Nolan Marshall is heading to the Division 3 NCAA ManhattanvIlle College to play for the Valiants.

    If you can make it there you can make it anywhere!
    The bright lights of the big city are beckoning for Nolan Marshall as he signs on to play hockey for Mahattanville College.
    Nolan, son of Melanie and David finished up his junior hockey career after playing four years with the Camrose Kodiaks. Last week he made a decision on his next step in hockey and in life.
    “It is a great opportunity for me, I am going to be taking business in New York City, and I don’t think you can really go wrong with that,” said a seemingly relieved Nolan. On the floor of the family living room are piles of packages from colleges and universities he has been poring through. “There is lots of opportunity.”
    The Manhattanville Valiants play in Division 3 of the NCAA, are regularly ranked in the top 20 and play in the tough Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The name may be familiar with Drumhellerites as former Drumheller Dragon A.J. Mikkelsen also played in the inner city college.
    “They are a very well known Division 3 team,” said Nolan.
    Nolan began his hockey career in Drumheller as a Raptor and was coached by his father. When he was 13, he moved to Kelowna to go to the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy. This was a big step for the young man to live away from home with a billet family. 
    The next season he played AAA Bantam with the Airdrie Extreme. The next season he moved to Caronport, Saskatchewan to play Midget AAA tier 1 with the Cougars. The following season he came back to Alberta to play for the AAA Midget Bisons out of Strathmore.
    Despite being drafted by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2007 Bantam Draft, he decided to play Junior A so hockey would not interfere with his NCAA eligibility.
    “I always thought that education is important as there is only a small percentage that make it in this game. I felt if I went through the AJHL and NCAA I would develop more and by the time I am 24 or 25 maybe I’ll get an offer to play in the pros or go to Europe. And I’ll have an education,” said Nolan.
    After bouncing around from team to team, he found his junior hockey home with the Camrose Kodiaks and played out his entire Junior Hockey career.  He is third for all time most games played for the Kodiaks. In 2011, when Camrose hosted the RBC Cup, he had the experience to play national competition.
    Nolan is looking forward to playing in New York. While it is a long way from home, the NCAA often has a strong contingent of Canadian players. In fact, his coach is from Saskatchewan and was Mikkelsen’s roommate when he played for Manhattanville.
    His parents are proud to see their son work so hard for such an opportunity.
    ‘It has been a long road, but now we know he has direction that he can carry on with,” said David.

Dinosaur Half  Organizer Colin Kloot shows off this year’s Dinosaur Hall t-shirt design. To receive the shirt on race day, registration has to be completed by August 23. Registration forms are available at Herman Kloot and Company or at www.dinosaurhalf.com.

    More than just a road race, organizers of the Dinosaur Half Marathon are taking a leap forward with a full slate of new events, a new route and new vistas of the valley.
    The Community Futures Dinosaur Half has become an institution in the valley with unwavering support for the Badlands Community Facility. This year the facility will be front and centre supporting the event.
    Vistas of the valley, camaraderie and healthy living are the focus of the annual event, and that has not changed. The Badlands are front and centre as three new routes for the 5K, 10K and half marathon have been drawn out. These all start and finish at the Badlands Community Facility, and while the courses still provide a challenge for avid athletes, the new routes are a little more user friendly.
    The 5K is billed as a family fun run and entry-level event to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Participants in all events will  receive a t-shirt and a medal.  The organizers have responded to feedback and have selected a paved route with minimal elevations, making it friendly for strollers. This allows even the littlest participants to enjoy the day.
    The 10K is also on a more user friendly course, but still provides a beautiful September morning view of the valley.  Organizer Colin Kloot says the town has been busy making sure the paths are cleared and ready for the runners.
    The half marathon course has also changed, but it still provides a great challenge. This year there is only four kilometres of gravel. The course takes you from downtown Drumheller to the Royal Tyrrell Museum and back to the Badlands Community Facility.
     To get ready for the race on Sunday, September 8, organizers have arranged the perfect way to load up in energy.
    There will be a pasta night at the Badlands Community Facility, catered by Double D Catering. The facility will be open to families with all kinds of events to showcase the facility.
    There will be a beer garden on Saturday night, and racers can enjoy a brewsky after their run on Sunday as well.
    The Town of Drumheller has also shown their support and is opening up the facility and the Aquaplex to provide toonie showers for participants after the race.
    Kloot says registration is a little bit behind last year at this time and maybe because many in Calgary are dealing with flood damage. They have about 260 runners signed up. While participants in the race will receive a t-shirt, they have to register by August 23 to make sure they receive it in a timely way. 
    Registration forms are available at Herman Kloot and Company or by going to www.dinosaurhalf.com