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2 local athletes shine as RDC Athletes of the Week

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RDC Queens forward Avery Lajeunnesse

From RDC Athletics 

Red Deer College Athletics is proud to announce the Bedford Food Company Athletes of the Week

  1. Avery Lajeunnesse – Queens Hockey

Hometown – Red Deer, AB

Open Studies (1st year)

Avery Lajeunnesse had a remarkable weekend on the ice for the Queens. The first-year forward played a key role helping the RDC Queens earn three of a possible four points against the NAIT Ooks. Both teams entered the two game series tied for second place in the league, but after a 3-2 victory on Friday and a close 5-4 shootout setback, the Queens (10-4-2-0) jumped one point over the Ooks (10-5-1-0) in the standings, for sole possession of second. While Lajeunnesse worked hard and played well on Friday, she really shone in Saturday’s rematch. The Open Studies student used her speed and scored a hat trick, leading both squads. Her first two goals came within 37 seconds of each other in the opening frame. The third marker was recorded late in the second period. For her dominant performance, Lajeunnesse was named the Queens Player-of-the-Game. In 16 games, she has six goals and six assists which is impressive, especially for a first-year player.

  1. Cody White – Kings Basketball

Hometown – Red Deer, AB

Kinesiology Fitness-Health (4th year)

Six-foot-two guard Cody White was very effective and efficient in Saturday’s 88-75 victory over the Broncos in Olds. Cody, who is a Kinesiology Fitness-Health student, led RDC with 20 points. He added a pair of offensive rebounds. The rate that the fourth-year scored was especially impressive considering he only played 19 minutes. Cody’s shooting accuracy made it difficult on the Broncos’ defenders and allowed him to score at a pace of over a point per minute. He hit five out of eight from beyond the three-point arc and three-of-four from the free-throw line. The talented student-athlete from Red Deer is an important veteran member of the Kings and brings a hard-working, positive attitude to practices and games. With the road win, the Kings remain in the playoff conversation. The RDC Kings (6-5) and Briercrest College Clippers (6-5) share third spot in the competitive Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Men’s Basketball South Division.

Make Some Time and Make Some Noise

Everyone is subjected to potential stress from school, work, finances and relationships, which is why

RDC is encouraging students, staff and faculty to start a dialogue about mental health and engage in activities through Make Some Time, which started January 20.

Participants can join the conversation by attending a variety of wellness activities on campus. At these events they can enter a draw for the chance to win a tuition credit, equivalent to $380.25. The draw will take place after the second set of the Kings Volleyball game on Friday, January 24. The winner does not have to be in attendance.

The Red Deer College campaign, Make Some Time, will lead into the RBC sponsored ACAC initiative, Make Some Noise for Mental Health, on January 24. RBC representatives will be on site and there will be a variety of prizes, including pizza and prepaid Visa cards.

Make Some Noise | January 24

6:00 pm | Queens Volleyball, Kings to follow | Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

7:00 pm | Kings Hockey | Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

Make Some Noise for Mental Health is also endorsed by Canadian Mental Health Association that encourages empathy, understanding and open mindedness for those experiencing mental illness and those who are impacted.  

RBC has been a long-time supporter of the College. They have provided significant funding to the College’s Student Ambassadors Program. In addition to their ongoing support for Make Some Noise, they’ve assisted with RDC scholarships and the Student Emergency Bursary.

This Week in Red Deer College Athletics

In a battle between the top two teams in ACAC Men’s Hockey, the RDC Kings will play the NAIT Ooks in a home-and-home series. The Hockey Queens and Olds College Broncos will hit the ice in a pair of games. Both volleyball squads will face the Ambrose University Lions. The Red Deer College Indoor Track team will compete at Running Room Grand Prix #1 in Edmonton. The RDC Curling team will participate in the Winter Regional. Both basketball teams will travel south and challenge the Lethbridge College Kodiaks.

Here is a summary of what is happening this week:

Queens Hockey | Thursday, Jan. 23 | 7:00 pm | Olds College

The second place Red Deer College Queens (10-4-2-0) will compete against the Broncos (3-11-2-0) in Olds. Camryn Wallan and Avery Lajeunnesse share the team lead in points with 12. After her hat trick against NAIT, Lajeunnesse took over the Queens’ goal scoring lead with six. Eight student-athletes have four goals each.

Queens Hockey | Saturday, Jan. 25 | 7:00 pm | Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

The Queens will tangle with the Broncos at home.

Kings Hockey | Friday, Jan. 24 | 7:00 p.m. | Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

The second place Hockey Kings (13-3-2-0) will face-off against the top seed NAIT Ooks (16-2-0-0).

