When the 100 Mile House Wranglers’ are playing, Sue Fryer is front and centre in the stands.
Fryer, 71, has been cheering on and chronicling the exploits of “her boys,” as she calls them, since the team took to the ice eight years ago. A member of the Wranglers board of directors, Fryer is also the unofficial photographer for the Wranglers and has taken on caring for the Wranglers’ jerseys, repairing them after games and ensuring each one has a player’s name stitched on the back.
Over the years, she has become as familiar a sight around the rink as mascot Sunrise Sam.
“When the Wranglers began I was just a fan and from there I just became really interested in helping out,” Fryer said. “(In 2015) I just started taking pictures and carried on from there.”
Sports photography was new to Fryer before she became a member of the Wranglers’ board of directors. But she now posts her photography to the Wranglers’ Facebook page during games to provide updates to those not in attendance. She also collects some of her best shots of each player at the end of the year and gives the digital copies to the respective players so they can remember their time as Wranglers.
“Hockey is so fast. I have to watch what angle I’m shooting at because otherwise all you get is a blur and that’s no good so I really have to watch that,” Fryer said. “I love a good action shot when the goalie has the puck deflecting off his stick or when the players are racing towards the net.”
Besides being the team photographer and keeping the jerseys up to scratch, Fryer also billets players during the season which has helped her get to know the teams. She enjoys keeping in touch with players after they leave, noting her previous billet is now off to university.
This year she has seen the new team working really hard to be a good team and she feels they have the potential to achieve their goal.
“I feel, and maybe I’m wrong, that 100 Mile is a hockey town and this team brings a lot to our town. You see the fans and they’re always happy, even when the team is down they pull for them all the time. It’s a positive atmosphere that I really like,” Fryer said.
A 41-year resident of the South Cariboo and grandmother of three children, Fryer is a retired school bus driver and speech-language therapist for SD27. She said she misses working directly with children and their “funny sayings and quirks.”
Both Fryer and her husband of 51 years Ken love living up here as they enjoy quadding, hiking and kayaking in the outdoors. When she’s not volunteering for the Wranglers, Fryer said she enjoys making teddy bears in her spare time.
“I just had always wanted to make teddy bears so I took a course many years ago and have just expanded on it ever since,” Fryer said. “I dress them and embroider names on the feet for kids.”
Her bears have proven popular and are found throughout Canada, America, Australia and even Saudi Arabia, a fact that makes her proud.
Fryer said she intends to keep on volunteering for the Wranglers as long as she can, but noted they could always use a hand. Although the current group is great, more volunteers would allow them to take a break at times.
“If you’re a little shy about volunteering I’d say come out, watch a game and take a look around and see what volunteers are doing and you might just hit on something that you want to be doing for the team,” she said. “As soon as you figure that out, don’t be afraid to contact the office and let them know your name a phone number. They’ll sure get a hold of you.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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