Heroes in our Midst

Episode 3 of Season 2 of “Heroes in our Midst” takes us into the world of medicine. Today’s story is special, not only because of his extraordinary accomplishments but because of the incredible human that is behind it. We thought it would be especially fitting to share today’s story with you in that our Manitoba medical system is being stretched beyond its limits right now. Most of us have no idea...

Troy Scott’s story is SO relevant to the times we are living in. Troy has worked as a teacher and a Vice-Principal in Manitoba’s education system for 20 years and now, is the principal at Oak Park High School in Winnipeg. It’s his first year as principal at Oak Park and it is COVID. Troy is also very closely connected to one of our Season 1 heroes, he’s married to Canadian National Team Diving coa...

Midfielder Desiree Scott’s motto in life is “if you love what you’re doing and you’re willing to work, the sky is the limit.” Known as “The Destroyer,” to many on the pitch, Scott’s work ethic has propelled her to stardom over the years. A Manitoba grown athlete, she chose to stay home for university, helping the newly-formed U of M soccer team to its best-ever record in 2007 while being named a c...

Winnipeg Blue Bomber Head Coach Mike O’Shea kicks off Season 2 of “Heroes in our Midst” but not only because he was a standout football player, as is proven by the fact that he played for 16 seasons and was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2017. Yes, he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1999 and he knows what winning the Grey Cup is all about it. He’s done it as a...

Ryan Karhut has been involved in football, either as a player or coach, for over 30 years. An offensive lineman in his playing days, he was a three-year starter for the Manitoba Bisons, and a captain when they won their first Vanier Cup in close to 40 years in 2007. When he was in high school, he started his coaching career at the peewee level, which taught him a tonne about the game. Currently th...

Join Michelle and Adrienne as they re-cap Season 1 with Ace Burpee.  The tables get turned and Ace Burpee helps them reflect on where they started, what they learned and what impacted them most from listening to these amazing heroes.

Riley Harrison was recruited to play receiver for the Manitoba Bisons beginning in 2014. A self-described “humble and hard-working guy,” he played for his teammates and enjoyed every second of his journey. He had his breakout season in 2016, recording 535 yards – good for seventh in the conference – from the slotback position. Entering the 2020 season, Harrison had 1,199 career receiving yards, pl...

In episode four, Michelle Sawatzky-Koop, host of the Heroes in our Midst podcast and 1996 Olympian, sits down with Sturgeon Heights teacher and coach Eric Vincent to discuss resources. Eric has dedicated his life to being a servant leader. For the past 15 years, he’s coached anywhere between one to eight sports teams a year, lending his tutelage as a former Winnipeg Rifle and Manitoba Bisons footb...

In episode three, Michelle Sawatzky-Koop, host of the heroes in our midst podcast and 1996 Olympian, sits down the Bisons football players Des Catellier and AK Gassama to discuss resiliency. The fifth-year Catellier has been the team’s starting quarterback since midway through his second season. One of the hardest-working players in program history, he endured a partially torn MCL and a few losing...

In episode two, Michelle Sawatzky-Koop sits down with Jeffrey Bannon and Sean Oleksewycz, two pillars in the Manitoba football community. Sean has coached and played at all levels of amateur football in the province. Currently the assistant defensive backs coach for the Manitoba Bisons, he’s known as a player’s coach and strives to help his players get a little bit better every day. Currently the...

Michelle is 5’6”, from Steinbach, a small city in rural Manitoba, and has a degree in Piano Performance from the University of Manitoba School of Music.  Knowing only this one may assume that this musical “short girl” who was “not from Winnipeg” would never advance further than a volleyball provincial team (if she could even make the provincial team).  Well, when you assume you make an a...

Like many, Shannon does not think of herself as a hero. In her words, “If I can be a hero to you, I am happy, but do I think I am a hero?  No.” Before Shannon walked through Steinbach Regional Secondary School's doors and changed the life of Michelle Sawatzky-Koop and many others, she was a volleyball player from Flin Flon, a small town in northern Manitoba.  Following a successful high...