The Kings trail the Ooks by four points entering the weekend series.

RDC’s power play has been very effective, scoring 22 times with the man-advantage and clicking at 25.9 per cent. Austin Hunter leads the way with five power play markers.

Kings Hockey | Saturday, Jan. 25 | 6:00 p.m. | NAIT

The Kings will meet the Ooks in the second half of the home-and-home series.

Queens Volleyball | Friday, Jan. 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

The second place Queens (12-2) will play the third seed Ambrose University Lions (10-6) at home. The RDC Queens have been playing a solid brand of volleyball.

Red Deer’s Emma Holmes is one of the Queens’ most efficient and effective offensive weapons. She sits fourth in the league with 3.14 kills per set and 0.364 hitting percentage.

Queens Volleyball | Saturday, Jan. 25 | 6:00 p.m. | Ambrose University

The Lions will host the Queens in Calgary.

Kings Volleyball | Friday, Jan. 24 | 8:00 p.m. | Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre

The RDC Kings (10-4) will entertain the Lions (1-15). The Kings share third in the south with the Briercrest College Clippers (10-6), but have also played two fewer matches. RDC has only participated in 14 matches. Ambrose University, Olds College, Medicine Hat College, Briercrest College and Lethbridge College have played in 16 matches. SAIT has hit the court the most (18) in the south.

Setter Thomas Wass sits at the top of the ACAC with 8.86 assists per set.

Kings Volleyball | Saturday, Jan. 25 | 8:00 p.m. | Ambrose University

The Kings will contend with the Lions on the road.

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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End of an era for Red Deer Minor baseball Braves

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From Red Deer Minor Baseball Board of Directors

Following many discussions within the Red Deer community, the baseball community, our association members, as well as our board of directors we have made the decision to move forward with rebranding our teams, currently known as the Braves. For our association the Braves name symbolized warrior strength, bravery and resilience, all qualities we were proud to align with; and although the initial moniker of our teams was never intended to carry a derogatory or disrespectful connotation, for some, it has. The topic of our rebrand has been polarizing and arguments both for and against have been passionately presented. We have made the decision to move forward in the direction we feel is best for our association.

In alignment with the membership majority vote, the Red Deer Minor Baseball Board of Directors is excited to announce that we will now be known as the Red Deer Rangers.

The Red Deer Rangers will retain our current navy and crimson colors and will not adopt the colors or logo of the MLB, NHL, or any other Rangers franchise. We are looking forward to forging our own identity and embracing our own look.

As you can appreciate this is a complex initiative that will take time. We will remain the Braves for the 2024 season and aim to have our rebrand complete for the 2025 season.

All participants that submitted the Rangers name during our rebranding poll, will be entered into a draw to receive the first Red Deer Rangers jersey.

We hope you will join us in celebrating this positive endeavor as we create a new inclusive legacy for our association that all can be proud of.

RDMBA Board of Directors

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Red Deer Minor Hockey is proud to announce our new General Manager Lane Moore

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From Red Deer Minor Hockey 

The Red Deer Minor Hockey Board of Directors is pleased & honored to announce, after an extensive search, that Lane Moore has accepted the position of General Manager of Red Deer Minor Hockey.  Lane will start his new role early in the new year & is very excited about leading our organization into the future as we aim to provide a positive learning and maturing experience for all of our young athletes & coaches in a minor hockey setting.

Lane comes into the role of General Manager with an extensive resume, in both hockey and administration.  Lane has led the Bentley school as principal for the last 17 years & was an educator prior to that.  On the hockey side, Lane’s passion for coaching & engaging with young athletes, dates back to 2002.  His most recent involvement as a coach with Red Deer Minor Hockey saw Lane lead the U17AAA North Star Chiefs for 2 seasons (21-22, 22-23).  Prior to his work with Red Deer Minor Hockey Lane served as President of Rimbey Minor Hockey for several seasons.

One of Lane’s biggest strengths is his ability to create highly effective teams by building a common mission & vision & then executing on those through visionary leadership.  These attributes shone through during this General Manager search and we are thrilled for Lane to lead this organization now & into the future as we aim to be one of the premier Minor Hockey Associations in the province.

Lane, his wife Kathleen & their three children Easton, Cooper & Lexi call Red Deer home.  His son Cooper is the captain of Red Deer U18AAA Optimist Chiefs & his older son Easton is pursuing his hockey career and post-secondary studies in Massachusetts.  Please join us in congratulating Lane Moore as the new General Manager of the Red Deer Minor Hockey Commission, welcome Lane!

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