Latest news with #CanadianChampionships
CTV News
5 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Airdrie's Sienna MacDonald tops the podium once again
Calgary Watch Airdrie's Sienna MacDonald continues to rack up wins in track and field. The latest came in Ottawa, at the Canadian championships.
Global News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Lethbridge to host provincial slo-pitch tournament
In the 1980s, Lethbridge, Alta., was home to several dominant slo-pitch and softball teams that went on to win national titles. That success launched a generational love of the games in southern Alberta for both recreational athletes and more competitive players. 'For those that don't know, the legacy of slo-pitch in Lethbridge and southern Alberta goes back almost 50 years and I don't know that everyone realizes how successful the city has been in the past, going back to the '80s, but also to present day,' said Kevin Chubb, former coach and manager for the Lethbridge Dodgers and Alberta Cardinals. That 1980s dominance wasn't a fluke, either, as multiple Lethbridge-based teams were victorious at the national level. 'Lethbridge actually won four championships in a row between the Schwartz Angels, Great West and the Super Sam's teams. In 1989, the women's teams got in the mix and they also won two national championships in 1989 and 1991. That was the women's Lethbridge Val Matteotti's Suntana's,' said Chubb. Story continues below advertisement While a smaller city like Lethbridge winning so many titles across Canada may be a bit surprising, Chubb says it's actually quite easy to explain. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Baseball. Almost every elite slo-pitch player has a baseball background and when you look at Lethbridge and southern Alberta, you've got the Vauxhall Baseball Academy, the Prairie Baseball Academy, you have Lethbridge Little Leagues, you have other academies, you have American Legion, you've got Bulls Baseball. 'There are others that I'm not even including… I can not stress that enough that our success in the past has been because of baseball players giving slo-pitch a chance.' The sport is huge in Lethbridge as of 2025, with dozens of teams spread across multiple leagues competing in the sport every summer evening. 'We have 11 diamonds down here (in Softball Valley) and they're full every night. We usually get about 250 people down here,' said Hank Stoffer, facility manager at Lethbridge's Softball Valley. He says the level of play in slo-pitch tournaments like the 2025 Men's and Women's Softball Alberta Provincial Championships, which will be hosted at Softball Valley this weekend, is better than most people expect. 'It's going to be some of the best ball you're going to see. The winners of these will get to go play for the Canadian Championships and that's a pretty high-level softball…. There's the recreational aspect of slo-pitch that's played down here, but there's also some very, very high level that's here that people should come watch. I think they'd be suitably impressed,' said Stoffer. Story continues below advertisement Off the field, events like the 2018 Canadian Slo-Pitch Championships, also hosted in Lethbridge, are major money-makers for the city. 'In 2018, it was estimated that we brought in $3.5 million when we hosted the national championship here for that week. So, an event like (the provincial championships) could probably look to be $250,000-$300,000 throughout the city, in the restaurants, in the hotels, general spending.' The tournament runs from July 11-13 and, on the men's side, features eight teams. These include Evolution Sports Cardinals, Hype, Gators, AEG Evolution Sports Trappers, Cruisin Auto Astros, Wasted Potential, Faded and The Valley. Meanwhile, 10 teams will compete on the women's side. These include the Valley Vixens, Black Widows, Aftermath, Squad, Calahoo Erins, Two Guys Pizza Aces, Animal Kingdom, Laces, Evolution Sports Carnage and Vengeance. Both Chubb and Stoffer say they are eager to see the sport continue to grow, but that often means baseball players need to truly give the sport a chance. They say this tournament and the exposure it provides for the sport could help more athletes take part in the next step of the everlasting legacy of slo-pitch in Lethbridge.
CTV News
28-06-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
‘The biggest events that Athletics Canada has': Officials detail work that went into landing two major track and field events
Tourism London officials say years of work went into their bid for a pair of major Canadian athletic events. CTV's Gerry Dewan reports. It's the culmination of years of work resulting in London being awarded two major track and field events, both Olympic qualifiers. London will host the 2027 Canadian Track and Field Championships and the 2028 Bell Track and Field Trials. Chloe Knox competes in long jump and triple jump and was getting some work at Western Alumni Stadium Friday morning, 'I've trained here since I was like seven years old. So, it's like, ideal for me.' Last year, Knox won gold in the U-Sports Track and Field competition and bronze in the Canadian Track and Field Championships. She's recovering from injury this year, but wants the chance to compete in her hometown, 'I'm not sure that I'll compete this outdoor season. But my goal moving forward would be to finish on the podium for the next couple of Canadian Championships.' 'The biggest events that Athletics Canada has,' emphasized Zanth Jarvis. Jarvis is director of Sport Tourism for Tourism London. 'We're so fortunate to work with them and all of our partners around the city to really showcase our community and the talent and the support we have for the sport of track and field here.' Western Alumni Stadium Thomas Helland and Morgan Reevie train at Western Alumni Stadium on June 27, 2025. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London) Like a track athlete getting in shape for a major competition, Western University has spent years getting Western Alumni Stadium in shape for the upcoming events. 'It makes it a fantastic facility,' said Christine Stapleton. She is Western's Director of Sports Recreation. 'Great for the smallest track and field incoming athlete in the clubs here, to an Olympian like Alysha Newman and Damian Warner.' The track, infield, grandstands, stadium lighting, scoreboard and sound systems have been, or will be, upgraded. Stapleton says they all contribute to being able to achieve and retain certification from track and field's governing bodies, 'In order to maintain that certification, we have to adhere to the standards. So, the lines were painted by an I.A.A.F. (International Association of Athletics Federations) certified line painter, brought in from Europe to paint the lines for us.' That effort is giving local athletes a special opportunity. Thomas Helland specializes in running the 400m race, 'I've grown up in London, we always had to travel to meets like this. It's nice to have these big events here for us to just kind of showcase without having to go far. It makes use of a nice facility like you see here, and it highlights like local talent.' Morgan Reevie is a sprinter. She told CTV News the announcement had an immediate impact, 'It kind of lit a fire under everyone's butt to just really keep everything in gear, and to just get there, be healthy and be ready to go.' Jarvis says the event is another opportunity to showcase London to athletes, their families, and friends from across Canada. But Jarvis said organizers also want to inspire the next generation of young competitors, 'We're hoping that an event like this can create that legacy for the next generation. To see these athletes firsthand grow our community sport groups grow the sports.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Race Weekend: Ottawa 10K produces champions and a record time
Charles Philibert-Thiboutot and Gracelyn Larkin claimed Canadian road racing championships in the Ottawa 10K on Saturday evening. Philibert-Thiboutot, a 34-year-old from Quebec City, was clocked in 28 minutes six seconds, which would be a new Canadian record for a 10-kilometre road race. The previous record (28:09) was set last year in Ottawa by Kitchener's Ben Flanagan, who was unable to defend his title this time because of injury. Cam Levins of Black Creek, B.C., was also close to Flanagan's record with his second-place clocking of 28:14, just three seconds ahead of Toronto's Andrew Alexander. Larkin, from Rosseau, Ont., crossed the finish line first among women in the highlight event of Day 1 of Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, her time of 32:43 leaving the 24-year-old athlete 18 seconds ahead of last year's winner, Malindi Elmore of Kelowna, B.C. Erin Mawhinney of Hamilton placed third among women in 33:09. Here are photos from Saturday's race.
