Coal Bowl Classic a dream come true for McDonald

                                          Gary McDonald speaks about his final Coal Bowl Classic experience.

By Jeremy Fraser

As a child, Gary McDonald always dreamed of playing in the Coal Bowl Classic for the Breton Education Centre Bears.

The excitement of playing in front of a jammed pack crowd at the BEC gym motivated him to continue playing basketball.

Today, the New Waterford native gets ready to play in his second straight Coal Bowl Classic when the Bears open the tournament against Polyvalente de L'Ancienne-Lorette of Quebec City, following opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. on Monday.

The graduating forward would like nothing more than to win a Coal Bowl title in his final season.

"Words can't describe how important winning a title this year would be. It would be the peak of my grad year, every kid dreams of winning a yellow banner in front of the whole town."

The Coal Bowl experience is something special, said McDonald.

"Coal Bowl is the best week of the year, with it being so much more then just basketball. Living in the school with all the teams is such a great experience, you meet so many new people."

McDonald started his career in Grade 4, playing common school basketball for Greenfield Elementary School. In high school, he played with the Bears junior 'B' team, while also being committed to hockey.

The six-foot-four centre has enjoyed every moment playing with the Bears.

"It's been an amazing journey playing with the team the last couple years. A lot of people think it's all about Coal Bowl, but we have been in five tournaments this year. It's a lot of fun."

Last year, the Bears failed to reach the tournament semifinals, posting two wins and two losses.

Although it was disappointing, McDonald gained a lot of experience, he said.

"It helped  a lot with the nerves. Going out and playing in front of that many people can be very nerve racking, but once you get used to it, you lock in and focus on basketball."

Last year's loss gives McDonald extra motivation heading into this year's tournament.

"It gives us tons of motivation, especially for our returning players. We feel we let people down last year. It would be heartbreaking if we didn't make the semifinals in back-to-back years."

Breton Education Centre will continue the round robin portion of the tournament with games against
Yorkton Regional High School at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Elwood Regional High School at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, and St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

McDonald has high expectations for the team.

"We have had a pretty up and down season, but have been playing some good basketball the last two weeks, leading up to Coal Bowl. We play our best with our backs to the wall."

The team's success will come from hard work, said McDonald.

"We have a pretty young group of guys this year, two in Grade 9, two in Grade 10 and two first year Grade 11 players, so we have to out work teams, stay calm and take care of the ball."

McDonald has personal goals for his final Coal Bowl Classic.

"Like every year, my goal is to win the tournament, but anything less than semifinals this year would be absolutely heartbreaking."

McDonald expects the atmosphere in the gym for Monday's game to be outstanding.

"The opening ceremonies brings in a very big crowd and gets everyone into the basketball spirit, and lucky for us we play right after it, so everyone is excited."

Islanders Country getting fans closer to the team

The website Islanders Country may only be a few years old, but Nolan Reid says it’s already the place to go for Charlottetown Islanders news.

His passion for hockey and writing was behind his inspiration to make a site dedicated to the Island’s only major junior hockey team.

The site is already two and a half years old and already Reid is seeing the benefits, he said.

“It’s pretty successful – the Islanders fan community seems to be engaged with it and seem to appreciate the news I put out.”

John Marlen has been following the Islanders franchise for the past few years. He goes to Islanders Country updated news.

“The site provides fans with information that the official site just doesn’t have. It’s a blessing for Islanders fans and also fans on the QMJHL who want to follow our team.”

Reid started following the major junior team, formerly known as the P.E.I. Rocket, in 2006.

Watching the Rocket had a major impact on blogging, he said.

“I had a website dedicated to the Rocket a few years ago called “Let’s Go Rocket”, which also sort of inspired me to do it again for the Islanders. I know a lot about the team over years and want to share that with other diehards.”

Marlen enjoys reading Reid’s post-game stories, he said.

“They are well written, posted online quickly after the game, and have good interviews. Why wouldn’t anyone go to the site?”

Content is important for any blog, said Reid.

“It also is something I wanted to do as well, again going back to being unaffiliated with the team, I can break trades before they are made official by both the team and league, but verified by reliable sources via Twitter.”

Reid is also the Islanders reporter for the The Q News, a website dedicated to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The 23-year-old has had many memorable interviews, he said.

