Zelmer guides academic journeys for Wheat Kings

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/04/2025 (441 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Glenda Zelmer’s work begins in late August and early September.

The longtime academic advisor for the Brandon Wheat Kings talks to team staff to begin wrapping her head around which kids are most likely to make the team. Then she meets with parents and students to set up a plan.

“When I’m meeting with each individual player, we look at where are you at with your credits?” Zelmer said. “What are you working towards? What are you needing and what’s your best method of learning?”

Wheat Kings captain Quinn Mantei, who is one of her big success stories, joined the Western Hockey League team at 16 and can’t imagine doing it without her.

“She is the key in that whole process of making it easy for us and making it so that we don’t have to worry about it,” the 19-year-old Weyburn, Sask., product said. “You get into contact with her and figure out what classes we have and she tells us what classes we need and what classes are able to transfer back and forth between the provinces.

“She makes our jobs really easy and to just focus on hockey and doing well in our classes.”

If you think the Wheat Kings have a lighter load than other students, you may not understand how much they balance. Very few high school students spent the evening before in Prince Albert or Swift Current or Saskatoon, arrived back in Brandon early in the morning and still made it to school on time.

Rookie defenceman Nigel Boehm, a 16-year-old product of Corman Park, Sask., said it’s a lot to balance.

“It’s pretty difficult,” said Boehm, who won the team’s academic award this season with a 94 per cent average. “You’re making sure you get caught up on sleep when you can on the bus. Those early mornings are definitely hard. She has a little bit of lenience on us knowing we got back on 5 in the morning, so she makes sure we get a little bit of work done and then sends us home to get some sleep.”

That’s might be the key to her success. She understands and acknowledges life is different for the teenagers under her care.

“I don’t really think I don’t really think anybody could understand what these kids go through unless you’re with them day-to-day,” Zelmer said. “Like trades, injuries, family stuff that’s two provinces away, friends changing.

“For some of these kids, I say to parents ‘Don’t don’t be too upset or too concerned when you see your straight A son’s marks drop a little bit, because people forget like you’re moving away from home to a billet’s house you don’t know, to a school you don’t know, to a team that you don’t know and working your tail off to hold onto a spot, earn a spot, keep a spot, because that’s what you’ve worked so hard and dreamed for.

“Then on top of that, we’ve got to do schooling and quite often it’s online it’s virtual or with teachers that you never met before. It’s incredibly hard for a lot of these kids and how well they mostly handle it is amazing.”

She adds the players are not taking Mickey Mouse credits, instead taking the highest level courses they can so they can go home and graduate with the friends they grew up with before playing in the WHL.

NEW ROLE

Zelmer brings a dual background to the job as a psych nurse and a teacher at Crocus Plains for more than 22 years.

She actually started with the Wheat Kings organization as a billet, and worked at Crocus Plains with Bob Hamilton, the team’s academic advisor at the time.

“It was a natural evolution to take it over from Bob because I was already very aware of the organization, the scheduling, the players and stuff,” Zelmer said. “So when Bob put in his retirement, I did one year with Bob (in 2008-09) understanding it and then took over the year we hosted the Memorial Cup, which was a steep but good learning curve.”

Her work is a blend of her real job and volunteer time.

Zelmer is actually employed by the Brandon School Division and the team is part of her assignment, but she works extra time off the clock as well.

In her 16 years with the Wheat Kings, Zelmer has worked with two owners, five general managers and seven coaches. Regardless of who she’s dealt with, she said the organization’s focus on academics has been a huge help.

“I don’t think people always realize just how seriously the league takes it,” Zelmer said. “I’m submitting academic reports regularly and working on plans and I think in all my years of doing this, one time (former owner) Kelly McCrimmon and I were on a phone call with the league about a 19-year-old who slipped through the cracks and didn’t graduate on time.

“It was a very quick, efficient plan of having that student graduate or he would not be playing in this league. I think that’s a really serious, good message to give.”

Jared Jacobson brings a unique perspective to Zelmer’s work. The Wheat Kings owner also has a son on the team, Jaxon, so he can appreciate what she offers in a couple of ways.

“I think it’s priceless having a great person like Glenda,” Jacobson said. “I see at home with the different online schooling how it works, trying to get everything organized and making sure the kids do things with their schedules and balancing hockey and the rest and academics.

“It’s great having the structure and the program set up at Crocus Plains. Glenda is huge.”

Two players Zelmer has worked with have won the WHL’s Daryl K. Doc Seaman Memorial Trophy as scholastic player of the year, Tanner Kaspick in 2015-16 and Mantei in 2022-23.

In addition, the Wheat Kings won the Jim Donlevy Memorial Trophy in 2021-22 after being named the WHL’s scholastic team of the year.

“It’s always been something that has been preached around here, that school comes first and you better be showing up to your classes and you better be doing a job and at least passing,” Mantei said. “If you’re letting it slide a little bit, you’ll be disciplined in most cases, and for good reason. School is important and is something everybody needs.

“At some point in your life, hockey is not going to be there and it’s good to have something to fall back on.”

Boehm chuckles when asked if Zelmer has to occasionally use a little more of the metaphorical stick than carrot to keep players serious about their academic requirements.

“I would say we’re pretty self motivated but Glenda has her second side and she can really get mad and make sure you’re doing your work,” Boehm said. “It’s good. It keeps us all on task and making sure we’re staying ahead.”

CHALLENGES

Zelmer’s job would be easy if every province had all the same academic rules, but they certainly don’t. There are some real differences, which create extra headaches.

For instance, Saskatchewan runs a parallel Catholic school system and Manitoba doesn’t offer religious studies. Alberta also has a unique requirement for a course that must be taken to graduate, so in both instances, the students have to rely on online courses from their home province.

