SPORTS FLASHBACK 1986: Dominion City honours a real hometown hero

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This article was published 22/10/2023 (554 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As far as Dominion City is concerned, Mitch Ostberg is worth his weight in gold and the whole town turned out to honour their hometown hero on his return from the Commonwealth Games in Scotland with a gold medal.

Mitch Ostberg certainly did not forget where he came from when he told a recent television interviewer that “anybody can be from Winnipeg or Montreal, I’m from Dominion City.

Friday, the community returned the favour by spending an evening with the small town boy who made good. Plaques were presented by the RM of Franklin and the Village of Dominion City, and United Grain Growers presented Ostberg with a gift on behalf of area farmers.

The key to the city was presented by Mitch’s grandmother and Ron Ramsey, master of ceremonies for the evening, read a host of congratulatory letters and telegrams from Ostberg’s coaches, and others who had roots in Dominion City.

And through it all, the message was the same. As proud as Mitch Ostberg was of his community, the community and former residents alike, are equally proud of him.

Ramsey, to a standing ovation from the crowd, said there are always stories about a “hometown boy does good”, but it was usually else’s home town.

“This time, thanks to a real world champ, it is Dominion City.”

Ramsey went on to outline Ostberg’s wrestling career, which began under the high school coaching of heavyweight wrestler Bill Whiteway. (Whiteway supported countless athletes and coaches in the provincial wrestling world since 1975. He is noted for developing the sport in northern Manitoba and in Indigenous communities throughout the province.)

Whiteway turned Ostberg over to Reg Larocque, who had been a college teammate, and Ostberg just kept improving all the way through university, on the way to a mechanical engineering degree.

Highlights of an eight-year wrestling career included being the only junior in a field of 13 at the senior nationals in 1980, being named the most outstanding senior wrestler in Canada and an alternate to Canada’s Olympic team in 1984 and finally, the gold medal win in the Commonwealth Games this year.

Ostberg now is the top Canadian wrestler in his bantamweight class and is rated in the top three at the world level.

Dominion City Village Chairman Taras Sokolyk, who made a presentation on behalf of Emerson MLA Albert Driedger, said Ostberg was the best promoter Dominion City could ever have.

“When he made that “I’m from Dominion City” remark on television, everyone at home puffed up just a little bit.”

Jessie Ostberg called her grandson “125 pounds of determination and perseverance”, saying he had never been a quitter even though his brothers, especially Carl, had been much bigger than him.

“When he knew he had won the gold at the Commonwealth Games, he reached over and patted his opponent’s shoulder as if to say, “Sorry, but I had to do this, Mom and Dad are watching.”

She went on to say Mitch Ostberg was always proud to say he was from Dominion City and Dominion City is certainly proud of him.

Carl Ridd, who had been a member of the Canadian basketball team that won a gold medal in the Olympics in Helsinki in 1952, sent his regards to Ostberg as well.

The University of Manitoba professor and former Dominion City United Church minister said he had often thought of Mitch in the past two years and his splendid performance in the Commonwealth Games prompted him to write.

Ostberg told the large crowd at the dinner that he was thrilled to have won the gold medal. He said an athlete was lucky to have a community to call his own after travelling all over and thanked everyone for helping him celebrate his win.