some are still in critical condition, but most are recovering well in hospital. One player, Ryan Straschnitzki was paralyzed from the chest down, but is pushing through the pain and is working to stay positive. Straschnitzki is viewing his survival as a second chance from God and a chance to do his part to improve the world in any way he can. He has expressed interest in continuing his sports career in sledge hockey, but right now all he is thinking about is his teammates. He can be quoted saying: “We're not alone here. I mean the teammates that we lost, our bond is so strong that we'll always be together."
After much intense discussion and deliberation the SJHL have decided to resume playoffs. After speaking with the president of the Broncos organization, the Nipawin Hawks will face off against the Estevan Bruins for the championship. “We had a gruelling decision to make with respect on how we can pay tribute and honour the Humboldt Broncos,” SJHL President Bill Chow said in a press release. “The league will play hockey.” One SJHL player, Josh Roberts, had played two seasons with the Humboldt Broncos and had many friends involved in the accident. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to play after it. “At the start of the game, it was tough,” Roberts said after his team’s 7-2 loss. “Having that moment of silence and just thinking to yourself: ‘How am I going to play a hockey game right now?’ But I don’t know, once we got into the rhythms and the game, you just find that passion for it again. And you just think of the guys that you were with last year and the year before and you just know you have to do it for them and that’s what they would have wanted. Playing hockey – this is a good way to heal,” Roberts insisted.
A Go Fund Me page was set up to support the families of the victims. The original goal was set to raise enough money to cover the parking and some of the meals for the families who were staying bedside with their loved ones, but it surpassed all expectations. As of now, over fifteen million dollars have been raised in support of the Humboldt Broncos. It has become the largest Go Fund Me in Canada to date. When Rob Solomon,CEO of Go Fund Me, was asked how the page could’ve exploded so quickly he responded with: “It’s such a tragic event, obviously in Canada, hockey is just as important as any social institution. People knew these kids, if they didn’t, they knew kids just like this, so it’s part of the social fabric.”
However, monetary donations are not the only way people across Canada and the world are supporting the Broncos. Many NHL teams and recreational teams alike held a minute of silence before their games for the Broncos and wore Humboldt Broncos stickers on their helmets. The Winnipeg Jets even had special name plates bearing the name Broncos put on their jerseys for their first game after the tragedy. Hashtags like #prayforhumboldt and #humboldtstrong have been circulating social media along with #putyourstickout; a hashtag that people have been posting along with pictures of their hockey sticks on their doorsteps. These pictures have been pouring in from across the country, some from large organizations like the Calgary Flames or Hockey Canada, but many people from Brooks to Ontario have been posting photos as well.
The nationwide jersey day organized of April 12th to show solidarity with Humboldt was met with tremendous success. From nurses in Medicine Hat, to students in Toronto, to hockey moms in Langley, and to the hallways of our very own school, it seemed as if all of Canada had put on their jerseys to show our grief and our support.
There has even been a song written in honor of the Broncos by Ontario artist Jason Smith. Smith, who had heard about the tragedy could not fall asleep with the thoughts running through his head, and decided he needed to do something to let out his emotions. He wrote the song: Leave a Stick out by the Door, as a tribute to the players, and support staff that lost their lives. A link to the song can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-os3UqwBY
All across Canada, lives have been touched by the Humboldt Broncos and the outpouring of support for the victims has been inspiring for many Canadians battling their own hardships. Without a doubt we can say that the memory of those involved in the crash will be in the hearts of many Canadians for years to come, and no matter where we are, we will always be Humboldt Strong.
SCHOOL ATHLETICS
Senior Girls Basketball Team have Successful Season
By:Rebecca Nielsen
Our senior girls basketball team have had a remarkable season. The team of thirteen girls was composed of ten grade twelves, two grade elevens, and one grade ten. Many of these girls have played together for their entire high school career, and some are even continuing to play at the University level. This is no surprise considering that they finished the 2017-18 regular season with twenty six wins and five loses. In the South Central Zones our BCHS Buffalo's played like they never had before and won the championship for the first time since 2007. Sadly this winning streak did not last into provincials. At provincials our girls worked extremely hard, but fell short in the their two provincial games. Despite this unfortunate end to the season the Senior girls should be extremely proud of themselves and their teammates.
