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Trevor Young leaves a respected team behind

Stettler is losing a valuable volunteer and Stettler Lightning a dedicated leader: Trevor Young, current president of the club is leaving town to relocate to Regina for a new career assignment.

Having arrived in Stettler in 2004, Young says he joined the Stettler Rotary Club soon after they settled in town and acted as the director of international services and youth exchange program, and he has also been singing with the Cantus choir, which he has enjoyed a lot.

But his most visible contribution to the community has been within the framework of the Stettler Lightning Junior B Hockey Club.

“I joined the Lightning board in 2006 and was first, the vice president, and then I took over the role of president in May 2007,” said Young.

He said he was interested in the local hockey club even before his arrival.

“I checked the hockey situation in the community before coming to town,” he said.

“A hockey program is the reflection of the community in Canada.”

“We wanted to remind the community that the Lightning was their home team,” Young said in reference to what he regarded as his first big challenge.

He said throughout his involvement with the local hockey club, his priority had been to ensure that not only the players, but the whole Lightning club, as an institution, should be, and be perceived as, part of the larger community.

“This is why we introduced several novelties, like the Skybox program, mites games or figure skating shows during intermissions,” said Young.

“Our players also got involved in food drives, packing food hampers, reading to young students at school.

“We wanted the community to realize that they are more than just the big kids playing hockey.”

Young said during his time with the board, the Lightning not only adopted a dress code for players, but also extended the code to the executive to ensure that “the Lightning presents an organized professional image.”

Assessing how much distance has been covered since he became a board member, Young said, they had managed to implement a new marketing strategy, which allowed them to attract new sponsorships and to get new hockey pants, jerseys and gloves for the team.

“We have been able to draw people back to rink,” he said in reference to the increased number of spectators at the bleachers.

“But this is a work in progress and I would never say that our work is done.”

He said they were still looking for ways of increasing the appeal of the Lightning hockey within the neighbouring communities.

“The time was carefully selected to play our game in Castor,” said Young in reference to weekend when the Lightning played against Medicine Hat at the Beaver Dome on Jan. 22.

“We wanted to help their Winterfest and in the meantime tried to attract their interest in the Lightning so that they could come and watch our games in Stettler.”

Young admitted that the team has been having some difficulties due to declining sponsorships in view of the economic downturn and that the performance of the team is not at the same level as last year.

“Perfection is impossible in hockey,” said Young, acknowledging that many young players had to be recruited when some valuable players left last year due to their other commitments.

But, quoting head coach Doug Smith, he said one should not forget that Junior B Hockey League is one of working men.

“Many Lightning players still show up at the practices or the games after they put in eight, 10 or 12 hours work for their trades and I have great respect for them.”

Looking at the future, Young sounded hopeful that sponsorships would be restored as the economy began to bounce back.

As for his own future, Young said his new assignment in Regina would be a welcome challenge and a promotion as he would be working in a regional capacity.

Having started his family and lived in Regina for many years, Young says he doesn’t need to do any research on the hockey programs in the city as he is already familiar with them.

And it is almost a certainty that he will get involved in a hockey activity there as well.