Another hurdle is the Alberta departmental exams, which have to be taken at the same time by everybody. If the team is on the road, those players have to get to a writing centre. A year ago, Zelmer took some Lethbridge Hurricanes players to Crocus Plains so they could write a three-hour exam.

As a result, some players like to take transferrable Manitoba courses because the requirements are less stringent about when and where they take their exams.

With their busy hockey lives, there is also limited time she can spend with them.

“They’re only here with me at least two hours in the morning so that’s a tight, tight scheduling so we have to make the most of those two hours,” Zelmer said.

Brandon-based players who were already attending Vincent Massey or Neelin can stay in their school if they wish, with Zelmer monitoring their progress and remaining in communication with staff. They are also required to come to study hall.

The biggest issue is when the team heads out on long road trips. While former teacher and assistant coach Del Pedrick holds study hall on the road, the education system certainly isn’t geared for students being three provinces away on school days.

That means the buy-in has to go beyond Zelmer and the players, the team and the league.

“I’ve never had an issue with a teacher,” she said. “They’ve grown quite accustomed to their scheduling. They’re flexible. When they’re getting home at 5 in the morning, they’re not writing that chemistry test at 9 or pre-calc test. They’re supporting the boys, giving them their contact information, helping them when they’re on the road.

“They reach out to them, they encourage them. They get assignments and Del does study hall on the road with them as well. They do tests on the road.

“It takes a real village to help these guys and support their learning, and I can’t say enough about everybody involved.”

She noted many players have been living away from home for a while before they even get to Brandon as they attend prep schools or move to play for under-18 teams, so they bring an unusual level of maturity and drive with them.

When it comes to academics, the motivation usually starts at home.

“I’ve always been a big school guy,” said Mantei, who has taken a pair of university courses since he graduated. “My mom is a teacher and they’ve always preached school first. Once they found out that Glenda was so good at what she does, I think let them ease off a little bit.

“They knew Glenda was going to be taking care of us and making sure we got our stuff done and getting all the right classes and that she has us looked after. It was definitely nice to have someone like her to help us out along the way.”

It’s a similar story with Boehm.

“In our family, we take our academics very seriously,” Boehm said. “I think I was very motivated because I want to do post-secondary. Obviously my parents are very happy with Glenda, seeing the support she gives us and making sure we’re staying on track.”

NCAA BOMBSHELL

In a way, Zelmer’s work became even more important this winter.

While players are encouraged to take university courses after they graduate from high school — the WHL partners with Athabasca University for online learning — that’s taken on a new urgency since the NCAA changed its rules last November that granted eligibility to major junior players. That changed an existing precedent that had been in place for more than 40 years, and has put the pressure on Zelmer and other academic advisors around the league to fully understand what the players need to qualify.

Overagers Marcus Nguyen and Luke Shipley have committed to American schools, and six Wheat Kings took university courses this winter, a new high for Zelmer.

“So on top of high school, I’m working university as well,” Zelmer said. “NCAA was a learning curve. Although I had some (non-hockey) students at Crocus look at going NCAA, you really wanna make sure you have a good understanding of it because I never want to set a student up to not be successful.

“One of the things this year of course we had to learn very quickly was managing the 20-year-olds, because if they’re not registered full-time in second semester that affects their eligibility.”

Now Zelmer is trying to establish exactly what the NCAA’s full-time requirement means and how she’ll square that with their busy hockey lives.

“We also have to take a look at their transcripts and make sure that they can get in the door,” Zelmer said. “That’s where we’ve been fortunate because our players have all come in very well educated. I know any of the boys that have committed to NCAA has not been an issue and they’ve been accepted with full rides so that’s kudos to Marcus and Luke Shipley. Both are strong, strong students and have done well.”

Jacobson acknowledges it’s a big job.

“It’s been tricky this year,” Jacobson said. “As time goes on, that will be smoother once everybody feels out the requirements and even courses that were taken that might have been taken in good faith, that they will be a benefit. Moving forward, everybody will know a lot more too on making sure everybody has what they need before they apply or are offered a scholarship.”

WORK RECOGNIZED

Sometimes in this noisy, look-at-me world, the people who quietly do important work are acknowledged.

The league introduced the annual WHL Distinguished Service Award in 2004, presenting it to people who make extraordinary contributions over an extended period to the team and league by working tirelessly behind the scenes.

When Zelmer was presented with the award a year ago, she became the sixth education advisor to win it, joining Bernie Bajnok of the Calgary Hitmen, Sue Johnson of the Portland Winterhawks, Rose Mary Hartney of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Nella Rounsville of the Kootenay Ice and Colleen MacBean of the Swift Current Broncos.

“For 15 years, Glenda has been instrumental in ensuring Wheat Kings players succeed academically,” commissioner Dan Near said in a release at the time. “Education advisors provide important support to WHL players off the ice. Glenda’s efforts have made a lasting impact on the many players she has worked with.”

She was the first person with ties to the Wheat Kings to be honoured and Mantei was delighted with the choice.

“I think that was awesome,” Mantei said. “It’s super nice that the league recognized her. To a lot of people, she goes unnoticed and goes about her business and doesn’t want the spotlight on her, it’s always about us.

“She’s always helping us out so it was really nice for her to get a little bit of credit and recognition, as much she would rather it be on us. We love her and she does a lot for us, so I was really happy to see that.”

For Zelmer’s part, the work is all the reward she needs.

“When you’re doing something you already enjoy, to get that little pat on the back is really something,” Zelmer said. “I truly enjoy this. I truly enjoy meeting the boys. I love seeing wherever their paths take them … I’ve had a couple keep in touch with me just even now back in the real world. They’re working, they’re parents themselves and I think that’s just really neat to see how they’ve evolved and how well they’ve done.

“It’s just truly an honour to be recognized for something you already enjoy doing.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson