This story is heart-breaking but so darn inspirational I thought I’d share it with you. All but the extremely cold-hearted should be moved by it.
Don’t know if they can pull off a win but their win came a long time ago - when they enrolled in the St. Johns High football program - a bunch of little mopes who didn’t know any better - and tonite they show up as young football players, with a goal - with heart they play . . .
used to live in 3 different houses within 2 blocks of that school. Burton Cummings old school.
wasn’t such a bad area when I was their in late 70’s.
gotta love and underdog story
. . . and St. Johns Tigers followed thru by winning the city high-school football title . . .
Just a great sports story Lyle, thanks for sharing. The power of sport.
Probably not such a bad area these days either. It's just that the yuppies at the CBC are prone to hysterics when they encounter a non-preppy neighbourhood.
:
Thanks Earl, should add that Blue Bomber star DB Chris Randle attended one of the last practices prior to the Tigers championship game. He delivered a most unique motivational speech at the conclusion of his attendance. My esteem for Mr. Randle just went up exponentially. He’s also part of the hero game.
And these kids who won last night. Instead of a life of poverty, street criminality, welfare, abuse, etc. - these kids have the kind of chance all kids should have!
Once again a good defensive “Tiger” team wins the big one over a powerful offensive bunch.
Well, this really made my day. Many thanks for the inspiration!
……Rough area…you bet….I grew up in the North End on Flora Ave. and went to King Edward (now torn down) and Isaac Newton…You had to be on your toes living in that area…even in the 50’s…So many sad tales I could relate to this forum growing up there, BUT I’ll spare the good folks here and go with the great story Lyle has brought up…St.Johns High should be proud of these kids…Good feel story.
Hmmmm. At first glance the North End of Winnipeg looks like my kind of down home neighbourhood:
But electing Communists!
Drugs I guess must be a problem.
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/Freak%205_zpsfkz5infq.png
:-\
interesting. I would not have thought that far south to be part of North End.
Communist / NDP…splitting hairs…areas of despair seem to grasp at socialism if they can
I often shop at stores in the North End - I lived on Inkster in the North core during my youth and probably would have gone to St. Johns if my parents hadn’t built a house in the south.
One of the shops I regularly go to is Gunn’s Bakery - a north end staple for over 70 years. Best bagels, apple jacks, cheese knishes & other goodies in the world (ok, exaggeration is what all bakeries do, right?)
Some time ago I noticed the City of Winnipeg installing parking meters - on Selkirk Ave., in the north friggin’ end, poorest section of the city. What psychos and maggots infest our civic government to do such a thing? Maggots & psychos for sure!
I asked one of the brothers who run Gunns why they didn’t get parking meters in front of their iconic business. They told me, and this is just anecdotal that they were slated for meters but told the civic mope responsible for installation of these meters ($2 an hour in Winnipeg by the way) that if they put them in they’d have some of the local bums & drunks rip them out in exchange for bagels and coffee. . . . and if they somehow managed to install them they wouldn’t work anyways (veiled threat, I love it)
Make a long story short. The city backed down on putting meters in front of Gunns - but they were out for blood and put them in starting a couple blocks down Selkirk - - - where they remain to this day and provide daily discouragement for shoppers arriving in vehicles to avoid the area. Meanwhile some areas of Winnipeg like Corydon Ave, Osborne Village and the like (50,000+ in a small area) DO NOT have parking meters.
A story to be told, huh?
a little more on how life is in the North end.
almost like Surrey BC
The north end of Winnipeg is something even local cops find ways to wash off of duty (foot patrol, community engagement, etc.). When called to engage criminals in our North End, many cops find ways to disengage telling dispatchers they’re in the middle of something else (usually a big fat donut)
The last stand-off with guns required 100+ Wpg. cops to slow down the situation. It was basically 1 16 yr old mope who held police at bay for over 8 hours. Either thats bad policity or its lousy policing. Choose your poison.
But there’s lots of poverty, crime, abuse, break-ins, scouting, etc. in this north end. Other parts of Winnipeg aren’t heaven either but not close to the North end in total volume of crime.
Poverty and poor education are bad tenets of society. it propagates bad parenting and poor health care which lead to the inevitable. NOT JUST IN WINNIPEG.
…Sounds like old home week Lyle…I used to live on Selkirk Ave…literally when I was a kid in the late fifties…Took my fifteen cents from my paper route and headed off to the Palace Theatre…Then on to the North Star Bakery for some real pastry treats…Wawels Meats for some real garlic sausage…I used to haunt the Woolworths where they actually had a little food bar with stools and some damn good milkshakes…Wandered up to Gunns Bakery a time or two myself…Best food in the world on that street Oretzkies was a good spot to shop…5 bucks for a good pair of jeans…WOW where did those days go…
….As far as calling the people around there ‘commies’ because they decided to throw out Con. govts…(and that’s what they are/were cons.) and inserted an NDP govt…well I can say is the City did fairly well under them…Rough you bet…but if you got to know the people of that area…especially in those years…no better people or place
As good a football story as Ive ever seen GO SOUTH
into becoming a political story.
Bah!
……Like a wise man once told me…‘everything in life is political and foolish to think otherwise’ 
All of the varsity finals were great games, and it was so touching to see that live, that tribute. How about all of the finals, really close games decided in the final minutes on 2 minute drills
Congrats to St. John’s, River East, and Vincent Massey! Massey drove 90 yards in 70 seconds to get the lead, and St. Paul’s last second attempt got blocked. That was one of the most entertaining football games I ever froze at
I still have fond memories of the lunch counters at those five and dime stores! The one pictured here in 1988 was at theKresge’s store on Coxwell Avenue in Toronto close to my present day neighbourhood:
My mother haunted the Kresge, Metropolitan,WoolworthandZellers stores in downtown London, Ontario and I was usually in tow. I didn’t mind as I could peruse Great Garloo andthe Aurora monster model kits in the toy department, the goldfish, budgies and little turtles in the pet department andthe bulk candies. The coup de grace though was alwayshitting her up for a bowl of ice cream at one of the lunch counters, usually at the Kresge storebut sometimes in Metropolitan. I remember the ice cream being served in a stainless steel dish with a cardboard insert.
The lunch counter at the Met store in downtown London was so popular that they even had a satellite take-out counter at the front of the store from which businessmen could grab a quick cheeseburger, hot dog, french fries, donut or coffee.
And Woolworth had neapolitan ice cream sandwiches that they made up between two wafers fresh before your very eyes for only fifteen cents, which was something I could fund for myself by high school after looking through the records at the Disc Shop right across from the new Woolworth store in the downtown Wellington Square Mall!
Unfortunately, all the Kresge andWoolworthstores in Toronto, Hamilton and London closed by themid-nineties. The downtown Bay store in Toronto still had a basement level restaurant consisting of a multiple U-shaped lunch counter up until about twelve years ago. I think it was called the Flamingo or something up until the mid-nineties when it was moved to the other side of the store. That too thoughis sadly gone.
Does anyone else have fond memories of department store lunch counters? What did you like to order?
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/General%20Album%202/Woolworth.jpg
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/General%20Album%202/kresgejpg3.jpg
http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/General%20Album%202/Woolworths.jpg
And do any still exist in your neck of the woods, either in department stores or ones with an identical feel elsewhere?
???