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Welcome to The Temiskaming Thunder Blog

A Year of Thunder: Celebrating Our First Season Together

Writer's picture: Morgan JohansonMorgan Johanson

Hey Thunder Family,


Wow, what a year it’s been! As our board reflects on the past twelve months, we are overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement for everything we've accomplished together.


What began as a dream among basketball lovers in our community has now become a reality. We aimed to create a space where enthusiasts of all ages could come together, grow, and learn to love the sport.


From the start, our Temiskaming Thunder basketball program has been driven by a core belief: every child in our community deserves the chance to play, grow, and thrive on the court, no matter where they are in Temiskaming Shores and the surrounding area. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to ensure our programs are accessible to all, hosting Youth Leagues and Rep Practices in both Englehart and New Liskeard.


Gratitude

First, a tremendous thank you to the volunteers and volunteer coaches who spent countless hours in the gym, dedicating their time free of charge, and spending countless evenings and weekends away from their families to help bring this program to life. Without these community coaches and board members, this program would not be possible. They are the backbone of our club, and we are so thankful to have a group that shares the same passion. Along with our local Referee's Alex Regele and Martin Breault for taking time out of their busy schedules to support us!


Next, a HUGE shoutout to our sponsors (View All Sponors Here)—5 Founding Partners, 13 community sponsors, and 6 local community partners—whose funding and support made this program possible. Thanks to their generosity, we were able to lower registration costs for both the youth league and the rep program to some of the lowest found in the Ontario Basketball Association (OBA). Their support allowed us to offer scholarships for rep athletes, alleviate financial burdens, and support our program with coaching certification costs, equipment, and uniforms.


Most of all, thank you to our players. Without your commitment to the game, we would not be here. We hope you embraced every long car ride to each game, every pre- and post-game stretch, every hotel room chat with teammates, every nervous butterfly before a jump ball, and even every early morning practice where you arrived barely awake. To the young athletes in our youth league who are just learning the game, we hope you grow to love it as much as we do.


Last but not least, a special thank you to the parents who supported us as we worked out the kinks in our first year. Thank you for showing up to the multiple practices, making those late-night drives, and enduring the long weekend trips to tournaments. Most of all, thank you for supporting your kids through the wins and losses, for packing those snacks to feed the hungry teenage players before they got to us, and for washing those dirty uniforms (and enduring the stink)!


U16 Thunder Team, huddle before game


Year in Review

Our Youth League sessions were the heartbeat of our program, bringing together 205 kids from grades 1-8 from all our communities, spanning as far as Latchford to Elk Lake to Charlton and Notre-Dame-du-Nord. We hosted two Youth League sessions: one in Englehart in the fall at Englehart High School and one in the spring in New Liskeard at Timiskaming District Secondary School. It was incredible to see girls and boys from our community come together to learn, play, and forge friendships on the court.


But our impact didn't stop there. We had three Rep travel basketball teams—U16 Girls (View Roster), U19 Girls (View Roster), and U19 Boys (View Roster)—hitting the court. With 40 talented athletes leading the charge in orange and blue, our teams showcased grit, determination, and sportsmanship in every game they played.


And oh, how they played! Our Thunder squads brought home an impressive array of medals and accolades, from Silver at Provincials in Niagara to Gold at the IEM Tournament in Ottawa. But perhaps even more exciting than the medals themselves is the knowledge that two of our own—Nina Anderson and Ashlyn Anderson—are taking their talents to the next level, earning spots on varsity basketball teams at Loyalist College and Fanshawe College.




Celebrating Our First Season


In our first year, our programs have brought home some medals:


  • Silver Medal: Ontario Cup Championships U16 Girls

    • MVP: Lexee Anderson, 2024

  • Gold Medal: U16 Girls Basketball, Mike O'Connor Memorial Tournament in Ottawa, 2024

  • Silver Medal: U19 Girls Basketball, Mike O'Connor Memorial Tournament in Ottawa, 2024

  • Gold Medal: U19 Girls Basketball, IEM Tournament, 2024

    • MVP: Ashlyn Anderson, 2024

  • Silver Medal: U19 Girls Basketball, Newmont Spring Classic Tournament in Timmins 2024

  • Gold Medal: Active One Sources for Sports Ladies League A Champions

    • U19 Girls Basketball

  • Gold Medal: Active One Source for Sports Ladies League B Champions 

    • U16 Girls Basketball 

  • Most Sportsmanlike Team Award: Active One Source for Sports Ladies League

    • U16 Girls Basketball


2 U19 Girls Rep Basketball Players Heading to Play Varsity Basketball:

1 U16 Athlete Recruited to Orangeville Prep School:

  • Lexee Anderson


2 Players Invited to Team Canada Training Camps:

  • Lexee Anderson

  • Ashlyn Anderson


U16 Player Invited to Canletes All-Star Game:

  • Lexee Anderson


U19 Player Invited to play in the Native American Basketball Invitational (NABI) in Phoneix Arizona

  • Ashlyn Anderson


Collage of Thunder Players

Celebrating our first season together, we couldn't be prouder of all we've accomplished. But it’s more than just the wins and losses. It's about the bonds we've formed, the lessons we've learned, and the memories we've created. From our dedicated coaches and volunteers to our generous sponsors and partners, the Thunder family is truly something special.


Let’s keep the Thunder rolling!


Morgan Johanson

U16 Temiskaming Thunder Coach, President & Co-Founder of the Temiskaming Thunder Basketball Program



Sponsors

5 Founding Sponsors:


1 Platinum Sponsor:


6 Gold Sponsors:


3 Silver Sponsors:


4 Bronze Sponsors:


Special mention to Matt and Davanna Allen for the personal donation


7 Community Partners:

  • Temiskaming Speaker, Reporter Sue Neilsen (Link to Website)

  • Laura Seguin Photography (Link to Facebook)

  • Englehart High School Spartans

  • Timiskaming District Secondary School

  • École secondaire catholique Sainte-Marie

  • District School Board Ontario North East

2 Local Business Partners:


2 Team Outfitter:

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temiskamingthunder

96 Posts

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Temiskaming Thunder

Welcome to the Temiskaming Thunder Basketball Program! ⚡️🏀

temiskamingthunder

96 Posts

482 Followers

165 Following

Temiskaming Thunder

  • Instagram

Welcome to the Temiskaming Thunder Basketball Program! ⚡️🏀

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