{"id":555753,"date":"2026-03-23T17:47:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/555753\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T17:47:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:47:07","slug":"growing-the-game-in-mclean-an-awesome-place-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/555753\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing the game in McLean \u2014\u00a0\u201can awesome place to be\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

McLEAN \u2014\u00a0Dhel Duncan-Busby<\/a>\u2019s off-season conditioning regimen included a recent visit to McLean School.<\/p>\n

He broke a sweat while conducting two of the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation<\/a>\u2019s Grow the Game sessions and immersing himself in the activities.<\/p>\n

During one flag football drill \u2014 resembling a game of tag \u2014 he evaded one pursuer by performing a smooth spin move.<\/p>\n

\u201cI might have to implement that one,\u201d the 26-year-old Roughriders receiver, who is preparing for his third CFL season, said with a chuckle.<\/p>\n

A Roughrider Foundation Player Ambassador, Duncan-Busby spent most of Wednesday at McLean School \u2014\u00a0which has 94 registered students.<\/p>\n

He met with two groups (kindergarten and Grade 1; Grades 2-3) as part of the Foundation\u2019s literacy program (Rider Reading).<\/p>\n

The older pupils (Grades 4 to 8) first interacted with Duncan-Busby when he discussed the importance of mental health (via the Win With Wellness initiative).<\/p>\n

The visit culminated with back-to-back Grow the Game sessions in the school gymnasium. Grow the Game offers an introduction to football and its fundamentals.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, Duncan-Busby offered instruction on how to throw and catch a football. The tempo picked up when students, wearing a flag on each hip, demonstrated their speed and elusiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the type of physical activity you need,\u201d said Ivy Kraemer, a Grade 8 student who is involved in hockey, lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, cross-country, track and field, badminton, boxing and, naturally, flag football.<\/p>\n

Her classmate, Auley Whyte, also has a scroll-like sporting resume \u2014\u00a0hockey, baseball, lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, track and field, cross country and (whew!) badminton.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some kids, the value of a program like this is getting to play sports,\u201d Whyte said. \u201cFor other kids, it\u2019s about getting to play sports with people they idolize.\u201d<\/p>\n

The very same Dhel Duncan-Busby who plays pro football in front of tens of thousands of spectators and national-television audiences spent time with 23 students during Wednesday\u2019s final Grow the Game workout.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun, first of all, to meet the players and see how much bigger they are when they tag people,\u201d Whyte said. \u201cA few years ago, when the fullback visited us, it was pretty crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fullback: 6-foot-3, 260-pound Albert Awachie.<\/p>\n

Duncan-Busby, by comparison, is 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe message Dhel shared was that he was a multi-sport athlete,\u201d said Crystal Bigalky, the school\u2019s principal. \u201cHe started off with basketball and headed off in a different direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t always know where you\u2019re headed, but it\u2019s nice to maintain that healthy, active lifestyle and try different things. Grow the Game is an opportunity to teach us that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The students in McLean, located 40 kilometres east of Regina, have several opportunities to pursue fitness in a scholastic setting.<\/p>\n

At McLean School, there is an emphasis on physical education and extra-curricular sports. Participation in pick-up games, such as those in which students partake during recess, is also encouraged.<\/p>\n

\u201cSports help you learn a lot of important skills in life,\u201d Bigalky said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t always have to be something that\u2019s organized and refereed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are things like problem-solving skills and making teams. If things seem one-sided, how do you negotiate those pieces? Sports helps to facilitate the skills that you can use in all other aspects of life. It\u2019s good to be involved and to join your buddies.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere in McLean, we\u2019re really lucky. It\u2019s a very small community and so, quite often, we\u2019ll look out at the playground and we\u2019ll see kids playing pick-up sports, whether it\u2019s football or baseball. We have a rink here, so they\u2019re doing hockey at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

The school, adjacent to the McLean Community Centre, is often the epicentre of activity in the village of 400.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a small, close-knit community and a very active community,\u201d said Bigalky, whose mother (Dorothy Schettler) is a former principal of McLean School.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of folks live here and work in the city, but the opportunities to be a part of the community are very numerous here. There are lots of activities that people can join individually or as a family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf somebody sees a need for something, the community works to provide it, so it\u2019s really an awesome place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

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