“It would probably be interviewing Daniel Sprong for the first time this season since coming back from the (Pittsburgh) Penguins.”

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft will take place in Charlottetown in June. Reid and the Islanders Country staff will be in attendance.

“Islanders Country will be the No. 1 source for Islanders news during the 2016 QMJHL Draft.”

Reid encourages fans to visit his website, www.islanderscountry.ca.

Water - Holland College Project

Travis Roach has lived in Prince Edward Island all his life. Living outside of Charlottetown, he understands how important water is to many Island residents.

The 23-year-old has a well in his backyard, which he relies on for his drinking water.

It's something he doesn't take for granted, he said.

"Many Islanders have wells in their backyards and if something were to happen to these wells, things could become tricky for many residents."

It's not uncommon to see the Holland College student bringing large bottles of water from his well.

"Our family makes sure we have enough water in our house. It's very important to save water and not to over use it while showering or brushing your teeth."

In recent years, there have been discussions about the possibility of fracking on Prince Edward Island. Other provinces such as Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have also spoke about fracking.

Andrew Lush is the manager of the Hunter-Clyde Water shed group. There are many risks to fracking, he said.

"There are thousands of cases where spills have got into the ground water, animals dying and people having sickness in the areas where there is fracking. It's not worth it."

In recent months, fracking has been the cause of earthquakes in Alberta and British Columbia. If fracking happened in the Atlantic Ocean or Northumberland Strait, it could still be a cause for concern for ground water, said Lush.

"Deep water aquifer is connected to across the whole of P.E.I. and in fact it's connected to Northern New Brunswick and Cape Breton as well, so we just don't know about what's going on down there."

Roach agrees that fracking is not something that should happen in P.E.I.

"There are too many risk factors concerning our ground water. For the little amount of jobs fracking would bring to P.E.I., it's just not worth the risk of having these get into our ground water."

As of 2012, there have been no leases for fracking on P.E.I., however that doesn't mean it couldn't happen, said Lush.

"A company could come and knock on the door, get a lease, convert that into a lease for testing and drilling and before you know it you have fracking."

Currently, there is not a ban on fracking on P.E.I.

Water Act - Holland College School project

The Cornwall and area Watershed group says there are issues with the water act in Prince Edward Island.

Karalee McAskill is the coordinator for the watershed group. The water act is created to provide regulations, she said.

"As a watershed coordinator I am always on crisis mode dealing with sedimentation and erosion."


Three schools in P.E.I. have been found with carcinogenic pesticides in the water in the past 10 years, she said.

"These are elementary schools. There has also been rates found higher then the recommended values on P.E.I."

As for storm water, it's going to the oceans, said McAskill.

"We could be storing that as a reservoir to recharge our water table."

The city of Charlottetown understands a new water act is needed. The city made presentations across the province, holding public hearings for a proposed water act, outlining major points for the Environment Advisory Committee when drafting the act.

It's a matter of understanding how to conserve water, said McAskill.

"Future generations can have the same privileges as we do by using this."

There are other issues with the policy's, she said.

"Right now we don't have no tax base structure that is inflowing revenue into these watershed groups and we are managing on a non-profit bases."

There are ways for these groups to get revenue, said McAskill.

"Fees for non-domestic use of water for instants, industry, agriculture and provide developments that are non-domestic be required to pay a fee, and that fee would come in as revenue into these groups."

For more information on the city's water, visit the website http://city.charlottetown.pe.ca/waterutility.php 

Kirk MacDonald wins first ECMA award for Jazz Recording of the Year

Kirk MacDonald wins first ECMA award for Jazz Recording of the Year

By Jeremy Fraser
April 17, 2015

Fresh off his Juno Award win last month, Kirk MacDonald can add another major achievement to his growing list.

MacDonald, 55, was given his first East Coast Music Award this past Saturday in St. John's, N.L., winning Jazz Recording of the Year for his album Symmetry, which was released June 10.

Although it was MacDonald's first ECMA, it wasn't his first nomination. He was also nominated for an award in 1996.

It's an honour to win both Juno and ECMA awards in the same year, said MacDonald.

"It's nice that they came in the same year. I'm proud of the work I've done on both recordings."

After giving it considerable thought, MacDonald decided to submit his work to the ECMA nomination committee.

"I never really had much time to submit anything, but this year I thought, why not."