Los Angeles Times
28-01-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Mark Delgado ready to embark on ‘next chapter' as part of LAFC roster overhaul
Mark Delgado was born and raised in Southern California and played six MLS seasons here. But last Friday, he joked, was the first time he worried about getting lost on his way to practice. 'I had to pull out the GPS and make sure I was going the right way,' Delgado said after his first training session with LAFC in a back corner of the Cal State L.A. campus. The reigning MLS champion Galaxy, struggling to squeeze under the league salary cap, sent Delgado up the freeway last week when it traded him to LAFC for $400,000 in general allocation money. For Delgado, the deal was both a surprise and an opportunity. 'It was interesting how everything went down. But at the end of the day, there's rules in this league,' he said, referencing the salary cap. 'So no hard feelings. I said my goodbyes to close that chapter on a good note and it's on to the next chapter, right?' That next chapter could be one of the best in what has already been a storybook career. Delgado, who also spent seven seasons in Toronto, has won two MLS Cups, a Supporters' Shield and three Canadian Championships. Just 29, he's played 13 years in MLS and figures to be entering the prime of his career after setting a career high for appearances last season with 32 and matching his career high for starts with 29. With LAFC, Delgado's durability and versatility — he can play as both a defensive midfielder and a central midfielder — will help make up for the loss of veterans Ilie Sánchez, Eduard Atuesta, Lewis O'Brien and Mateusz Bogusz, who was second on the team in both goals and assists in 2024. Plus his passing ability could change the way LAFC plays. In coach Greg Vanney's possession-based game with the Galaxy, Delgado ranked eighth in the league in passing last season, completing more than 91% of the nearly 2,000 passes he attempted. No LAFC midfielder attempted more than 1,311 passes and only one completed as many as 90% of his tries. Delgado, general manager John Thorrington said 'has always been one of the most underrated players in our league. He is the type of guy that every successful team needs.' Especially a team that finds itself in another transformative offseason. After reaching the MLS Cup final in each of the two previous seasons, LAFC won the regular-season Western Conference title in 2024 but was eliminated by Seattle in extra time in the second round of the playoffs. Eleven players from that team are gone and though LAFC has already opened training camp, Thorrington is still filling out his roster. 'Once this group becomes more complete, you will see us two deep in every position,' he said. 'With the announcements to come, we're adding some real key additions that know the league, that know what it takes to win in this league. 'This will be up there with maybe the deepest group we've had to start a season.' For Delgado, the change may take a bit of getting used to. For starters, he'll be playing under a coach not named Vanney for just the second time in 11 seasons. And he'll be switching sides in El Tráfico, the bitter crosstown derby between LAFC and the Galaxy that has quickly grown into the league's most intense rivalry. Only two other men — Raheem Edwards and John McCarthy — have played for both sides in that game. 'It's definitely a game you always want to be a part of. But for me there was never any bad blood,' he said. 'So I'm on the other side now. I'm excited for it but I will say the switch was a little nerve-wracking. 'I just want to forward and get as comfortable as I can as soon as possible.' A contract extension would help. And though Delgado, who was entering the option year of deal with Galaxy, declined to talk about that, he is believed to be getting a multiyear deal with LAFC that will pay him more than the $876,250 he was guaranteed last season. Regardless of what Delgado accomplishes on the field for LAFC, the trade is already an historic one because after beginning his career with Chivas USA at age 16, then spending the last three seasons with the Galaxy — both teams that trained and played at what is now Dignity Health Sports Park — suiting up with LAFC will make him the only man to play for all three of Southern California's MLS teams. For someone who kicked a soccer ball for the first time as a 4-year-old in Glendora and has lived most of his life in Southern California, completing that triple crown is meaningful. 'That's honestly a really cool stat,' Delgado said. 'It makes me really proud.' And it may not be the only history he makes with his new club. After winning league championships in Toronto — where he played on the only MLS team to win a treble — and the Galaxy, Delgado could become just the fifth player to win MLS Cups with three different teams if he earns a ring with LAFC. 'You just lit a little fire in my stomach,' Delgado said. 'Now I'm looking forward to it. Let's do it.' ⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week's episode of the 'Corner of the Galaxy' podcast.
