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 Ron Emmerling moved to Wetaskiwin from a
farm west of the city when he was eight years old. Sports
have always been part of his life and Ron excelled in
hockey, baseball and fast-pitch softball. He competed in
these sports and also contributed to our sporting community
by coaching, instructing and serving on various
committees.
During his youth, Ron participated in Wetaskiwin’s minor
hockey program. Because of his hockey skills he was
selected to the All-Star teams at the bantam, midget and
juvenile levels playing in inter-league and provincial
play-offs.
Hockey
Highlights as Athlete
In 1955, after
Juveniles, Ron was invited to attend the try-out camps of
the New York Rangers and the Junior ‘A’ Medicine Hat Tigers.
Choosing to stay in Wetaskiwin, Ron started playing for the
Colonels. During the time that Wetaskiwin had no arena, Ron
played hockey for the Ponoka Stampeders (1955-56, 1956-57)
and the Camrose Maroons (1958-59, 1959-60). When the
Colonels were re-organized after the opening of the new
arena in 1962, Ron once more played with the Colonels and in
1963-64 they won the League Championship. He retired in 1970
after the team again won the League Championship and also
the Provincial “C” Championships. He resumed playing hockey
with the Old-Timer Relics from 1975-1983. The Relics
participated and won in tournaments played in Holland,
Lethbridge, Victoria, Camrose, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
Baseball, Softball Highlights as Athlete
Ron
began playing softball at Dundonald country school at the
age of seven. When he moved to town he played softball at
Alexandra School. Their team was outstanding and when he
was in Junior High they beat the High School team. Ron
began playing baseball in 1955 in the Alberta Jubilee League
which was established to celebrate Alberta’s 50th year as a
province. His team, the “Wales Hotel Cubs” was coached by
Al Arner and competed against Camrose, Bashaw, New Norway
and Leduc. For the three years that the league existed
(1955,’56’57), the Cubs were League Champions. When the
league folded Ron played for two years in Ponoka (1958,
1959) and then two years for the Red Deer Dodgers (1960,
1961) in the Edmonton City League. Although Ron played all
positions throughout his baseball career, he was most adept
at catching. It was while playing in Ponoka that Ron caught
a game for the “legend”, Satchel Paige. When baseball faded
in popularity and most
 centers
switched to softball, so did Ron and his Wetaskiwin
teammates. Their softball team, the “Sportshop Cubs” won
several league championships. After softball, Ron played
Slow Pitch with the Legion’s Team.
Leadership Role for Emmerling
"Coaching, unquestionably, was one of the major contributing
factors in the Colonels' championship successes."
In 1965, while
Ron was playing hockey for the Colonels, he attended the
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association Hockey Leadership Course
held in Calgary. The intensive, seven day program was
instructed by Clare Drake, Father David Bauer and Al Rollins
and Ron learned a lot. After the clinic, Ron agreed to act
as Player-Coach for the Colonels during the 1965-66 season.
Ron found the dual capacity too much and stepped down after
one year. When Ron retired from playing in 1970, he once
more became the Colonels Coach and remained so for the next
five seasons. During his tenure, Ron coached the team to
two League Championships (1971-72 & 1973-74), one North-Am
Championship (1973-74) and two Intermediate “B” Provincial
Championships (1971-72 & 1973-74). The last Colonels team
that he coached (1974-75) was considered to be the best of
the era but, due to injuries to key players during the
playoffs, the Colonels were runner-up finalists in both
League and Provincial Finals. The following quote appeared
in the Colonels’ hockey program.
“The Colonels
have provided Wetaskiwin with an excellent brand of
hockey entertainment. Coaching, unquestionably, was one
of the major contributing factors in the championship
successes. Ron Emmerling brings an aggressive,
fiercely-competitive attitude to the team’s leadership.
Along with his demonstrated coaching ability, these
characteristics have resulted in utmost success for the
Colonels.”
…a real
tribute to Ron’s coaching method and achievements
Ron did coach
hockey for three more seasons: 1993-95, 1995-96 and 1997-98,
when he was the assistant coach for the Junior “B”
Wetaskiwin Icemen.
Emmerling's Hockey Clinics Fantastic Success
After attending
the Hockey Leadership Course that was held in Calgary in
1965, Ron felt similar clinics should be held in
Wetaskiwin. The opportunity presented itself when he became
coach of the Colonels in 1970. He organized and conducted
hockey clinics in Wetaskiwin under the umbrella of the
Recreation Department every year from 1971 until 1975. In
1983 and 1984 he did the same in Alder Flats. Instruction
was provided in skills, on-ice drills, systems, rules,
safety and psychology. The results were fantastic, as many
as 75 players enrolled each year in Wetaskiwin and the small
hamlet of Alder Flats had 35 kids both years. A number of
coaches involved in minor hockey also attended to pick up
ideas on drills and coaching. Players from the Colonels and
the Relics assisted. These clinics helped to align minor
hockey in Wetaskiwin under a similar style of play. Almost
immediately, results were seen when minor leaguers moved up
to intermediate hockey making it unnecessary to rebuild the
Colonels every year. The team was merely “re-tooled” with
local players and that is why the Colonels were so
successful.
Emmerling Shines Beyond the Bench
As a member of
the Kinsmen Club, Ron was on a Committee in 1960-61 that
influenced and supported the installation of artificial ice
and infra-red heating in the Civic Centre which was being
built. During the late 1970’s he worked on the Committee
which realized the construction of the second arena in
Wetaskiwin. After he stepped down from coaching in 1975,
Ron served on the Colonels executive for one year. In
1977-78 he was a member of the Alberta Men’s Intermediate
Hockey League Commissioner’s Committee. This committee
drafted pre-season understandings regarding disciplinary
punishments of players and coaches committing major
infractions. The Committee then became the Review Committee
when actual cases occurred and specific punishments were
handed down.
Ron also coached
T-Ball teams and assisted Val Fonteyne with coaching a
Bantam fastball team to the Provincial Championship. As
well, Ron and Roger Vold organized the bowling league for
the high school. Besides hockey and ball, Ron was also an
avid golfer, curler, downhill skier, bowler and badminton
player. He curled on a team that won the Club Championship
and went on the win their zone in the Kinsmen playoffs and
place third in the Provincials.
Ron Emmerling has
contributed immensely to sports in Wetaskiwin as a player
and coach: on numerous championship teams; as an organizer
and instructor of hockey schools that benefitted many
players and coaches; working behind the scenes on various
committees that influenced sport in the community. We
recognize and appreciate his efforts, ability, dedication
and successes and proudly induct him into the Wetaskiwin and
County Sports Hall of Fame as an Athlete-Builder.
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