Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 32

COMMENTS Got a comment or question about this section? Fax a letter to Journal Sports, 498-5601, or e-mail sportsthejournal.canwest.com. TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2005 EDMONTON JOURNAL Home fires burn for Saskatchewan athletes Sports legends recognized in book penned by Chaput ALLEN CAMERON Calgary Herald CALGARV 3 -J i GETTY IMAGES Hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser i You can take an athlete out of Saskatchewan, but you can't take the Saskatchewan out of an athlete. If you ask new author John Chaput, that's the perfect summation for residents of Saskatchewan and their attitude to a surprisingly rich sports history. Chaput, a Regina resident, spent two years researching Saskatchewan sports, and the end product is titled Saskatchewan Sports Legends: One Hundred Years of Athletic Distinction. Chaput discovered, with a few notable exceptions, that just about every world-class Saskatchewan athlete has had to leave the province to take their athletic careers to the next level.

But even though the likes of Catriona Le May Doan and Hayley Wickenheiser now call Calgary home, they remain beloved in their native province "There's an acceptance of seeing all our best athletes go away, usually never to return," said Chaput, 50, who spent 20 years in the Regina Leader-Post sports department before getting into the publishing business. "Curling is the only sport where someone from Saskatchewan can stay at home and reach the absolute pinnacle of achievement in mainstream sports. "We have to accept that these people have to go on to U.S. universities or Canadian national training programs in other cities to train at the facilities. And it's accepted, but the athletes still maintain that very strong attachment to Saskatchewan." Chaput scoured the archives of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in pursuit of a comprehensive list of Saskatchewan sports legends, and even though he'd spend most of his adult life in the province (he grew up in Montreal and moved to Saskatchewan in 1977), he discovered there were some significant holes in his own knowledge of the provincial sports scene.

"I discovered certain people in Saskatchewan sports history that I'd never heard of, people like Alex Decoteau, and Paul Acoose, the two aboriginal runners, and even (1920 Olympic hurdling gold-medallist) Earl Thomson," said Chaput. "Even though I wasn't born here, with all the time I spent working in the THE CALGARY HERALD CANWEST NEWS SERVICE. FILE Le May Doan is one of the most recognized National speedskating star Catriona sports department, and my natural aptitude for absorbing sports, if someone could win an Olympic gold medal and I was essentially ignorant of him, then chances are that most of the province was, too. "It just astonished me that we could have a gold-medal winner in track and field that virtually no one knows about or talks about." Chaput considers Saskatchewan's contributions to Canadian Olympic success over the years to be the province's most notable sporting achievement. "I still think the most impressive thing I found in my research was George Genereux winning the trap-shooting gold in 1952 when he was still in high TAIT ON Win some, lose some for Golden Bears coach Ralph makes final cut with Stampeders, Lowry on his athletes to hail from Saskatchewan.

school," said Chaput "It was extremely impressive on its own merit, but also, he found out before the Olympics that he had contracted ankylosing spondylitis (a condition that attacks the spine and pelvis)." The book was released on May 16 and Chaput says it has been well received. "Critically, and face to face, it's been TUESDAY Last year CJSR carried the of A games. Sportsnet Edmonton reporter Gene Principe was in Dubai for a week in May. Along with cameraman Corey Blashill, Prmcipe hosts a five-part series Dubai: The Making of a Sports Paradise. The series started Sunday and runs every night until Thursday in the Sportsnet News package at 10p.m.

And speaking of Thursday, Principe reports on the Dubai Mighty Camels, who compete in the Middle East's hockey league. Yes, hockey. There are more than 6,000 Canadians living in the Dubai area and many play of them play hockey. (v? THE CITY OF EDMONTON Alex Decoteau was a well decorated track athlete who later moved to Edmonton. marvelous," said Chaput.