By:Rebecca Nielsen
Our senior girls basketball team have had a remarkable season. The team of thirteen girls was composed of ten grade twelves, two grade elevens, and one grade ten. Many of these girls have played together for their entire high school career, and some are even continuing to play at the University level. This is no surprise considering that they finished the 2017-18 regular season with twenty six wins and five loses. In the South Central Zones our BCHS Buffalo's played like they never had before and won the championship for the first time since 2007. Sadly this winning streak did not last into provincials. At provincials our girls worked extremely hard, but fell short in the their two provincial games. Despite this unfortunate end to the season the Senior girls should be extremely proud of themselves and their teammates.
Sr Boys Place Third in Provincials !
By: Rebecca Nielsen
Our senior boys basketball team had an outstanding season, winning many tournaments and league games, but the real cherry on top for their season was their provincial showing. In the quarter finals on Thursday the Buffalos won 75-48 against Grande Prairie St.Joseph Catholic with the help of Deng Dak who scored twenty five of the seventy five points. The Buffalos piled on the intensity early in the game, claiming a 48-20 lead at the half. Though, Dak wasn’t the only player from the Buffalos to reach the double digit point marker; both Amir Aliye and Dylan Wandler contributed 19 and 10 points respectively. Also adding to the scoring was Cobey Fiset-Hofer (5 points), Ngor Lual (5 points), Chan Lual (4 points, 7 rebounds), Ben Bigiremana (4 points, 5 rebounds), and Peyton MS-Obeng (2 points, 6 rebounds). In total, our Brooks Buffalos ended their quarter final game with a strong win, fifty nine rebounds (20 offensive, 39 defensive) and seven blocks.
In the semifinals our boys had a harder time. Even though they all played an intense game, and Deng Dak scored 36 points, the Buffalos ended the game 85-91 ending their provincial showing. Despite the unfortunate ending the game didn’t come without excitement.The team scored their game high of twenty eight points in the first quarter and communicated well. Senior guard Amir Aliye ran into some foul trouble during the game and had to sit for a little while, but even with his absence on the court our Buffalos kept the intensity up. At the half they trailed by a thin margin of nine points, and by fighting tooth and nail they pulled the game back to an even 79-79. Unfortunately that was when Edmonton Christian got a lucky break and hit a few fast three pointers. Along with Deng Dak two other players made it into the double digits:Dylan Wandler, scoring twelve points, and Cobey Fiset-Hofer put up three three points to help him score a total of eleven points. Also helping with the effort from the Buffalos were Amir Aliye (8 points, 7 rebounds), Peyton MS-Obeng (6 points, 2 rebounds) and Chan Lual (6 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks.) All in all, our senior boys have had a remarkable 2017-18 basketball season and should be immensely proud of all they have accomplished.
By: Rebecca Nielsen
Our senior boys basketball team had an outstanding season, winning many tournaments and league games, but the real cherry on top for their season was their provincial showing. In the quarter finals on Thursday the Buffalos won 75-48 against Grande Prairie St.Joseph Catholic with the help of Deng Dak who scored twenty five of the seventy five points. The Buffalos piled on the intensity early in the game, claiming a 48-20 lead at the half. Though, Dak wasn’t the only player from the Buffalos to reach the double digit point marker; both Amir Aliye and Dylan Wandler contributed 19 and 10 points respectively. Also adding to the scoring was Cobey Fiset-Hofer (5 points), Ngor Lual (5 points), Chan Lual (4 points, 7 rebounds), Ben Bigiremana (4 points, 5 rebounds), and Peyton MS-Obeng (2 points, 6 rebounds). In total, our Brooks Buffalos ended their quarter final game with a strong win, fifty nine rebounds (20 offensive, 39 defensive) and seven blocks.
In the semifinals our boys had a harder time. Even though they all played an intense game, and Deng Dak scored 36 points, the Buffalos ended the game 85-91 ending their provincial showing. Despite the unfortunate ending the game didn’t come without excitement.The team scored their game high of twenty eight points in the first quarter and communicated well. Senior guard Amir Aliye ran into some foul trouble during the game and had to sit for a little while, but even with his absence on the court our Buffalos kept the intensity up. At the half they trailed by a thin margin of nine points, and by fighting tooth and nail they pulled the game back to an even 79-79. Unfortunately that was when Edmonton Christian got a lucky break and hit a few fast three pointers. Along with Deng Dak two other players made it into the double digits:Dylan Wandler, scoring twelve points, and Cobey Fiset-Hofer put up three three points to help him score a total of eleven points. Also helping with the effort from the Buffalos were Amir Aliye (8 points, 7 rebounds), Peyton MS-Obeng (6 points, 2 rebounds) and Chan Lual (6 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks.) All in all, our senior boys have had a remarkable 2017-18 basketball season and should be immensely proud of all they have accomplished.
INTEREST ARTICLES
Amelia Earhart: What We Know Now.
