Local Sports

Nolan Rattai's strong season on the pitcher's mound at the high school level transferred over to his first start with the Medicine Hat Moose Monarchs. On Friday, the Monarchs opened their season taking part in the Jets Invitational tournament in Vauxhall.

DARREN STEINKE This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Jet engine funny car driver Kevin Therres was playing the role of unofficial pitchman for the Medicine Hat Drag Racing Association’s opening weekend of races. The 55-year-old from Humboldt, Sask., was at the Medicine Hat Mall on Friday displaying his two canola biodiesel powered jet engine funny cars. The veteran racer is set to race fellow jet engine funny car driver Derek Snelson from Anchorage, Alaska on Saturday at the Medicine Hat Drag Strip. The MHDRA was slated to open its season on Friday but cold and rainy weather in the afternoon caused that night’s program to be cancelled. The season is slated to start Saturday at 4 p.m., and jet funny cars are to be the highlight attraction. A regular points race will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. Having drag raced for almost four decades, Therres has come though Medicine Hat on a number of occasions, and he always enjoys the visits. “We love coming to Medicine Hat simply because the guys work hard to get the track in good condition,” said Therres. “The fans here are incredible as well as the staff. “They bend over backwards to make it racer friendly (and) fan friendly, so coming here is like being at home.” While he legitimately sells the strong work performed by the crew at the local track, Therres also likes to show off his more environmentally friendly jet engine funny cars. Since 2007, Therres has been driving a jet engine Corvette called Prairie Gold powered 100 per cent by canola biodiesel. This year, he is also hauling around a jet engine Mustang that also uses that same fuel. Therres was the first jet engine funny car racer to drive a vehicle that was powered on 100 per cent canola biodiesel, and he is quick to point out the assets of doing such a thing. “The biodiesel has 75 to 85 per cent less greenhouse gases going into the environment,” said Therres. “It is better for the environment. “You will have 20 to 25 per cent longer life on you engine, because of the extra lubrication because of the canola oil. It is a win, win situation. If you use it, your engine life is longer, there are less pollutants in the air and it is used from a non-food grain type source.” Therres has made passes on the quarter-mile drag strip in 6.38 seconds reach speeds of 254 miles per hour in the Corvette jet engine funny car. He was hoping to get some test passes in the Mustang on Friday but that hope had to wait until Saturday due to the weather. The veteran racer is quite proud of the speeds he has been able to hit in his canola biodiesel powered car. “When you think about a biofuel, lots of times you think of not powerful,” said Therres. “We are proving the point that biodiesel is powerful. “These cars will produce up to 7,500 horsepower and incredible speeds.” Saturday’s race between Therres and Snelson is being billed as a Canada versus United States shootout, and Therres played up the fact he is the Saskatchewan farmer trying to beat the experienced driver. The Prairie Gold Corvette does have a Saskatchewan Roughriders sticker on it. On paper, Therres will likely be an underdog in a head-to-head race. Snelson’s Camero jet engine funny car named Warhawk has made passes on a quarter-mile strip in 5.90 seconds and reached speeds of 275 miles per hour. Any type of rivalry is also a respectful one too. Snelson said Therres has brought a lot to the jet car business, which has also included attracting a large number of positive sponsors. “Me and Kevin (Therres) are really good friends,” said Snelson. “It is good racing him. “When we race each other, it is all business. It is like playing hockey. You want to beat that other team.” Saturday’s race will also mark the only time the two will race against each other this season. When all is said and done, Snelson said the goal is to put on a show for the spectators. “We come to entertain,” said Snelson. “We love to entertain the fans.”

The club will be hosting its 57th annual Victoria Day Classic during the May long weekend, which starts Saturday and runs through to Monday, and the 54-hole stroke play tournament never fails to live up to expectations.

It hurt. And not just physically. So in the few practices that followed, the Eagle Butte Talons boys rugby team had a choice: Let a 74-0 loss to Winston Churchill get them down, or use it as motivation.

During her fifth and final season as an outside hitter for the Medicine Hat College Rattlers women's volleyball team, Nagy was named the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference player of the year, the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association player of the year and a CCAA all-Canadian all-star.

Everyone wants to win tournaments but first thing's first for Medicine Hat's American Legion baseball teams this weekend. With only a couple tryout sessions in the books and one head coach not yet back in the country, finalizing rosters is the first order of business.

In many cases, they surprised themselves. "I was going to do badminton, but I decided I wasn't really enjoying it," said Grade 12 Crescent Heights athlete Amy Fraser.

The Monsignor McCoy junior varsity Colts baseball team ended their 2012 season by sweeping away the Brooks Buffalos in a doubleheader on Wednesday at Jeffries Park. In the first match, the Colts dumped the Buffalos 11-5.

Racers from the Medicine Hat Drag Racing Association are kicking it back into high gear at the Medicine Hat Drag Strip. The local drag racing track opens its 2012 campaign with a fun race night on Friday starting at 7 p.