Support for Sports Award 2023 recipients

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The award is presented annually to individuals, businesses, clubs and organizations who have displayed a longterm and significant commitment to supporting amateur sports in Yorkton.

The support can take many forms, including volunteerism, financial or in-kind support, organizational assistance, traditional or new media excellence or other ways that have benefitted sports organizations or athletes.

It also provides an opportunity to recognize those who otherwise do not qualify for induction into the Hall of Fame but are deserving of recognition by the community.

Jason Gordon’s amateur sports commitment to Yorkton began in 1979 as a participant on Yorkton Minor Hockey teams as a player. Jason played all his minor hockey in Yorkton, finishing his amateur hockey career playing for the Yorkton Under18AA Mallers in 1991. That year he volunteered as a coach for a local Under7 team, and so beginning his coaching contributions in the community. 

Jason played soccer and minor baseball in Yorkton, was part of the first ever lacrosse team at the YRHS, and is an avid golfer in the community. He began his teaching career in Yorkton in 1996, and that year also embarked on coaching the Under15AA Terriers as assistant under Tim Stoll. This team, which included familiar Yorkton hockey names including Lance and Lonnie Kopan, Trevor Secundiak and Jarret Stoll among many others, won the 1997 WHL Western Canadian Under15 championship and was inducted into the Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. He now has been a minor hockey coach in Yorkton every year since 1997, having coached both male and female hockey. Yorkton Minor hockey has recognized Jason as their coach of the year, and he received their Unsung Hero Award winner in 2013. Hockey Canada recognized Jason as their Mentor Coach of the year in 2005.

He worked for Reg Kachonoski at his goaltenders school in Yorkton starting in 1990, and operated a one-week hockey school here in the mid-2000s. Jason has been contributing to hockey as a player, coach, parent, volunteer, board member, and fan for over 40 years. He has served as a coach for Hockey Saskatchewan, a coach mentor for the province and a Hockey Saskatchewan board member. He has scouted for WHL and SJHL teams, and is a certified Hockey Canada high-performance coach and power edge pro instructor. 

But it doesn't stop at hockey. Jason is a certified baseball umpire and will often call more than 50 games during the summer. As a teacher and/or in-school administrator in Saltcoats, Theodore, Springside, Dr. Brass and Columbia Schools in Yorkton, he has actively coached school sports. He has been an integral part of cross country events and has coached cross country, floor hockey, volleyball, basketball, badminton, golf, archery, track and field, and football. He was part of a group that organized the first ever junior football program at Dr. Brass School, started the first ever junior golf team at Springside and Dr. Brass, and spearheaded the National Archery in Schools Program at Dr. Brass School. Over his teaching career he has been an outstanding advocate for extracurricular opportunities for students.

Jason Payne boasts a 20-year tenure as an educator at Yorkton Regional High School. Throughout those years his unwavering dedication to fostering a positive and enriching learning environment has left a lasting impact on his students both in the classroom and as a coach and mentor.

Jason has coached the varsity boys basketball team for all his 20 years at Yorkton Regional, leading the team to successful seasons a number of times, including one gold medal in 2006 and two bronze medals in 2012 and 2013 in the Sask High Schools Athletic Association basketball provincials. The team appeared in the provincials seven years between 2003 and 2018. Jason has also volunteered his time to coach Under 15 and Under 17 provincial basketball, youth and high school football, and youth hockey, soccer and lacrosse. 

In 2016 Jason helped found the Yorkton Blue Jays Club Basketball program, providing Yorkton and area youth with an accessible opportunity to learn fundamentals, improve decision making, and experience competitive basketball in a positive and fun environment. Under his guidance, the program has flourished, growing from three teams and 30 athletes in 2016 to seven teams and 90 athletes in 2023.

In 2018 he embarked on a transformational journey to help his athletes dedicate more time to mental performance, to fostering a positive team culture, and nurturing leadership qualities among his players. This strategic shift not only improved team performance but also the overall well-being of his athletes. He pursued and received his Masters of Science in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Western States in 2021 and soon after founded Evolution Mental Performance Coaching, a venture aimed at utilizing his knowledge and experience in connecting with young people on the court and in the classroom, and to support and educate coaches and athletes wanting to take their coaching and performance to the next level. 

Keen on sharing his insights and expertise further, Jason launched the Growth Mindset in 2020. It is an acclaimed coaching newsletter which Jason authors, focusing on offering tips on incorporating sport psychology in coaching, strategies to build team culture, and suggestions of additional coaching resources.

Jason Payne's, inspiring growth, excellence, and resilience both on and off the court.

In the early 1970s, Jackrabbit programs that taught children between the ages of 3 and 18 to cross country ski were very popular across Canada and in Yorkton, where it was common to have over 50 children and their families participating. 

Raymond Bailey was one of those young people. Every Sunday afternoon there were lessons at Deer Park and his passion for skiing grew as he grew up. As a young adult downhill skiing became more exciting and he did that for a while but later in life he came back to cross country skiing, or Nordic skiing, at Deer Park as a way to get active and be outside in the winter.

In 2016 Joanne Maloff and the Yorkton Cross Country Ski Club re-established a Jackrabbit program and again 40 to 50 children and their families enjoy organized coaching and activities each week at Deer Park.

