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The final whistle for Darcy Romanuik

The face of St. Mary School athletics is retiring after 33 years at the school
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After 33 years as the athletic director for St. Mary School in Westlock, Darcy Romanuik is retiring. In addition to working at the school with his wife Darci, both of children graduated from SMS.

WESTLOCK - Since 1989, Darcy Romanuik has been the face and driving force behind St. Mary School’s athletics department.

But on the last official day of school, June 30, 2022, the 56-year-old Yorkton, Sask. native will officially hang up his whistle as athletic director — one of only three men to hold the job in the school’s 58-year history — then hand in his keys and retire as a full-time teacher.

While the world inside and out of the school has changed in the five decades since he first earned his bachelor of sciences and physical education degrees from University of Saskatchewan in 1988, then a follow-up education after-degree in 1989, Romanuik appears to be drinking from the fountain of youth. His trademark smile, quick wit, boundless enthusiasm, and love of sport has never wavered and remains as strong today as when he pulled into Westlock all those years ago in his 1982 Camaro to be interviewed by then school brass Bob Oko, Peter Skitsko and Supt. Richard Martin — if you haven’t seen him for years, trust us, he still looks like he’s in his 30s.

In fact, his modest office nestled at the east end of the gym, aptly dubbed the ‘Shark Tank’ in honour of the school’s mascot, is a time capsule of sorts as he has a poster of Boston Bruins hall-of-famer Ray Bourque hanging on the back wall — a picture, since laminated, he hung in his first year on the job to honour one of his favourite players on his favourite hockey team. For the record, he’s a Saskatchewan boy through and through, so the Roughriders are his other favourite team.

He’s been working at the same desk for 33 years and aside from a computer that replaced the typewriter he used back in the good old days, it’s pretty much all the same with past newspaper clippings and other sports paraphernalia adorning the walls while a ceiling tile features a handmade painting of the mask worn by former Bruins goalie Andy Moog … after a quick search of his files he was even able to find an old calendar with the date of his wedding circled, July 19, 1997.

“Yeah, it’s the same desk, you can see there’s tape holding it together. I don’t want to take it with me, it’s too heavy and too awkward and I don’t know what I’d do with it. But I’ve never asked for it … maybe I will ask (current principal) Vance (Nakonechny) and see if he’ll give it to me,” he joked.

Looking back now on his own hall-of-fame career, Romanuik sincerely thanked not only the thousands of students he’s instructed and coached, but their parents and the men and women he’s taught alongside including his wife Darci, also a teacher at SMS who’s planning on staying in the classroom for at least the next few years. And in case you’re wondering Darci and Darcy met in the halls of SMS and went on their first date in 1993 to, you guessed it, a Boston Bruins game when they were in town to play the Edmonton Oilers.

“To be honest it never really felt like a job. Sports has always been such a big part of my life, but working with kids who are eager to get better and are willing to learn makes it all worthwhile,” said Romanuik. “I told a past superintendent that I’ve got the best job in the school division. The payoff is when you start with a kid in Kindergarten and see them all the way up to Grade 12. It’s so gratifying. Phys ed has been such a big part of my life and I still enjoy it.”

He also expressed his gratitude to the community of Westlock, the town where he fell in love and raised his two children who both graduated from SMS — daughter Janelle is a 2022 grad, while his son Jaiden, who’s gone on to post-secondary, graduated in 2020.

SMS, a Catholic K-12 school whose population barely cracks triple digits, has always prided itself on being a family. And working alongside his wife and kids, in addition to his adopted SMS family, has been an experience he wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world, although he might be tempted if you could guarantee the Bruins would win at least another dozen Cups … well, maybe.

“That was probably the best part, getting to go to work every day with not only my spouse, but my kids. A lot of people never get to experience that,” he said. “That was one of the great things about my job. Being able to be my kids’ teacher is something I’ll always cherish.”

Nakonechny, who we didn’t ask about the desk, said Romanuik’s “time spent coaching and organizing extracurricular activities was truly appreciated” as he provided an “opportunity for students to enjoy the benefits of playing sports.”