"People have been very enthusiastic about it, and I've been getting a lot of feedback from people who just enjoy the human interest stories. People are saying exactly what Td hoped they would say, which is, We didn't realize that so many great athletes came out of CanWest News Service way home from Lions' den Edmonton Keyano swimmers made waves at a recent meet in Calgary. In the 15-and-over category, Kier Maitland collected three medals. In the 14-and-under category, Karl Wolk won gold. Winning her first gold medal was Nicole Delaloye in the 16-and-under division.

Jim Phelan had a strong swim to place third. Joe Arsenault is a proud dad these days. His son Stephen is the newest member of the national sledge hockey team. Stephen, who lives in Spruce Grove, made the squad last week after a tryout camp in Ottawa. ctail(S thejournal.canvest.com Masterful new mark 95-year-old turns in 22.04-second 100-m run TOKYO (AP) A 95-year-old Japanese man has run the 100 metres in 22.04 seconds, a record for his age bracket, according to reports.

Kozo Haraguchi set the mark Sunday on an outdoor track slick with rain in the south-em Japanese city of Miyazaki. "It was the first time for me to run in the rain and as I was thinking to myself, 1 mustn't fall, I mustn't I made it across the goal," Haraguchi told reporters. Japanese reports said that Haraguchi had beaten the world record of 24.01 seconds for the 95 to 99 age group set br Hawaii res-ident Erwin Jaskulski in May 1999. His time will be submitted to the World Masters Athletics organization for verification. Haraguchi also held the World Masters Athletics' world record for the fastest man aged 90 to 95 a time of 18.08 seconds he set in September 2000.

3 named Canada West defensive playerof the year in 2004, was one of the last cuts of the B.C. Lions. Last year Lowry had 62 tackles, four sacks and an interception for the Bears. The Golden Bears have also announced Jed Roberts will be joining the coaching staff. Roberts, who played for the Edmonton Eskimos for 13 years, was a de fensive coach with the Ed monton Huskies.

Rumblings around town say Golden Bears football games will be broadcast on the Team 1260. 3 SPORTS CALENDAR NORTHERN LEAGUE BASEBALL: EDMONTON CRACKER-CATS All weekend games on TEAM 1260 Radio MX TODAY: At Sioux City, 6:05 p.m. WEDNESDAY: At Sioux City, 6:05 p.m. THURSDAY: At Sioux City, 6:05 p.m. CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE: EDMONTON ESKIMOS All games broadcast on 630 CHEO Local TV blackout may apply) I FRIDAY: Ottawa, 7 p.m.

(TSN) I THURSDAY, JUNE 30: At Winnipeg. 6:30 p.m. (TSN) I FRIDAY, JULY 8: At Montreal, 5 p.m. (TSN) NORTHLANDS PARK: THOROUGHBRED RACING: I FRIDAY: 6 p.m. Post I SATURDAY: 1 p.m.

Post SUNDAY: 1 p.m. Post ON THE AIR TENNIS I 6 a.m., TSN Wimbledon, Day 2, from Wimbledon, England SOCCER I 12:30 p.m., RSW Confederations Cup: Argentina vs. Germany BASKETBALL I 7 p.m., ABC, TSN NBA Finals, Game 6: Detroit Pistons at San Antonio Spurs IN THE BLEACHERS To. Danny! The pitcher's compUming about the crowd noise. Turn it down! Don't cry for them E3 3 University of Alberta Golden Bears head coach Jerry Friesen will have a huge hole to fill.

Former Golden Bears slotback Brett Ralph younger brother of former Eskimos receiver Brock Ralph found his way onto the Calgary Stampeders roster this past weekend. The Stamps selected Brett Ralph in the sixth round 45th overall in the 2005 CFL Canadian College draft. However, Friesen will benefit as All-Canadian linebacker David Lowry is returning to the Golden Bears from Chill-iwack, B.C. The Medicine Hat native, who was i -r-Tii if c- 1 Jr" 1 1 '(' IASH OH6 THE Members of Argentina's rugby team take a little time out from their Churchill Cup schedule to enjoy the pool and waterslides at West Edmonton Mall Waterpark on Monday. The team will be back at work Sunday when it faces England..