Fourth generation of Swift Current, Sask. track family joins Huskies

Fourth generation of Swift Current, Sask. track family joins Huskies

Carter and Jackson Tuplin are the newest Tuplins to compete for the University of Saskatchewan

The weight of a legacy can be hard to carry.

The latest generation of a Swift Current track and field dynasty didn't necessarily have a smooth start in the sport.

“From a young age, I was more of a hockey player and I absolutely despised track,” said Jackson Tuplin.

“I couldn't even step foot on the track.”

Jackson’s brother Carter and sister Macey also had uneasy beginnings in a sport that has taken up a large place in their family’s history.

“You don't want to be in the shadow, I guess … it just was never super appealing,” Carter said.

That changed for all of them in high school. Now the brothers are the fourth generation of their family to compete in track and field at the University of Saskatchewan.

Their place in the sport dates back to 1948, when their great-grandmother, Anne Mang, won the 100-metre provincial championship. She also landed on the podium for long jump, javelin and ball throw.

"I remember growing up as a kid and paging through her scrapbook and there were always ribbons and crests,” said Mang’s daughter, Cyndi Tasche.

“I think in some respects that's kind of why I was intrigued by that. And I loved to run and jump as a kid, so it seemed somewhat natural."

Cyndi also attended the U of S under legendary coach Lyle Sanderson. She started coaching herself while still a student and eventually took over the team at the Swift Current Comprehensive High School from 1978 to 2005.

Her daughters Mandi, Lindsay and Hillary grew up on the track.

“They would be in their baby baskets and they would be at practice or they'd be hauled off to a meet and just simply have to put up with whatever was going on,” Tasche said. “I am also fortunate, though, that the girls responded to that and they all love track and field.”

Each daughter also joined the U of S Huskies track team. They combined for eight national championship team rings, while competing for teams that were inducted into the Canada West Hall of Fame and USask Wall of Fame.

Mandi said her grandmother’s success always motivated her to carry on.

“That story just kind of always resonated with me. And that was my ultimate goal, was to be a provincial champion in track and field,” said Tasche-Tuplin.

“I guess once I hit that mark, then I just kept going and going and going.”

Beyond all of her accolades on the track, the university also played a very significant role in Mandi’s family life.

“Mandi and I definitely met through track and field,” said her husband, Emery Tuplin.

“The sport kind of gave me everything I have.”

The couple was so in sync that they both won the 2001 Huskies Track and Field Athlete of the Year award.

Emery also helped the men’s team follow the lead of the women’s teams to a national championship themselves.

“Our men's and our women's teams were all very, very good friends. I think there's probably about six married couples that came out of that era," said Tasche-Tuplin.

Emery and Mandi ended up in Swift Current and she took over the high school track team in 2011. Her teams have won seven provincial championships in a row.

That didn’t mean their three kids were expected to sign up.

“I want them to do what makes them happy,” Emery said. “We wanted to expose them to it. I think success always breeds the love for stuff.”

Jackson and Carter are multiple-time SHSAA provincial gold medalists. Carter also won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in Newfoundland.

Macey's focus is more on softball, but she represented Saskatchewan at the 2026 Royal Canadian Legion National Youth Track and Field Championships this summer.

“We wouldn't be here without hard work,” Jackson said. “We aren't the most naturally talented family. It's just we know if we want to get something done, we have to work hard to get it.”

Both boys are planning to train as teachers and have said they would like to one day give back to the sport the way their parents have.

Swift Current family carries on legacy of track and field for four generations

Mandi said her grandmother would be proud of the legacy.

“She'd be so happy. If she could, she'd still be running the track. She'd be in the stands, cheering if she could,” Tasche-Tuplin said.

“It's pretty special that it's lasted for this long.”

She noted that her own coaching career in Swift Current will only last another eight years, just in time for her kids to finish school.

That leaves the door wide open for the next generation to grab the baton and run.

Shawn Mullin is a CBC reporter in southwest Saskatchewan with over 20 years of media experience. He has lived in Swift Current, Sask., since 2010 and started working at CBC's new local bureau in June 2026. You can reach him at shawn.mullin@cbc.ca.