Noah Iwaasa
"We are on the line 157 337. We will repeat this message. We will repeat this on 6210 kilocycles. Wait.” “ We are running on line north and south."
These are the last know words of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, who on July 2nd 1937 seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth alongside navigator Fred Noonan. These transmissions were sent near Howland Island at 8:43 a.m during Earhart’s attempted circumnavigation of the globe. After the final transmission was sent all contact with Earhart’s Electra was lost. As one of the most famous people on the planet at the time, parties began scouring the ocean for any sign of Earhart, alive or dead. In the days following several radio signals were detected coming from all over the south pacific, most of which were deemed to be hoaxes. However, based on bearings taken by Pan American Airways, several of these signals originated from an uninhabited atoll, called Nikumaroro 650km south southeast of Howland Island. Following the initial surge of interest related to Earhart’s disappearance many began giving up, believing The Electra, along with its passengers, had been claimed by the ocean.
Earhart’s disappearance was shrouded in mystery, appearing to have vanished into thin air leaving no trace of where she went. The circumstances surrounding Earhart’s disappearance lead many to theorize about a possible supernatural element in her disappearance. That was until late 1940, when a human skull was discovered on Nikumaroro, believed to have belonged to Earhart. The remains were taken by British officer Gerald Gallagher and sent to Fiji for further testing. In Fiji, the bone’s measurements were recorded determined to belong to a 5’5” male and not Earhart. After testing by British colonial authorities the remains were lost. In subsequent years, several more attempts were made to determine the origin of the Nikumaroro remains many of which claimed that they could have in fact belonged to Earhart, but despite the amount of tests and studies consensus was never reached.
So why is this relevant? Because a study, headed by anthropologist Richard Jantz recently concluded that bones found on Nikumaroro quite possibly belonged to Earhart. Jantz cross referenced the measurements provided by the British colonial authorities along side pictures of Earhart and compared them to measurements taken of nearly 2700 Americans who died in the mid 1920s. The study concluded that Earhart more closely matched the Nikumaroro remains than 99% of the selected sample size. However, many dispute Jantz’ finding, claiming it to based on little factual evidence. Essentially, we are back to where we started. Whether you believe the Jantz study or not, it seems that we will never truly know the conclusion to Amelia Earhart’s ill-fated journey.
Noah Iwaasa
"We are on the line 157 337. We will repeat this message. We will repeat this on 6210 kilocycles. Wait.” “ We are running on line north and south."
These are the last know words of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, who on July 2nd 1937 seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth alongside navigator Fred Noonan. These transmissions were sent near Howland Island at 8:43 a.m during Earhart’s attempted circumnavigation of the globe. After the final transmission was sent all contact with Earhart’s Electra was lost. As one of the most famous people on the planet at the time, parties began scouring the ocean for any sign of Earhart, alive or dead. In the days following several radio signals were detected coming from all over the south pacific, most of which were deemed to be hoaxes. However, based on bearings taken by Pan American Airways, several of these signals originated from an uninhabited atoll, called Nikumaroro 650km south southeast of Howland Island. Following the initial surge of interest related to Earhart’s disappearance many began giving up, believing The Electra, along with its passengers, had been claimed by the ocean.
Earhart’s disappearance was shrouded in mystery, appearing to have vanished into thin air leaving no trace of where she went. The circumstances surrounding Earhart’s disappearance lead many to theorize about a possible supernatural element in her disappearance. That was until late 1940, when a human skull was discovered on Nikumaroro, believed to have belonged to Earhart. The remains were taken by British officer Gerald Gallagher and sent to Fiji for further testing. In Fiji, the bone’s measurements were recorded determined to belong to a 5’5” male and not Earhart. After testing by British colonial authorities the remains were lost. In subsequent years, several more attempts were made to determine the origin of the Nikumaroro remains many of which claimed that they could have in fact belonged to Earhart, but despite the amount of tests and studies consensus was never reached.
So why is this relevant? Because a study, headed by anthropologist Richard Jantz recently concluded that bones found on Nikumaroro quite possibly belonged to Earhart. Jantz cross referenced the measurements provided by the British colonial authorities along side pictures of Earhart and compared them to measurements taken of nearly 2700 Americans who died in the mid 1920s. The study concluded that Earhart more closely matched the Nikumaroro remains than 99% of the selected sample size. However, many dispute Jantz’ finding, claiming it to based on little factual evidence. Essentially, we are back to where we started. Whether you believe the Jantz study or not, it seems that we will never truly know the conclusion to Amelia Earhart’s ill-fated journey.