January
Cochranite Cody Matechuck made history at the X-Games that took place Jan. 23-26 in Aspen, Colorado taking home his third straight gold medal in Snow BikeCross. Matechuck finished his race a whopping 16 seconds ahead of the next rider.
February
Neither rain nor shine could stop the 12th annual Kimmett Cup from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. Teams of three played through rainy conditions at Mitford Pond. In the end, though teams were forced to move the game inside. The Kimmett Cup benefits the Lindsay Leigh Kimmett Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization that was started after her death in 2008.
Athletes from the Town of Cochrane had a superb showing at the 2020 Alberta Winter Games from Feb. 14 to 17 in Airdrie. Cochrane had more than 20 athletes participating in a variety of different sports in the games. Cochrane earned eight gold medals.
March
On March 11 and 12 sports around the world are affected by COVID-19 with leagues and organizations suspending play or shutting down including the NHL and NBA. The NHL returned to the ice in early August and the NBA would return to play at the end of July.
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were postponed until 2021.
Cochrane’s Trinity Taekwon-Do had a strong showing at the International Taekwon-Do Federation Provincial Championships in Calgary on March 7. Trinity brought home 27 medals, including 10 gold, five silver and 12 bronze medals.
The Cochrane Chaos semi-final series featuring the Cochrane Chaos and Calgary Titans, and the Cochrane Generals and Okotoks Bisons third-round Heritage Junior Hockey Leagues series was cancelled on March 13 due to COVID-19. The annual Yelnats Cup U18 hockey tournament was also cancelled.
The Cochrane Cobra’s mourned the loss of local icon Tim Petros, who died of a heart attack on March 30. Petros was well known on the football field, first gaining attention in the 1980s as a running back for the University of Calgary Dinos, winning the Vanier Cup with the team in 1983. Petros’ records for rushing 260 yards while also gathering 400 yards of total offence still stand. Petros later retired from playing football and moved into coaching serving as the running back coach for the Cobras.
April
Ringette Alberta offered teams a chance to take home a gold medal during the association's Social Media Provincials. To participate in the event ringette players submitted videos performing certain tasks from March to April 18. The move to a virtual competition was necessitated after the season was abruptly cancelled due to COVID-19.
Cochranite Hunter Sawka, 14, was taken in the fifth round of the WHL Bantam Draft by the Calgary Hitmen. Ethan Neatens, 14, was drafted fourth in the ninth round, 180th overall, by the Kelowna Rockets.
June
Cochranite and Canadian National Team Ski Jumper member Natalie Eilers, 21, received the RBC Training Ground grant. This year’s season was especially important because the points accumulated by Eilers and her team go toward their Olympic qualifications. The RBC Training Ground grant is designed to help the next generation of Olympic hopefuls with the funding program.
The Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre began its phased reopening on June 12 as part of Stage Two of the Alberta Economic Relaunch. The opening began with the Cochrane Arena.
Cochrane Minor Football opened for registration after getting the go-ahead from the province. Football Alberta released several measures on June 18 that allowed for the reopening of minor football in the province.
July
Bow Valley Rugby Club announced the season would not proceed due to COVID-19. The decision was made due to the difficulty of organizing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a lack of available time to plan.
Cochrane Minor Hockey held an awards ceremony to recognize some of its key members for their outstanding service and dedication to the organization at its Annual General Meeting on July 7.
Cochrane Minor Soccer laid the groundwork for its season after the Alberta government released plans for a “return to play” for sports teams across the province, which included restrictions to cohort size and competitive gameplay.
August
The South-Central Alberta Hockey League welcomed the U16 AA AC Havoc to its ranks. The Airdrie-Cochrane Athletic Association introduced the new team to give youth who did not make the Midget AAA U15 or Midget AAA Bisons a chance to play and develop their skills.
As other indoor activities saw reduced numbers and limited capacity restrictions, Cochrane’s golf courses saw record-breaking attendance as people searched for safe, outdoor activities to participate in amid the pandemic.
The Cochrane Crush clinched a spot in the league championships after winning back-to-back games in Calgary at the Sandarac Ball Diamonds on Aug. 8. A week later, the team went on to win the championship game in its league, with a 6-1 victory over the Foothills Baseball Club.
September
Head coach of the Cochrane Endurance Project, Travis Cummings, won the 2019 Grassroot Coach of the Year Award from Athletics Alberta for his work with the cross-country team. Cummings was a founding member of the Cochrane Endurance Project, and, with a team of talented, driven assistant coaches, grew the program into a nationally competitive team.
Cochranite and internationally ranked paddler, Dan Miller, won first place overall at the Easy Rider SUP Cup in Edmonton, and the news of his victory spurred a rash of interest from paddlers all throughout the Bow Valley region.
The Cochrane Generals announced that it would be participating in the Heritage Junior Hockey League’s 24-game season. The season came with several stipulations, including a rotating pod system to ensure teams have a two-week quarantine period before competitions, and a 100-spectator limit at the Cochrane Arena.
Athletes across the country participated in the virtual Terry Fox Run.
October
Two of the Cochrane Cobra’s finest received offers to play football at various U Sport programs. Inside receiver Ty Metcalfe and defensive back Ben Dobson received offers from the University of Windsor’s Lancer Football and the University of Calgary Dinos Football programs respectively.
The Cochrane Generals wrapped up its tryouts and training camps, determining a preliminary roster for the upcoming season. Before the official season began, the Generals had a month to implement the coach's systems, and put its new roster through conditioning and team-building exercises.
Cochrane’s Tyrel Bauer fulfilled a longtime dream when he heard his name called during the 2020 NHL Draft. Bauer was selected 164th overall by the Winnipeg Jets.
The Cochrane Cobras capped off a development-only season with a competitive O-line versus D-line scrimmage on Oct. 8 at Bow Valley High School. The youth embraced the chance to get some competitive gameplay in, despite it being against their own teammates.
November
The Cochrane Cobras football team took a moment to recognize the contributions of one of the unsung positions on the gridiron. Linemen were recognized at the BOMAG hat celebration, a tradition at Cochrane High going back more than 40 years.
December
Cochranite and rising hockey star, Sarah Wozniewicz signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Wisconsin’s hockey program next year. Sarah has spent three seasons playing on the Edge Prep School’s U18 Women’s team where she won her division’s MVP award and has also represented Canada at the Women’s World Championships in 2019.
