Fans of the 1972 St. Albert High women’s volleyball team were quick to point out the 2015 3A lady Skyhawks were not the first provincial champions in school history, as suggested in the Dec. 2 issue of the Gazette.
In the Dec. 6, 1972 issue of the Gazette, a five-paragraph article on page seven, complete with team picture, detailed the senior girls’ victory at the Provincial ‘B’ Volleyball Championship in Camrose.
St. Albert High competed against nine other schools and “after a full day’s play the girls from St. Albert proved to be the best in the province.”
The article stated: “They returned home with the Alberta Schools Athletic Association trophy and in so doing provided St. Albert High with its first ever provincial championship trophy.
“In sectional play the girls had wins over Crescent Heights of Medicine Hat (the winner for the past four years), Queen Elizabeth of Calgary, St. Francis Xavier of Edmonton and Ponoka. In semifinal play St. Albert defeated Okotoks and then defeated Camrose in the final match.
“The girls and coaches were congratulated at a general assembly of students on Monday morning by Mr. R. Johnston, principal of the school, and Mr. D. LaBelle, chairman of the Board of School District #3.”
The players, as listed in the cutline of the team photo, were Shirley Bokenfohr, Gail Hermanutz, Carmen Gibeau, Sandy Willas, Wendy Sopchuk, Cathy Medland, Linda McGillis, Darcy Brenneis, Letitia Sopchuk, Lorna McGillis, Maggie Bourgeois and Faye Brenneis.
The coaches were Sharon Marchand and Diane Stoutenberg.
According to the article, the coaches were “extremely pleased with the girls’ performance in the tournament and felt that the whole weekend was a great success.”