Ray saw this as an opportunity to give back to the ski community by volunteering and coaching, the activities that others shared with him when he was growing up. 

Ray has been coaching the Jackrabbit program for the past six years, and has served as president of the cross country ski club at Deer Park since 2020. Skiing, coaching, working with the volunteers in the club became a passion for him, and he also caught the racing bug, competing in masters class racing for adults both nationally and internationally. He says he is a middle-of-the-pack racer, but it is more about challenging himself than it is about winning.

Ray, and the club, are looking forward to sharing the new facilities at Deer Park with the 300 people who ski each winter, and he feels the new facility will make it possible to attract special events such as Sask Cup races to our city.

Alan Kyle is the Vice Principal of Yorkton Regional High School, currently in his third year in that position. Al's connection with the school actually dates back to his days as a YRHS student, a testament to his enduring commitment to the Land of Orange. Upon returning to YRHS a decade ago, Al quickly volunteered his time as a football and basketball coach. 

Al’s leadership and determination has played a pivotal role in transforming the YRHS Junior Raider football program from one of the weakest teams in the Regina Minor Football League to a perennial powerhouse. Upon taking the reins as the head coach of the team in 2014, Al assembled a coaching staff made up of fellow educators and other community members who share his passion for providing an opportunity to play football and grow athletically and personally in the process. 

This shared vision has resulted in little coaching turnover in the last decade, and is a key reason for the team’s continued success. Year after year, the team has demonstrated remarkable progress, culminating in league final appearances in 2015, 2019, and 2022. In 2019, the Junior Raiders were successful in their quest for a Regina Minor Football championship, becoming the first Yorkton team to be crowned champions since joining the league over 20 years ago. Al’s impact on this team was recognized in 2016 and 2019 when he was named the Regina Minor Football Coach of the Year.

Al also possesses an exceptional ability to connect with troubled youth, many of whom face adversities at home. As a positive influence and role model, he has been instrumental in guiding these youth toward a better path.

Don Kunkel, a former general manager of the Gallagher Centre and a most familiar face at Deer Park Golf Course, both as a player and as the operator of the restaurant there prior to the new clubhouse that is there now, passed away in February of 2022 at the age of 73.

Don had a lengthy history of community service and volunteer work in sports and other aspects of community life. He was a board member of Golf Saskatchewan and served a term as president shortly before his passing. He coached minor hockey in Saskatoon for many years, both while his son played at that level and afterwards. He had himself played hockey throughout his childhood, teen years, and at the University of Saskatchewan, where he gained a reputation as a short, stout and very effective defenseman. He served on the board of the Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association, and the Saskatchewan Hockey Association.

For all his reputation as a highly competitive golfer and rough-and-tumble hockey player, Don did have a soft side. He took the time to encourage young local golfers at Deer Park, providing support to young talent like Ella Kozak and Kade Johnson. He was also an artist who loved everything to do with wildlife art and wildlife conservation, having traded in his hunting gear for a camera to hunt for wildlife he would capture so he could paint it.

Totally off the topic of sports, we need to also mention that Don is remembered as the least handy handyman in history. He loved to jump in and do repairs around the house and he was so good at it that the family would hide broken items from him until someone could fix it before he got a chance to do it. Much cheaper, quicker and easier on everyone that way. 

KidSport Yorkton is the local chapter of the national KidSport program. Cost keeps one in every three Canadian kids out of organized sport. KidSport provides grants to help cover those costs to ensure that no kid between the ages of five and 18 is ever left watching from the sidelines.

The local chapter is chaired by Doug Jonassen, with support from his board, treasurer Glen Kozak and directors Kimberly Hamilton, Katherine McDowell and Elyce Wilson. 

The group organizes two main fundraisers during the year. On KidSport jersey day, schools, businesses and the general public is encouraged to wear their favourite jersey for a day and make a donation to KidSport for the privilege to wear their jersey that day when many kids don't have a jersey to wear. It also runs a campaign called “Give the gift of KidSport", which asks businesses, organizations and everyone who wants to support KidSport makes a donation. This went over very well in Yorkton last year with businesses jumping on board to donate.

As a result, in 2022 KidSport Yorkton raised $31,110, which helped a hundred kids off the sidelines and into the game in Yorkton, meeting the goal of getting kids playing the sports they love.

Through its years in Yorkton, Kees Taekwondo has earned high praise from its students. The dojang on Broadway in downtown Yorkton earns consistent praise from its students for their ability and willingness to adapt for all their students. They turn their athletes into well rounded people who are respectful, and they are are extremely accommodating to families in particular, offering several different options of classes a week per athlete so everyone can participate. And that includes a family class attended by five-year-olds up to adults, with training adapted so everyone can learn together. 

Mathew and Autumn Bodnaryk earn praise for their coaching ability, and are well respected in the taekwondo community. Athletes from Regina will drive in on weekends just to be coached by them. Kees also develops older athletes into incredible instructors.

Wayne Mitchell, who opened his first taekwondo dojang at Fairview School in 1992 was inducted into the Yorkton Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, and his spouse Susanne, a taekwondo referee who has travelled around the world to officiate and who trains new referees, was inducted last year.