Cubs, Mavs nominated for MedHat Business awards

By James Tubb on September 2, 2022.

The Medicine Hat Cubs and Medicine Hat Mavericks have both been recognized for their community efforts.

The two local sports teams have received nominations for multiple 2022 Medicine Hat and district Chamber of Commerce business awards.

The Cubs received a nomination for the community involvement award and the Mavericks were tabbed for the community attraction award. Both clubs were nominated for the mentorship award.

Cubs president Troy Sandau said the nominations show they are on track with their goals when taking over the club in 2020.

“With these nominations it shows our first full year, because COVID-19 took our first year, we’re on the right pace of what we set out to do. Without the community this club would not be in operation,” Sandau said. “Giving back is the biggest goal within our organization.”

Sandau said all of their community work and involvement would not be made possible without the buy-in of their players who want to give back to the community as much as they do.

“We didn’t want anything in return, the fans and community already gave us lots in return with with our attendance and our sponsorship,” Sandau said. “We feel we’re still in debt to the community. So if we’re nominated, if we win or lose, we’re going to continue to support our community like they support us.”

Mavericks owner/GM Greg Morrison shared the same message, saying the two nominations the Mavericks received were flattering but that the work would continue with or without the recognition. He said for him personally it means a lot to be noticed for their mentorship and how attractive Athletic Park is to spend time with family.

“I felt really lucky, being a kid that got drafted out of Medicine Hat as a ballplayer and I feel it is my duty to be doing this stuff because of all those opportunities that I received when I was a teenager to making team Alberta, team Canada, getting drafted,” Morrison said. “A lot of those doors that opened up for me, sometimes I know it took someone believing in me and more than one person believing in me, whether it was scouts or high school coaches and I just know that you can be a big impact on people’s lives if you do that.”

“I’m a big advocate of sport tourism and just being being an organization that can provide amazing events where people want to go and chill and have a good time for a few hours and spend time with their family, we all really missed that,” Morrison said. “It’s a special thing down there at Athletic Park.”

The 22nd annual business awards will be handed out Oct. 14 at the Esplanade. 

 Before then, Morrison and the Mavericks will continue their prep for next WCBL season and the Cubs will get their HJHL season underway with training camp starting tonight at the Kinplex. The three day camp wraps up Sunday with their Top 40 game set for 3 p.m. The Cubs begin their season with a pre-season game on Sept. 10 in Strathmore before they return home Sept 11 against the Wheatland Kings for their first home pre-season contest that gets started at 3 p.m. at the Kinplex.

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