A two-time Grey Cup champ, Andrew is a man of integrity who’s battled through adversity his whole life. Despite growing up without a dad and having to switch schools in grade 12, he didn’t fold. Andrew also took advantage of the opportunities presented to him. His grades weren’t up to par for university football, so he made a name for himself in junior instead. He won three national championships...

“Be proud of who you are, don’t  feel like you have to assimilate into one way of being, just be yourself and learn as much as you can about your culture as you can.”    Nadya is a 23-year-old Métis/Libyan sprint canoer who has been paddling for 18 years. She has eight World Cup and World Championships medals under her belt and 12 national titles.  She started paddling at the...

There is a piece of Kylo’s soul that belongs to Canada’s North.  He grew up in Goose Bay, then a fly-in/fly-out community in Labrador, and spent the early years of his sport career in Nunavut.  He tells us that three types of people move North, those that go to save the world - they last about three months.  Those who go for the paycheque - they last about a year, and finally, those...

Leisha Strachan knows a lot about excellence.  A talented athlete, she competed at the World Championships in Baton for the first time at age 13. She finished her competitive career with consecutive bronze medals at worlds in the pairs event.  She holds a Ph. D. and is a professor in the faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba.  When asked to s...

If we would simply list Jocelyne Larocque’s accomplishments, you’d probably agree that she’s a hero. But accomplishment alone is not what we’re looking for in our “heroes.” We want to know their story from the inside out, and Jocelyne’s got a great one. She grew up in a small town called Ste. Anne, Manitoba, and plain and simple, she just loved playing hockey and just knew that she wanted to play...

Jayme Menzies is proud of her Metis heritage. She loves her family and enjoys speaking of her parents’ unconditional support throughout her entire life journey. She played 5 years of post-secondary volleyball at the University of Winnipeg; she is presently the head coach of the Canadian Mennonite University women’s volleyball team, has been the head coach of the 19U Female North American Indigenou...

Donna is a prairie girl who grew up in small towns in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.  An RCMP kid, her family moved several times through elementary school and middle school.  In addition to always feeling like the “new” kid, she was also one of the only students to blend a commitment to sport and music, a sometimes challenging combination that would prepare her for the balancing act that wo...

Dallas’ favorite quote is, “Be yourself. It's the only way to be excellent at anything and to be a value to anyone else.”  Without question, Dallas knows who she is, and she leans into her values as she tackles tough decisions and creates a training environment where athletes can be empowered and challenged. As a coach, there are two experiences with results you can have - elation and devasta...

After over 15 years at the sport of cycling and ten years racing professionally, Leah is still very much in love with the sport saying, “I love that the freedom you get from riding a bicycle.  I'm free to go explore anywhere in the world, anywhere there’s a road.  I can go to the mountains.  I can go find beautiful places.  I can go fast and push myself.  I really just lov...

Hector has been offered positions all over the world, Miami, Costa Rica, and Mexico to name a few. He remains in Winnipeg as his kids won’t even move to a bigger home in another part of Winnipeg, let alone leave home for another part of the world. Part of what makes Hector so successful is the way he blends his life as an international soccer official with his family and his career in sport admini...

Every hero has a support crew behind them, an often-invisible team that enables them to be great. Dave Blatz is no exception. Dave is an athletic therapist. In 2018 he was working with Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes (Beach Volleyball) when they won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Australia. After winning they grabbed a cell phone and they called Dave’s family, saying , “Hi Bodie,...

Derek Ingram never dreamed he would be a coach, but when he found himself coaching the people he was competing against he realized that perhaps coaching people in golf was best done when he was not also playing against them. The Head Coach of Golf Canada’s Men’s Team, Derek believes that a trusting relationship between the player and the coach is key. Without that connection it is impossible to ma...

Alex Gardiner never planned to coach. His career started in a Winnipeg middle school hallway when a group of students approached him and said, “Mr. Gardiner, can you coach our track and field team?” Alex’s response was, “What do I need to do?” He was told that they (the athletes) had it under control and that he just needed to be present as the required adult supervisor. So, Alex attended practice...