From Yorkton to Westlock

Teaching jobs were in short supply when he looked to break into the profession — in the days before the Internet, Romanuik spent hours at the Yorkton Public Library scouring the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, Winnipeg Free Press, Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon Star Phoenix newspapers for jobs before he sent out a handful of resumes.

“And I got a call from St. Mary for an interview. I got off the phone and I’m like, ‘Westlock?’ I had to get out a map to find it,” he said.

But it was close to Edmonton, a city he had always wanted to visit, so he figured ‘Why not?”

“I remember when I finally got to the school. The fuel pump on my Camaro had been leaking, so I opened the hood and fiddled around with it and then got some gas on my suit and figured that this isn’t going to go very well.”

Romanuik said he remembered Oko and Martin peppering him with a bunch of questions, while Skitsko was quiet. He figured it had been a bust.

“I’m thinking that I drove 10 hours and the principal didn’t ask me one question … I thought it was going to be a waste of time,” he said. “But Bob walked me around the school and we had a good conversation, but I didn’t think I’d ever see him or Westlock again. Then two days later I got a phone call and I was offered the job.”

Mind you that offer meant he’d have to teach Math 13 in addition to phys ed. He wasn’t sure at first he’d want to do it, but figured he’d give it a try.

“I ended up teaching Math 13 for two years then the position changed to all phys ed, although I did end up teaching some Grade 7 math for about 20 years.”

He said he had only planned to stay one year to get some experience and then move back home to Saskatchewan to be closer to his family and friends.

He never sent out another resume.

“I was single at the time and I started to meet some people and have some fun. I started playing hockey and was on a slo-pitch team. For sure I missed everyone from back home, but I was starting to lay down my roots,” he said. “And I had a good job so I was happy.”

Amazingly, Romanuik isn’t the longest tenured teacher currently at SMS, as Anita Flese has him beat while Grade 1 teacher Tammy Gauthier started the same year he did. In retirement, he says he plans on working part time as substitute teacher in Westlock and Barrhead.

Basketball is his passion

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Darcy Romanuik on the sidelines of the 1A North Central Zone Championships played in Westlock this past March. The club went on to win the zone banner, the third for the club since Romanuik has coached the team. 

Throughout the years Romanuik has coached elementary to high school teams in sports ranging from golf, to track and field, cross country running, badminton and volleyball. He also organized tournaments for all of those sports as for decades SMS has hosted the 1A golf zone championships and usually ends up hosting the 1A zone volleyball and basketball championships.

“I’m in it for the kids, that’s the main reason why we’re here. I tried to give kids here as many opportunities to compete as I could,” he explained.

So, what’s his favourite? He didn’t hesitate: “Basketball.”

It’s a sport he came to enjoy during his university days and is the one he’ll most be remembered for at SMS. Although hockey remains his first love and a game he also played and coached locally, basketball, with its unique mix of athleticism and strategy, is his passion.

He remembered back to that first year when he took over the senior boys team and only seven players showed up for tryouts.

“By 1994 it had gone the other way. That year we didn’t have a senior boys volleyball team and we had a basketball team that won zones,” he said, noting he also coached the school’s volleyball team for a handful of years and even won a zone banner in 2009.

This past season the Sharks won their home tournament, the W.J. Kallal Memorial, for the first time since 2004 and claimed the 1A North Central Zone banner for the first time since 1996 and third since Romanuik’s overseen the program. At the 2022 1A Alberta Schools' Athletic Association 1A Boys Basketball Championship, the club put up a good fight but failed to post a win — this year’s trip to provincials was the 11th of his career.

“Going to provincials was always such a great experience. That’s what I’ll miss also, the camaraderie of being able to talk to the other coaches you face over the years.”

Romanuik said getting one more chance to work with this team, the best he’s had in years, made him think long and hard about retirement.

“I actually thought about staying for another year or two as my basketball team should win zones for the next two years. But I just decided that this is the right time.”

George Blais, TownandCountryToday.com

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