Throughout his career, MacDonald has received numerous awards, and has worked with many leading musicians in a variety of musical genres. He has performed on over 45 CDs as both leader and sideman, and has participated in numerous national broadcast recordings for CBC Radio.

In addition to performing extensively throughout Canada, he has also performed in the USA, Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Monaco, Australia, Korea, Bermuda and the Bahamas.

For over 25 years, MacDonald has worked and recorded with many leading Canadian, U.S. and International jazz musicians including Claude Ranger, Dave Young, Sam Noto, Sonny Greenwich, Kenny Wheeler and Eddie Henderson.

Other musicians nominated for the ECMA were Greg Amirault, Les Païens, Paul Tynan/Aaron Lington, and the Paul Tynan/Jake Hanlon Duo.

MacDonald, the son of Jerome and the late Vanda MacDonald, has many people to thank for his success on the ECMA stage.

"A big thank you goes to Tom Harrell, Brian Dickinson, Dennis Mackrel and Neil Swainson.  I also want to thank Steve Bellamy for his great work on the production of this recording."

Kim MacDonald is Kirk's sister. She said it's always nice to be recognized for hard work.

"Kirk is an incredible musician who works very hard at playing, composing and pushing the boundaries musically, he always did."

MacDonald found his passion for music during his high school years. He attended Breton Education Centre and was part of the school's band, directed by Terry Hill, in the early 1970s. He cut his first record at 13-years-old.

"Hearing all the records, I knew music was something I wanted to pursue."

When he's not recording music, MacDonald is a full-time professor at Humber College in Toronto, where he holds a cross appointment in the Music Degree Program and the Community Music School.

He also acts as the artistic director for the Youth Jazz in the City project, and directs the Greater Toronto Area Honour Combos and the National Youth Honour Combo, a project that hosts a two-week workshop in the summer for high school students ages 14-18.

Next month, MacDonald will join fellow musicians for a tour in Korea.

"I've been to the country a few times, but I only really stayed in Seoul. I'm looking forward to travelling the country and seeing the other cities."

Following the trip, MacDonald will begin recording a new 18-piece CD in June. He's expecting it to be released in October or November.

"I can't wait to get started on it."

The past two summers, MacDonald has participate in the Cape Breton Jazz Festival, however, to date, he hasn't booked any shows on the island for this summer.

"I have nothing booked in Cape Breton for the summer as of yet. I may come home for a visit in August, but I haven't spoke to anyone regarding playing home."

Minor Hockey president deems season a success in New Waterford

Minor Hockey president deems season a success in New Waterford

By Jeremy Fraser
April 17, 2015

There may not have been any provincial titles in New Waterford this season, but that doesn't mean the New Waterford Minor Hockey Association didn't have an overall successful year.

Although the players didn't hit the ice until October, preparation for the season started much earlier with the hockey-a-thon gear drive and player registration in September.

This year, the New Waterford Minor Hockey Association saw its player registration numbers remain consistent from previous years with approximately 215 players registered.

The player enrollment numbers show positives for the association, said Edward Turner, minor hockey president.

"I believe the association is doing great things to bring exposure to our community about our association."

"Through our many off season activities, the local children can become engaged with our current members and learn about our association and how much fun it can be playing hockey for your home community."

Among the activities the association does during the off-season is participate in the parade and Plummer Avenue Day during the town's annual Coal Dust Days festival, something Turner hopes continues in the future.

"I can only hope the new executive will continue to promote our association moving forward with these activities as well as any new ideas that may be brought forth."

In November, the association hosted its second annual female development weekend, an event which also featured the Cape Breton University women's hockey team host the UNB Varsity Reds at the New Waterford & District Community Centre.

Among the events during the weekend were on-ice session for all female tots and novice players in CBRM. Close to 35 players registered for the event. The New Waterford association alone had 29 female players registered this season.

Having the female development weekend helps promote the female side of hockey, said Turner.

"There are a lot of females who are unsure about hockey.

"Having these girls come to our association to play a couple of games as well as our local girls getting involved, it helps show that there is a place to play."

During the Christmas holiday, the association hosted two tournaments, one in peewee and one in midget.

In the peewee 'A' tournament, New Waterford was defeated by North Sydney in the championship game, while in the midget 'A' tournament, the Sharks were also beat by North Sydney in the championship game.

