Category: Athlete

Ashley Viklund made her mark on the football scene as an athlete and a coach. Viklund was always interested in playing football as a youngster growing up in Prince Albert. However, there were not a lot of opportunities for young females to play tackle football.

Viklund’s football career took off in 2012 when she became a member of the Regina Riot Women’s Tackle Football team. During her time with the Riot, she was a two-time winner as the most valuable offensive lineman and also received the honour of being named the most valuable offensive player.

Viklund began playing for the Saskatoon Valkyries Women’s Tackle Football team in 2018. During her tenure, the Valkyries won three championships and she received the most valuable lineman award in 2021.

On the provincial front, she was named to the Saskatchewan provincial team in 2012, winning a silver medal. She also helped her team win gold in 2016 and was recognized as an all-star.

Viklund made her mark in football on the international stage, representing Canada twice at the Women’s Football World Championships. Team Canada took home a silver medal in 2017 and placed fourth in 2022.

Outside of football, Viklund competed in ringette, equestrian and powerlifting. In 2016, she took home bronze at the National Powerlifting Championships and in 2021 was named the top female lifter for Saskatchewan Powerlifting.

Viklund also took the time to develop young football players as a coach for Prince Albert Minor Football and the U18 Women’s Tackle Football provincial team, bringing home a silver medal as the special teams co-ordinator and offensive line coach in 2022. She is an NCCP certified positional coach in Tackle Football and a Level 1 referee.

As an athlete, Frank Dunn excelled in gymnastics, diving and triathlon, competing on the provincial, national and international stage. Early on in his athletic career, Frank was a member of the PA Kinsmen Gymnastics Club. He would always make the podium in all six apparatus in multiple meets held in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Winnipeg; winning at least three of those events and placing second or third in the others.

Frank showed incredible skill, strength and flexibility at those competitions, performing moves that many others couldn’t. He made a name for himself in the gymnastics world, winning a Western Canadian meet in Winnipeg.

Frank began competing in the sport of diving when he attended the University of Manitoba in 1971 and he quickly excelled, later transferring to the University of Calgary to join that university’s diving club. At the U of C, Frank was named the male athlete of the year in 1975-1976 and was CIAU all-Canadian for two years in 1974-1975 and 1975-76, winning both events one meter and three-meter springboard and setting two new all high records in both. In 1975, Frank won Alberta provincials in all three events including 10 meter and on a national level Frank won Canadian one meter springboard and placed third on 10 meter tower. His success earned him a spot in Canada’s National Diving team program and included the honour of being a member of Canada’s Diving Olympic training program for the 1976 Olympics. He earned a spot as the first alternate on Canada’s Olympic Diving team.

He continued his diving career as a member of the Canadian team invited to compete in the CanAmMex series which involved competing in diving meets in Canada, the US and Mexico. In Mexico’s Open international meet, Frank received a fifth place finish for 10 meter tower. After his career with the national diving team, Frank returned to diving in the 1980s in the Masters division and continued on in Prince Albert coaching both the sport of diving and gymnastics, receiving the Saskatchewan (Keith Russell) male gymnastic coach award.

When he wasn’t diving or involved in gymnastics or trampoline, Frank decided it would be a good idea to start the Frank Dunn Triathlon in 1982. Frank continues to sponsor the now second longest running triathlon in Canada. He, of course, also competed in a number of triathlon events including Vancouver marathon and Penticton Ironman.

Lonny Akers has made his mark in Canadian bowling circles and deservedly so. Bowling runs deep into the Akers family, with Lonny now being a third generation into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame with both his grandfather and father gracing these halls with their own inductions. Lonny embraced the family legacy at an early age becoming an exceptional bowler and an ambassador of the sport not just in Prince Albert but across Canada.

Lonny’s journey as a competitive bowler started before he was even five years old, spending much of his time as a youth in the local Minto Bowling alley. That early start and dedication was only the foundation for setting the stage for an extraordinary career. As a member of the Youth Bowling Council, Lonny competed in numerous provincial and national championship events. His first major victory was the Saskatchewan Winter Games. Despite it being only Lonny’s first year of eligibility and being the youngest player on his team he would help the Zone 8 team go on to winning gold. This victory early on in his career only fueled his fire and passion for the sport of bowling.

Over the years, Lonny made his mark in the bowling world with remarkable performances at provincial and national competitions. His impressive list of accomplishments includes being a member of Prince Albert’s open team for 30 years, along the way being a member of the provincial all-star team 12 times. Lonny went on to compete on a televised National stage by bowling on TSN twice but finally broke through in 2005 where bowling was on showcase on CBC Sports Saturday televised National Championships, Lonny went on to win the event, taking home a purse of $20,000. For this accomplishment Lonny would also go on to be Prince Albert’s Kinsmen athlete of the year. In 2010 Lonny would go on to win his second major title when he beat the best of the best from each province winning Masters Nationals singles championship. Lonny would later go on to secure titles on the Western Canadian Bowling Tour in 2013 winning the Regina Classic and again in 2018 coming out victorious winning the Player’s Championship in Sherwood Park, Alberta.

Lonny has earned many accolades recognizing his contributions including an induction into Riverside Community School’s Wall of Fame and receiving the Ted Akers Memorial Award for his efforts in promoting the sport of bowling. Lonny has also set records in Prince Albert by recording an average of 281 and a high 5 game block of 1736.

His impact on the sport of bowling extends well beyond his personal achievements. Lonny volunteers his time not only to help adults hone their craft but is also a mentor and coach for the youth bowlers of Prince Albert helping to nurture the next generation of talent. He has also been involved for over 10 years serving as an instructor and pro at the Saskatchewan Bowling School which draws in aspiring youth bowlers from across the country.

The future of bowling in Prince Albert looks to be in great hands with Lonny Akers’ legacy as a competitor and a mentor helping to lead the way.

Elizabeth Tenaski was an accomplished all-around athlete, but it was the sport of soccer where she made her mark. Elizabeth started playing soccer at the age of five in a co-ed league where she would win a number of house league championships.

By the time she was 12 she started playing Celtic soccer and began to really make a name for herself. She played with the Celtics for five years and won the Golden Boot and MVP for the Provincial Soccer League in 2003. She was also the Saskatchewan Soccer Association MVP in 2006 and 2007 and the youth player of the year.

Her skills caught the eye of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies who recruited her to begin playing in 2007. She started her Huskies career off strong and was named the Huskie Athletics Female Rookie of the year for the 2007-2008 season. During her time as a member of the Huskies, she was a five-time Huskies Golden Boot winner and four-time Huskies MVP. She was named to the Canada West all-star team in 2008, 2010 and 2011. She also received multiple honours as the Canada West player of the week.

Elizabeth made her mark in the soccer world on the national and international level. She competed in the 2005 Canada Games for Team Saskatchewan. She was also a member of the Saskatchewan team at the 2012 national championships, scoring all three goals in Team Sask’s 3-2 bronze medal game win over Quebec. She won the Golden Boot for the tournament as well.

On the international stage, Elizabeth was a member of the 2005 Saskatchewan Summer Games team that travelled to San Diego to play games against teams from California. Additionally, she was selected as a member of Team Canada Under 15 team which participated in international games against Germany.

Once Elizabeth moved on to her teaching career, she shared her skills in other sports with young athletes, helping coach St. Mary High School to a provincial volleyball championship in 2017. Elizabeth has always been a fierce competitor but humble in her success and a strong advocate for sports and athletes in her home town of Prince Albert.