Ball and Curling
Numerous Championships & Medals
Volunteer Coaches and Organizers
From 1963-2015
Wetaskiwin
born Phyllis and Bob Cleland have been sports enthusiasts all of their
lives. Phyllis grew up in Westerose and Bob in Angus Ridge, both small
communities where sport was their source of entertainment. In their
youth Phyllis and Bob curled in the winter and played ball in the summer
in their respective communities. When they married they took up
residence on their farm in the Angus Ridge community and then their
participation was in Angus Ridge for ball and Wetaskiwin for curling.
The Clelands have both been successful competitors in their sports, but
their most rewarding experiences came from involving youngsters in
sporting activities at the community level. Phyllis and Bob have
contributed much to Wetaskiwin and Wetaskiwin County through their
volunteer efforts with young people. For their contributions as coaches
and administrators and achievements as athletes they are being inducted
into the Wetaskiwin & County Sports Hall of Fame.
Fifty Years of
Competing
Forty Year of Teamwork
Both Phyllis and Bob were
ball competitors. From 1965 to 1985 Phyllis pitched for various
Wetaskiwin Ladies teams. Her teams won several berths to the
Provincials and in 1975 won the Provincial Silver Medal. Bob played
ball for Wetaskiwin teams in the 1960’s and 1970’s including the Johnny
Alberg Combines, Tiretown, and Wetaskiwin Implements. Bob also played
baseball for Edberg, Ferintosh and Calmar for a number of years. 1n
1997 Bob was a member of the Falun men’s Slo-Pitch team that represented
Alberta at the Canadian Slo-pitch Championships. In men’s slo-pitch Bob
also won a bronze medal at the 2009 55-plus Alberta Summer Games and a
gold medal in the 2011 55-plus Alberta Summer Games.
As well as competing in
ball, both Phyllis and Bob organized and coached ball teams. When
Phyllis taught physical education in Wetaskiwin, for a few years in the
late 1960’s she used school ball diamonds after school hours to provide
ball experiences for youngsters. In the 1980’s Bob and his cousin Dennis
Thirsk were instrumental in building a community ball diamond at Angus
Ridge where he and Phyllis were able to involve community kids in
fastball and slo-pitch. Bob coached a boys team and Phyllis coached a
girls team in the Angus Ridge area in the late 1980’s. They also
organized the Angus Ridge mixed slo-pitch team from the early 1990’s
until 2010. Phyllis and Bob are proud that the Angus Ridge ball team
still exists and the well maintained diamond is used four times a week
by the Wetaskiwin Slo-pitch league. This continued use is certainly
proof that Phyllis and Bob’s organizational efforts over the years kept
the community involved and interested in playing ball.
Curling Bonspiels Keep
Clelands Busy
Winning Teams from 1960-2013
In the 1960’s Bob competed
at the highest level in curling against many of the most well known
curlers of the era including Baldwin, Gervais, Watchhorn and Northcott.
In 1963-64 Bob won a silver placing at the Massey Ferguson Provincial
Playdowns. In 1967 and 1969 he also won berths to the Northern Alberta
Curling Association playdowns (NACA) by winning the Wetaskiwin Zone
Playdowns. Bob also represented Wetaskiwin at the NACA mixed playdowns
in 1965 and 1966. Also during the 1960’s Bob competed in Calgary and
Edmonton at the major Car spiels and won two used car bonspiels in
Wetaskiwin (1967 & 1968). Phyllis and Bob teamed up and representing
Wetaskiwin won four more berths to the NACA mixed playdowns in 1967,
1968, 1970 and 1985. In 2013 Bob and Phyllis won a gold medal at the
55-plus Alberta Winter Games in the 70+ Mixed Curling event. In 2015 Bob
continued his winning ways and won a bronze medal at the 55-Plus
Alberta Winter Games in the Mens 70 Plus division. Both Phyllis and Bob
are still avid curlers, they curl regularly in Wetaskiwin leagues and
continue to enter the tryouts to qualify for the 55-plus Winter Games.
Coaching Success for
Junior Ladies
Phyllis was a director of
the Wetaskiwin Curling Club for a number of years and during the 1980’s
and 1990’s she taught Junior curling at the club. As well, from 1991 to
1993 Phyllis coached the WCHS boys team and from 1992 to 1995 she
coached the WCHS girls team. The 1995 WCHS girls team won a Provincial
Bronze Medal. In the 1990’s as a level 3 Curling coach Phyllis also
coached both a Junior Men’s Competitive curling team and a Junior Ladies
Competitive team, both teams were from Wetaskiwin. In 1993 the girls
won the Neil Moyer spiel in Edmonton and the prize was an all-expense
paid trip to the Ray Kingsmith Bonspiel in Calgary 1994. That year her
Junior Ladies team won the Ray Kingsmith Memorial Bonspiel in Calgary
and defended their title in 1995. With each win they were awarded a
$2000 post secondary curling scholarship. In 1996 her Junior Girls team
won the Alberta Games Gold Medal and in 1996-1997 they were also the
Junior Ladies Northern Alberta B winners and placed third at the
Provincials. At the 1997 Junior Ladies Provincial Playdowns Phyllis
received the Coaches Award, a fitting tribute to her coaching abilities
and volunteer time. Phyllis also coached a Junior Ladies team
representing Red Deer that qualified for the Southern Alberta Curling
Association Playdowns. Mixed Curling was another of Phyllis’ coaching
realms. Her mixed curling team won Northern berths to the Provincials
in 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2013-2014. In 2009-2010 the team won the
Provincial Silver medal. All in all these achievements were exceptional
coaching successes.
As a team and for more
than forty years, Bob and Phyllis Cleland have made an outstanding
contribution to our sporting community as coaches and volunteers in
curling and ball. As well, they have represented Wetaskiwin as
impressive competitors for over 50 years. We applaud their selfless
dedication and the time they have spent devoted to the youth of
Wetaskiwin and County and are indeed proud to induct them into our
Sports Hall of Fame.
Information
about an inductee is collected from published sources,
sports archives, scrapbooks,
anecdotal information from family, friends and fans, and the
athlete.
However, sometimes
the best stories and personal insights are gleaned at the induction dinner from
the introductory comments or acceptance speech of the
inductee or their representative.
Where possible we have included this type of information for
your enjoyment.
Read the
opening comments made by Sandy Write when introducing
Phyllis and Bob Cleland.
|