Tony Nemis coached the peewee 'A' team this year. He said the club had a tough time against North Sydney all season.

"When we played in tournaments with them, it always came down to us and them in the championship game. Unfortunately, they always played a stronger game."

Nemis said he can see next year's peewee rep team playing in the Day of Champions, the new format of provincials, introduced by Hockey Nova Scotia this year.

"They will only be losing four players who move up to bantam, so they will still have a fast, smart group of players who can make it to the end."

Jim "Fred" Head coached the midget 'A' team for the second straight season.

Although the team didn't win the tournament they hosted in December, they were able to capture the Antigonish Automobile Dealership tournament championship in January in Antigonish.

The team was successful in the tournament, but the club's overall goal was to make it to the Day of Champions event in Halifax, said Head.

"We were lead by some great offensive players and great goaltending, but the main thing is we had fun this year."

The team competed in the Cape Breton Cup, the island championship, in Baddeck last month. The team wasn't successful in winning the title, but it gained experience for the younger players on the team, said Head.

"This is their first year of three in the midget program and the experience will help them for their remaining years."

Head believes the midget program will continue to produce good hockey players in the future.

"The incoming players from bantam 'AA' should make the midget program just as good or better for next year and years to come."

Robert MacKenzie has been the association's Referee-in-Chief for the past six years. It was another busy season for his crew.

"We had a couple of new officials that started at the lower levels and progressively worked up through the levels."

He was confident in all the officials.

"They all handled games in a very professional manner."

Overall, Turner thinks the association had a successful season.

"My goal as a president was to work for each and every player in the association so that they had a place to play and have fun with their friends.

"This does pose difficulty at times due to our low numbers and variety of talent, but at the end of the day, as long as the players get to play and have fun, then I deem it a very successful season."

Next on the scheduled for the New Waterford Minor Hockey Association is the annual general meeting, scheduled for Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. at the New Waterford & District Community Centre.

Watch next week's New Waterford Community Press for more information on the annual general meeting.

Reds to honour 2002 New Waterford Midget 'A' Marlins at July tournament

Reds to honour 2002 New Waterford Midget 'A' Marlins at July tournament

By Jeremy Fraser
April 17, 2015

The New Waterford Reds midget 'A' baseball team will honour a former New Waterford minor baseball team during its annual tournament.

The team will honour the 2002 midget 'A' New Waterford Marlins at its tournament, July 17-19, at the Gerry Marsh Ball Field in New Waterford.

The Reds are happy to be able to honour deserving teams, said coach Barry Long.

"Our committee has honoured many get people and teams from New Waterford.

"Not only is our goal to provide exciting baseball to the New Waterford community, but also honour members of our community who have done the same in years past."

The Marlins captured the 2002 Nova Scotia Midget 'A' Provincial Championship in Yarmouth, N.S.

The team has not been honoured to date, said Long.

"Our team is also in the midget 'A' division, which makes it even more special for our club to be able to honour them."

The New Waterford Reds Mid-Season Classic started as an event for the town of New Waterford's centennial celebrations in July of 2013. Since then, it has turned into a much anticipated event for the team's organizing committee and the players.

The Reds enjoy hosting tournaments because it brings people to the ball field, said Long, who will return to the team's bench after taking a year off.

"We got great feedback from teams from mainland Nova Scotia on how great the people of New Waterford are for coming out, watching and supporting the tournament.

"It's awesome to hear the feedback from players and coaches just arriving at the ball field for the first time. We have one of the best fields, if not the best in the province."

Members of the 2002 Marlins are Robert Boudreau, Adam Walker, Andrew Quigley, Aaron MacKinnon, Johnathan Bisson, Christopher Coady, Scott Hillier, Joe MacNeil, Kyle Bursey, Jamie Williams, Andrew Roach, Artie Doyle, Travis MacInnis, along with coaches Tommy Hogan, Jerry Walker and manager Jason Hogan.

The tournament is scheduled for the first weekend of the annual Coal Dust Days festival.

Long hopes many of the players will be around for the event.

"We made sure the tournament was during Coal Dust Days because we understand people living off island return for the festival.

"It's a great time of year for vacation and the perfect way to kick off a week of events."

As of Press time, no teams were confirmed for the tournament.

Members of the 2002 Marlins are asked to contact the organizing committee at 902-595-0074 as soon as possible to confirm attendance for opening ceremonies.