Edmonton Grads Basketball Team on the Road. Story by Former Player, Edith Stone Sutton

Date: May 1932

As you have probably heard, our team - The Edmonton Grads - travelled about a bit. And when we travelled, we did so by train. Travelling by train you get to see a great deal of your country firsthand, and as ground level. We have a great big wonderful, beautiful, magnificent country to see. You may think that travelling by train is a slow way to go. The trains didn't trundle - they hurtled! We crossed the entire width of Canada many, many times as well as a good portion of the U.S. - down to the Olympic games in California and all up the Coast to Seattle. Went from there to Victoria, Vancouver and Prince Rupert - obviously by cruise ship.

Even here in Alberta - in defending our Provincial title we went back and forth to Calgary by train. That trip took about six hours - not because it was a slow train, but because it was necessary to service all of the towns and hamlets between here and Calgary - and there are quite a number of them. I personally loved train travel. We were a closely-knit group, and always seemed to find plenty to talk about. The time went pleasantly, and you could move about, walk the length of the train and to the dining car. The dining car was a real treat, and I guess we were always ready to go there.

But one time, this train travelling routine was interrupted. Late in May 1932, we were scheduled to meet Harry Wilson's Red Devil's from Chicago, for the International title. The Chicago team was always very strong and we had to be at our best to 'take' them. The competition was to take place on a Saturday evening and a Monday evening. (Sunday was for the relaxing and socializing of the two teams and friends - a barbeque perhaps) At our last practice before the series, we were informed that - win, lose or draw, we would be playing the same team in Calgary on the Tuesday, as an exhibition game for The Shriner's charity fund, and in order to make the date, we would be flying. We looked at our captain in disbelief and complete misunderstanding. Nobody flew! The only people who flew were the bush pilots like Punch Dickens, Wop May, Paul Caulder, etc. It was their work. They flew in wealthy entrepreneurs who owned mining interests or transportation businesses in the far North Country and had stratospheric amounts of money. They could own their own planes or at least hire daring young flyers to take them up there. No passenger flights, of course. No need, nobody flew! And here we were told we were about to fly!

The reason for this groundbreaking arrangement was that we were all office workers, and our respective firms would not allow us to take time off for any reason, so we must put in our eight hours before we could take off. Even then there was some discussion as to whether or not we would take to the air, since the day was somewhat stormy. But of course, we had to go. The Chicago team had already arrived in Calgary, having gone ahead by train - a special floor had been put down, special lighting had been installed in the building, and tickets had been sold. We were picked up at work and rushed over to the Municipal airport, loaded into two Fokker 14's. Seats had been hastily installed into the two small planes - six passengers each, and took off over a grass field. No need for paved runways, the planes were so light.

It was quite a rough plane ride, and two hours and 200 miles later we put down at the Calgary airport - also on a grass field. We were offered supper - for those who could manage it, and played our game - which we won.

The Chicago girls had had a leisurely train trip to Calgary arriving around noon, so had all the afternoon and early evening to rest up. We, on the other hand, had done a day's work and had experienced that rough two-hour plane ride before taking to the floor.

After the game we took the midnight train to Edmonton, arriving in time to clean up in the train washroom, have breakfast at the station lunch counter, and get to work. This meant, as you can see, that we left home at 7:30 a.m. to get to work Tuesday morning, and did not get back until supper time Wednesday evening. It was quite an experience and we enjoyed it all.

We were the first basketball team - men or women - to fly to keep an engagement.