NORCECA Women's Volleyball U19 Pan Am Cup: Bronze Medal
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CTV News
14 minutes ago
- CTV News
Fernandez solves ‘setback' with opening-round win at Monterrey Open
Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, tracks the ball during her round match against Maya Joint, of Australia, at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes MONTERREY — Leylah Fernandez needed a major confidence boost after back-to-back opening-round exits at the National Bank Open in Montreal and Cincinnati Open. The 22-year-old from Laval, Que., got it Monday night in Mexico with a 6-3, 7-5 first-round victory over Jaqueline Cristian of Romania at the WTA 500 Monterrey Open, where she is a former two-time champion. The seventh-seeded Fernandez, who posted on Instagram that 'I like to think every setback is just a setup for the comeback,' won the first set in 35 precision-filled minutes. Both players stayed on serve in the tight second set until Fernandez broke Cristian at 5-5, then served out to win 7-5 to take the match in one hour, 33 minutes. Fernandez, who won the Washington Open last month, advances to the round of 16 and will face the winner of a match between Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia and Victoria Rodriguez of Mexico. Cristian, who got stronger as Monday's match progressed, finished with five aces and three double faults. Fernandez had three aces and one double fault. Fernandez held an advantage on first serves, winning 86 per cent of her points on first serve, compared to 76 for Cristian. Fernandez won two of five break points and took 24 points while receiving. Cristian had 23 unforced errors, 11 more than Fernandez. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Young soccer players who 'head' the ball face cognitive decline, new research shows
Social Sharing A new study from Western University found the practice of hitting a soccer ball with the head leads to noticeable cognitive decline in young players, and researchers are now calling for more restrictions in the sport. Over the course of a five-month season, the study tracked a U13 London soccer team made up of male players around 11 and 12 years old. Researchers fitted each player with a custom mouth guard to track head impacts, and had them do regular cognitive tests. One of the main findings that stuck out to Rachel Watson, a PhD student at Western, was that every time a player hit the ball with their head, their reaction time slowed down by about six milliseconds. "Each time it was a small amount that it slowed down," Watson said. "But, by the end of the season, this all accumulated or snowballed into a much larger effect." Many more head hits occurred during practices compared to games, Watson and her team observed. With the team practicing four times per week, there were far more opportunities for head impacts than at weekly game, but some practice drills led to hundreds of these impacts, she said. Currently, policies are in place in Ontario to provide guidelines for coaches, stating how often players of different age groups should be hitting the ball with their heads. Kids under 11 should not be heading the ball at all, players aged 12 to 13 should have a maximum of one session per month with up to five head hits with a lightweight ball, and 14- to 17-year olds should have one session with up to 10 hits. These guidelines were not being followed when researchers were following the team's season, Watson said. Every coach needs to rethink what they're doing. "Coaches have a really great ability to limit this in practice and focus on emphasizing other alternative methods of controlling the ball," she said. "And what the athletes are practicing in practice will come out in the game." The team's coach, Jonathan O'Neill, was surprised by the results of the study, he said. While the study showed the majority of head impacts were occurring at practices, the team doesn't actually practice a lot of heading, he explained. Most of it would have happened on recovery days, when the team played soccer tennis or Teqball, which are variations of the sport with very low impact on the head, he said. "But obviously the low impact still had a cumulative effect on the players' nervous systems and their ability to respond to football interactions," O'Neill said. Heading will happen as a byproduct of the game, because players cannot control the opponent and the chaos that sometimes causes the ball to go into the air, he said. But the safety of players is paramount and now that the effects of heading on cognitive ability is better understood, every coach is going to have to rethink what they're doing, he added While heading the ball is just one of many technical skills in soccer, Watson said, young athletes are likely not thinking about the short or long term effects of their actions—whether they are unaware of them, or simply don't care. Even if banning the practice of heading is not fully attainable yet, Watson believes coaches and parents should emphasize the findings of this study to really get it across to the players that it can be harmful. "Then when the athletes are older, stronger and more developed and more aware of the effects of head impacts, they can choose to make an informed decision themselves if they want to head the ball or not."
