JASTER’S JABBERINGS — Dinsdale recognized by MHSAA for volunteering as a coach

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/06/2017 (3087 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rob Dinsdale took over a very difficult situation last year.

After Kevin Boyd unexpectedly passed away, Dinsdale became the new head coach of the Crocus Plainsmen football team, replacing a man loved by players and coaches alike who helped make “Plainsmen for life” and the pride in the high school an earmark of the program.

The 31-year-old teacher coached the Plainsmen to a 4-3 record in the Winnipeg High School Football League’s Kas Vidruk (AA) Division and a playoff berth last year. They fell 36-0 to the St. Paul’s Crusaders in the quarter-finals.

On Monday, Dinsdale’s efforts were rewarded by receiving the Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s Frank L. McKinnon Award for outstanding volunteerism in high school sport.

“I always say it’s nice to get these things. Very unexpected,” Dinsdale said. “Especially being a head coach for such a short period of time it’s unexpected. It think there’s a lot of very deserving coaches in Manitoba, so it’s humbling to have the work you do recognized and very much appreciated that I was fortunate enough to have that recognition.”

Football is in Dinsdale’s blood. He played university football with the Mount Allison Mounties in Sackville, N.B., and spent five seasons as an assistant coach, including three as the defensive co-ordinator, at Crocus before taking over as head coach. He admitted it’s a lot of work to plan for a season as there’s budgetting and fundraising in addition to preparing for games and practices, but is grateful that he was mentored by both Boyd and former Plainsmen coach Jamie Freiheit.

He also credits his current coaching staff for helping him and his family for allowing him to spend as much time as he does to give back to a sport that gave him so much.

“It means the world,” he said about giving back to the game by coaching. “I’m very passionate about football. I’m very biased, but football I think there’s no better sport for teaching young men to be successful in life. That’s my passion there.”

“I love the coaching and the thinking side of football and the strategy side of it, but I think there’s no better sport to teach young men hard work, character, commitment and just the rewards of being consistent with those things,” Dinsdale continued. “That’s what I love about football is it’s a great tool to teach this next generation of how to be successful at life and whatever they do outside of football.

“I’m biased. I played university football and had a lot of great opportunities presented to me because of football. Having been there now for the end of my sixth season and … seeing guys out on their own, it’s rewarding to see the impact it has on young men’s lives.”

Dinsdale is humble and a great recipient of this award. Take a bow coach.

A few other random thoughts:

•Anyone planning to attend tonight’s men’s softball game between the La Salle Bullets and the New Zealand junior team is asked to bring a lawn chair. Bleachers will be set up at the diamond at Simplot Millennium Park, but they can only seat about 120 people.

The doubleheader begins at 7 p.m.

• A big shoutout to Neepawa’s Hayden Delaloye, who had the lowest score in the peewee boys’ competition at the Maple Leaf Junior Tour event in Teulon on the weekend. The 11-year-old carded a 90 and 99 to top the division, finishing nine strokes ahead of Carson Inman of Portage la Prairie. Brandon’s Spence Mott was third with a two-round score of 199.

• A tip of the cap to the under-14 Westman Magic who finished second at the Manitoba Ladies Super Softball League International Classic on the weekend. The team went 3-1 in the round robin before beating Central Energy 12-7 in extras in the semifinals and falling 9-2 to the Smitty’s Terminators in the final.

• It appears there will only be one player with a Brandon connection playing in the Canadian Football League this season. Landon Rice, a Crocus Plains grad, will be heading into his fourth season on the active roster of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He spent 2013 on the team’s practice roster.

Former Brandon University Bobcats men’s basketball player Jordan Reaves was cut by the Saskatchewan Roughriders on the weekend. Reaves, who converted from defensive back to defensive line last season, tried to remain positive posting on Twitter “#Ridernation thank you for welcoming me into your family … best time of my life playing for y’all and those guys will forever be my brothers … I worked too hard to give up now.”

• Congratulations to former Brandonite Cassie Hawrysh, a skeleton athlete, who has been nominated for the Canadian Business Chicks’ Women of Inspiration award.

• If you’re looking for something different to watch this weekend, Scarlet Fever is playing its first home roller derby game of the season at Kinsmen Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m. The second PASCAR race of the summer is scheduled for Sunday at Souris Motor Speedway at 1 p.m.