Local leaders take part in Project Forecheck

This year, the four North Stars players were Taryn Kotchorek, Levi Kleiboer, Cody Spagrud, and Layne Young. Those players will now take what they have learned and use it to educate youth in the Battlefords area about making good decisions and what the consequences can be if you don’t.

The North Stars are the only SJHL team to take part in such an initiative. The Saskatoon Blades and Regina Pats of the WHL have been involved in the program for years (although under a different name).

“Our purpose was to go down there and gain as much knowledge on life choices as we could,” Johnson said. “I think that’s ultimately what it comes down to: emphasizing the importance of life choices. And unfortunately, I think some people have gone down the wrong path and it’s definitely one spectrum to another.

“For our players and my perspective, it’s something we haven’t seen before and… I think we’ve gained so much knowledge that we can bring back to our community and we’re very happy about that opportunity.”

One thing that stood out for the players this year was hearing from a former junior hockey player who had made it semi-pro by playing in the ECHL. But he ultimately made some bad decisions and is now living on East Hastings in Vancouver.

“That was definitely a shocker for sure,” Spagrud said. “What I took from it is anyone can end up down there — from any background.”

“That was a pretty big eye opener,” Kotchorek added. “I was pretty ready for some pretty crazy stuff just from the stories from last year and it was pretty crazy.”

Last year, Kendall Fransoo, Troy Gerein, Logan Nachtegaele, and Connor Sych made the trip out west with Johnson.

Even though Johnson knew a little bit of what to expect because of that first trip, it’s still always an eye-opening experience.

“You see these people at the lowest of their low,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to not get emotional, seeing how the people down there are just ordinary people that made poor decisions.

“The realization of finding out that it can happen to anyone is the hardest part to understand,” Johnson added.

The players and Johnson are now excited to help out their community because they know how important it is.

“It’s very important to teach kids that the decisions you make in life can be bad or good, depending on how you take it,” Kotchorek said. “You could end up on East Hastings or you could be a doctor for all you want.”

“Anytime you can contribute to society and make it a better place for everybody, I think from our organization’s standpoint, we’re going to take advantage of it,” Johnson added. “Obviously [there has been] lots of help from the RCMP, especially in our community. I think the young men in this room are role models to lots of people in this community so we’re going to take advantage of it.”

For schools in the area that would like the North Stars and RCMP to do a presentation on life choices for kids in Grades 6-8, please contact the North Stars office at 306-445-7827.

Nathan Kanter is battlefordsNOW’s sports reporter and voice of the Battlefords North Stars. He can be reached at Nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca or tweet him @NathanKanter11

by Nathan Kanter

Local leaders take part in Project Forecheck

What's Trending