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘Part of me is gone': Abrupt end for Fraser Downs track a blow to B.C. horse racing
A harness racer and horse are seen at Fraser Downs racetrack in Surrey, B.C., in a Sept. 19, 2024, handout photo. The track was abruptly closed on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, after almost half a century in operation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Patti Tubbs (Mandatory Credit) Kristina Rennich started working as a groom at the Fraser Downs racetrack, formerly known as Cloverdale Raceway, when she decided to turn her passion for horses into a career at the age of 12. Rennich, 53, said she used to tag along with trainers to soak up every piece of knowledge she could at the track in Surrey, B.C., which has operated for almost 50 years. She said the abrupt announcement of the harness racing track's closure last week is a blow to her childhood memories. 'That was a place that helped me develop into the person I became,' said Rennich, who now runs a facility looking after special-needs horses in Edmonton. 'I do feel like a part of me is gone, even though I haven't been back there, but knowing it was there (was) like you can go home,' said Rennich, adding that many trainers and staff would feel emptiness at the news. Great Canadian Entertainment, which owns and runs the racetrack that is adjacent to its Elements Casino, said Friday would end horse racing immediately, after the City of Surrey, which owns the grounds, terminated the lease. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said in a statement that the city ended the lease to begin work to 'revitalize' the Cloverdale fairgrounds and town centre. She said the racetrack and backstretch take up more than 4.8 hectares, and the revitalization aims to deliver new housing and public spaces, support a $3-billion hospital, and expand recreation. 'We respect the long history of horse racing in Surrey and the people connected to it. We carefully weighed those impacts against the citywide benefits of revitalization,' said Locke. 'This is a city-building decision about using public land for the greatest public good, taken within our constitutional rights and with proper notice.' The mayor said the Elements Casino is not affected by the lease termination, and no horses were on site due to ongoing health and safety work in the backstretch area. Rodrigo Perez, an assistant general manager of Fraser Downs, said the decision touches everyone who has been a part of Fraser Downs' 'long and proud' history, from the racing community to many people who shared a passion for standardbred racing. The racetrack opened in 1976 under the name Cloverdale Raceway, before being rebranded as Fraser Downs in 1996. Rennich said that although she hasn't been to Cloverdale in 35 years, the news left her feeling empty. There was a flood of memories, of cleaning stalls, petting the horses, and race nights filled with shining lights and adrenaline. 'These horses were extremely well looked after, because they're athletes. So, it wasn't just driving them and working with them around the track, but it was also massage and grooming and checking everything,' said Rennich. 'It was a lot about keeping these horses in great mental condition as well.' Some horses loved fresh carrots while others wanted scratches in 'all the right places,' recalled Rennich. Rennich said the place taught her a work ethic. 'And I'll tell you, even when I was young, those trainers didn't give me a break,' said Rennich. 'You can't be sick or take a day off. These horses need to be looked after.' When it was cold and rainy 'you had to work through it.' Then came race night. 'The grandstand was full and the lights were on, and you would get them ready, hand them to the driver, and then you would just hope for the best because these were animals you worked with every day, and you wanted to see them do great, and it was a payoff,' said Rennich. 'It was a payoff for the hard work and the early mornings.' Not everyone is sad to see the racetrack closed. The Vancouver Humane Society welcoming the city's decision, calling horse racing 'outdated' and 'harmful' entertainment. 'While the closure at Fraser Downs marks an end to racing at that site, it is emblematic of a wider, long-overdue shift away from horse racing,' the society's campaign director, Emily Pickett, said in a statement. 'Horse racing inherently subjects horses to pressure and danger, debilitating injuries, early physical decline, and at times fatal outcomes.' The Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce said it was saddened by the closure, saying harness racing had been an important part of Cloverdale's identity, economy, and community spirit. Former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum, a former CEO of Harness Racing BC, criticized Locke for having 'steamrolled an entire industry.' 'Trainers, breeders, jockeys, and workers with unique skill sets are now out of work. These aren't jobs that can be replaced overnight,' said McCullum. Rennich said drivers, trainers, veterinarians, and the farriers would feel a 'large hole' in their lives after the closure. The closure also meant the loss of a lifestyle for young people that was healthy, outdoors and active. 'I think it's a real shame to lose it,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2025. Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
