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From the Smoky Lake Signal, January 9, 2002 What our Kids are Doing - Marty Palechuk - Augustana University College Vikings Trainer
Ed and Pat Palechuk, of Smoky Lake, have been hockey parents since Marty was five years old when he joined his first team run by the Minor Hockey Association. He worked his way through the Tom Thumbs, Pee Wees, Bantams and finally to the Norab Hockey Team started by Steve Leskiw, the highest level of hockey Smoky Lake has seen in years. >From then on it was across Alberta with the Strathcona Warriors, and the Fort Saskatchewan AAA teams, then Creston Valley Thunderbirds, and Rossland teams - in the Junior A Hockey Leagues of B.C. Attending Augustana University College in Camrose, Marty played with the Augustana Vikings for a year, but a shoulder injury just kept getting worse, and surgery didn't help. It was the end of one career, but the start of another one. Marty has become a trainer. He's helped train the North West Sharks in the Alberta Cup and he is now the trainer for Augustana University College's Vikings of Camrose. "This week, the Vikings, the host team and underdogs, pulled off a 5-4 victory over the B.C. Junior Hockey League teams," said Pat Palechuk. "We were delighted." The message is that even when you can't play hockey, you can still participate. Marty has been able, as a trainer, to make a difference. He hopes to complete his Bachelor of Arts, take more courses and become a professional trainer, as a career.
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