August 10, 2020

All proceeds support KidSport Manitoba, so ALL kids can play.

August 10, 2020, Winnipeg, MB - Today Sport Manitoba launched Iconic Stories from 150 Years of Sport in Manitoba, celebrating iconic Manitoba sports stories spanning the province’s entire history. 150 stories covering a wide variety of athletes, teams, events, facilities, and organizations are featured in this one-of-a-kind collection to coincide with the province turning 150 years old in 2020. All proceeds from the sale of Iconic Stories from 150 Years of Sport in Manitoba will be donated to KidSport Manitoba.

The project was funded by a grant from the 2017 Canada Summer Games Legacy Fund. Thanks also goes out to Canada Life for their long-time support of KidSport Manitoba.

Featured stories include our greatest champions, events, and memories like:

• Current KidSport ambassador and past KidSport grant recipient, Desiree Scott, who won an Olympic bronze medal in soccer at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
• John “Army” Howard, a sprinter who became our nation’s first black Olympian in 1912 at the Stockholm Games.
• The Winnipeg Blue Bombers captured the first Grey Cup win for the West in 1935, and again most recently in 2019, breaking a twenty-nine-year drought.
• The University of Winnipeg Wesmen Women’s Volleyball team, who won 123 straight matches from 1987-89 and set a record for 6 straight national volleyball titles.
• Homegrown hockey legend Bill Mosienko’s fastest hat trick in NHL history.

The story selection committee consisted of author Sean Grassie, Sport Manitoba’s Sport Heritage Manager Rick Brownlee, and the Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association’s Jim Bender, Judy Owen and Terry Frey. Grassie, a Canadian mixed curling champion and a graduate of the Red River College’s Creative Communications program, is also the author of Kings of the Rings: 125 Years of the World’s Biggest Bonspiel.

Iconic Stories from 150 Years of Sport in Manitoba is available now for the special price of $20.20 to signify the year 2020. To purchase your copy of the book, visit www.KidSport.ca/Manitoba/NewsOpens a new website in a new window. Sport Manitoba has translated a number of the stories into French and will share them on our website’s news feed.

“This volume shines a light on the qualities that define sport success – hard work, perseverance and determination – the same qualities that have helped build our wonderful province,” said Cathy Cox, Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage. “As we celebrate Manitoba’s sesquicentennial, it is fitting that we recognize the sport heroes who make up such a proud part of our storied 150-year history!”

"In recognition of this significant milestone for the province of Manitoba, this project is an inspiring and uplifting way of giving back to our communities," said Helga Van Iderstine, Chair of the Trustees of the 2017 Canada Summer Games Legacy Fund. "These stories will be something that can be passed on from generation to generation, enriching the lives of Manitobans today and in the future."

“Canada Life is proud to be the provincial sponsor of KidSport Manitoba. We believe recreational sports are so valuable – not only for health reasons but because they teach teamwork, leadership and communication skills that can help a person succeed in school, at work and in the community,” said Debbie Down, Director, Community Relations at Canada Life. “We’re pleased that every penny raised from this fascinating book will directly fund a Manitoban child’s organized recreational sports registration so they can learn from, and enjoy, the team experience, too.”

ABOUT

Sport Manitoba is a not-for-profit organization and the lead planning, programming and funding agency for the development of amateur sport in Manitoba. Located at 145 Pacific Avenue in Winnipeg, Sport Manitoba partners with over 100 organizations to deliver sport in the province and is responsible for programs including the Manitoba Games powered by Manitoba Hydro, Sport Manitoba Coaching, Team Manitoba, Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, Fit Kids Healthy Kids, and KidSport. Services provided include the Sport Manitoba Clinic, Sport Manitoba Performance, Sport Manitoba Fitness Centre, and the Paul Robson Resource Centre for Leadership and Coaching.

KidSport is a national charity administered in Manitoba by Sport Manitoba which provides support to children in order to remove financial barriers that prevent them from playing organized sport. KidSport believes that no kid should be left on the sidelines and all should be given the opportunity to experience the positive benefits of organized sports.

Canada Life is a leading insurance, wealth management and benefits provider focused on improving the financial, physical and mental well-being of Canadians. For more than 170 years, individuals, families and business owners across Canada have trusted us to provide sound guidance and deliver on the promises we’ve made. As of January 1, 2020, Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life became one company – Canada Life, and today, we proudly serve more than 13 million customer relationships from coast to coast to coast.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Sam Cortes
Content Coordinator
Sport Manitoba
204-290-7630
sam.cortes@sportmanitoba.ca

Sean Grassie
Author
204-250-3873
seangrassie@hotmail.com