The landscape of Airdrie’s sports scene will look much different in the fall of 2015.
The fast-growing city will officially welcome a new Grade 9-12 high school four years from now, and while the May 24 announcement by Premier Ed Stelmach was welcomed by community leaders (rightly so), it immediately led me to theorize about its place in the sports climate.
Rocky View Schools has yet to announce any naming plans, but since the new school will be in Chinook Winds (across from the Bayside subdivision), I think the choice is obvious. For those who remember the seminal and classic series Saved By The Bell, they’ll know that Zack Morris and the gang attended Bayside High – home of the Tigers.
I think the A.C. Slater gymnasium would be an intimidating environment for visiting teams to play in.
If they decide on a different, more modern (but less awesome) title, the school’s nickname will become another topic up for debate. Given that George McDougall has the Mustangs and Bert Church has the Chargers, it would seem fitting to name the new teams after horses or muscle cars.
Maybe the Colts, the Stallions, or the Wyld Stallyns (anyone remember Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure?) Perhaps the Camaros, the Firebirds or the GTO’s?
Maybe the Roughriders? No Canadian teams have used that before, right?
The annual Airdrie Bowl football game, in its current form, would likely have to change format. It could turn into a three-team tournament called the Airdrie Cup, similar to the NCAA’s Florida Cup between the University of Miami, the University of Florida and Florida State University.
Whichever team beat the other two would claim the title for that year. If the teams each won one game, they could go to a Page Playoff system.
The Rocky View Sports Association may also have to look at re-alignment for the 2015-16 season.
Maybe an all-Airdrie division, similar to the CBC’s Elliotte Friedman’s idea of an all-Canada division (if Winnipeg gets a team) in the NHL? Cochrane, Bow Valley and Springbank could form the other division and Chestermere could move out of the RVSA and join Strathmore in the Golden Hills School Division.
The two new RVSA divisions could be called Calgary’s Hat and Calgary’s Elbow respectively.
All kidding aside, the announcement of new schools for the province, albeit long overdue, is nothing but outstanding news. Go Tigers! Go Colts! Go Camaros!
