John Bender was an outstanding high school athlete. His ability and passion led him to excel well beyond high school into the ranks of university and the pros.
In his grade 10 year at Three Hills School, 2002/03 John won gold in the Junior Boys Shot put at ASAA Provincials. In grade 11, he moved to Cochrane and there he won an additional three throws medals (2 Shot Put, 1 Discus) at ASAA provincials by the end of Grade 12 as a, member of the Cochrane High School Track and Field team, which won the 3A Championship banner in both his Grade 11 & 12 years.

But it did not stop there. Whilst at Cochrane High School, John also won gold with the Cochrane Cobra’s Tier III Football team in 2003 and 2004, and Basketball Gold with their 3A Boys basketball team in 2004. Collecting 7 Provincial Gold Medals in his ASAA career. John was also part of the Junior National Track team in 2004, and attended the Royal Canadian Legion Youth Track & Field Championships in Kitchener in 2003 and Sudbury in 2004. He placed 3rd in shot put in 2003 (15.15m, becoming an Athletics Alberta Record), John, then had a Shot Put toss of 16.71M in 2004 - winning national Gold at the U17 Track & Field Championships.

John signed a full scholarship to the University of Nevada, Reno. There he played NCAA Division 1 Football (FBS). The Nevada Wolf Pack would play in 5 bowl games during his college career. In his Senior season (2010) Nevada finished the season 13-1, ranked 15th in the Associated Press polls, out of 120 Division 1 NCAA teams
John was a 4 year starter and graduated with a dual major in Marketing and Management.
In the spring of 2010, John was drafted into the CFL by the Calgary Stampeders. After John completed his degree and played his Senior season in the fall of 2010 at Nevada, he moved on to the CFL. John signed a contract with the Calgary Stampeders on May 10, 2011.
Currently, John lives in Calgary and works as a CFP Professional with IG Wealth Management.

Marg McCuaig-Boyd was always involved in sports as a high school student athlete and organizer. She coordinated intramurals and had always wanted to coach so she became a teacher, coaching was an important aspect of what she did. Marg coached everything from Volleyball and Basketball to Curling and Track & Field. In addition to her coaching, Marg was instrumental in bringing ASAA Provincial Championships to the North West. She hosted the 2A Boys Volleyball Provincials, 2A Boys Basketball Provincials and Track & Field Provincials (Fairview in 1992 and the 50^th in Edmonton in 2008). Marg also hosted numerous zone tournaments at both the junior and senior high levels. These events were always well organized with special attention paid to fair play and sportsmanship.

Marg was a teacher, principal and curriculum facilitator for more than 20 years serving northern Alberta, specifically in the Peace Region. Most of her teaching career was at Fairview High where she dedicated much of her spare time to the athletic program. Marg was also very active in the North West Zone and with ASAA. She was the NW Zone President from 1990 to 1998, ASAA Girls Director of Athletics from 1992-1994, ASAA Vice President in 1997, ASAA President from 1998-1999, ASAA Sportsmanship Commissioner from 2001-2005. As a true servant leader, Marg came back to the Executive Committee as Executive Member at Large starting in 2013 and continued to May 2015 when she was elected into the Alberta Government and became the Minister of Energy.

Marg has sat on several ASAA committees, served as guest speaker at ASAA Provincial Championships, and has made presentations on behalf of ASAA. Marg has also represented ASAA at the School Sport Canada (CSSF) national meetings. One of Marg’s special interests as an Executive Member was the promotion of sportsmanship among athletes, coaches and spectators. In fitting tribute to Marg, the 1A Girls’ Volleyball Sportsmanship Plaque was named named in her honour and is given out to deserving teams each year.

Marg is an innovative cutting edge leader ~ Joyce Loucks

Bill began his teaching and coaching career at Senator Riley High School in High River, over 35 years ago. Senator Riley High would later become Highwood High. Bill coached Tier III and IV Football from 1981-2015, and was involved in various capacities on the coaching staff in the positions of Assistant Coach, Defensive Coordinator, Line Coach and Head Coach. He also coached wrestling from 1981-2005. Bill started the Rugby Program at Highwood High in 2007 and will continue to coach the girls team in his final year before retirement.
Bill’s most significant contribution was in the sport of wrestling, which he started coaching in 1981 and continued until 2005. Between girls and boys teams, he won 11 Rural Provincial Championship Banners and 10 Provincial Championship Banners - an amazing feat. The ASAA’s 3A Girls Rural Provincial Championship Trophy has been named in his honour. He was also awarded the Alberta Amateur Wrestling Association’s Coach of the Year in 1991, as well as the Outstanding Achievement Award in 2005.

‘Bill’s thirty five year teaching/coaching career is a testament to his superior skill as an elite coach and his exemplary character as a role model.’ ~ Rob Bennington, colleague~
‘Bill gave us small-town kids a sense of belonging, with a spot on the team for everyone. He was a builder of our character as well as our athleticism.’ ~ Ted Crawford, former student athlete ~

‘Bill was more to me than simply a coach or a teacher, but rather the father figure that I did not have growing up. The lessons I learned are a direct reflection of the man that I today, instilling those same values to my own son…[Bill] is still giving back with his teaching and philosophies and he doesn’t even know it.’ ~ Ted Crawford, former student athlete ~

‘Bill’s ability to develop relationships with student athletes not only inspired many to become champions but also to pursue coaching in wrestling, football and rugby. These coaches are an important part of the legacy that Bill has established across the province. To this day many athletes regard him as a father figure.’ ~Rob Bennington, colleague~

Lenis is a senior official who has refereed over 20 ASAA Provincial Championships, over 20 Calgary city championships as well many ASAA rural championships and countless ASAA sanctioned high school events across Alberta. Lenis also has shown, by example, to be a definitive representation of what we expect of our officials: honest, clear, spirited, and above all - of the highest level of integrity. Not only is Lenis one of the longest serving wrestling officials in Alberta, he is one of the highest ranked wrestling officials in Canada. He has been a long time promoter of wrestling both in and out of schools and has been instrumental in developing officials here in Alberta and across Canada. Through his actions, Lenis fosters good sportsmanship and has developed an excellent rapport with coaches and other officials. He is very respected within this sport, and equally shows the same respect to others in return. Lenis has won numerous awards including Official of the Year in Alberta four times. He is also an international official, having officiated at World Championships, Pan-Am Games and Commonwealth Games.

‘Lenis is still devoutly dedicated to officiating at the High School events to ensure that they receive the best environment for participation in High School Sport.’
~Michael Drought, AAWOA Secretary/Treasurer~

‘With all these accolades and his status as a top rated official, Lenis still chooses to be highly involved in wrestling at the grass roots level officiating athletes and mentoring officials and coaches at all levels of wrestling.’
~Neil Domstad, ASAA Wrestling Commissioner~