Latest news with #Forgan
The National
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Female artists to headline ‘eclectic' festival offering
The second year of the event at Newport-on-Tay follows gigs from James Yorkston, Hamish Hawk and Pictish Trail, thanks to the efforts of local music collective Big Rock Records, a group of music aficionados celebrating Scottish independent music talent. The line up for this year's Lughnasadh is headlined by Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) award-winner Kathryn Joseph (below), along with fellow SAY award-winners Sacred Paws, Mercury Prize nominee and Heavy Music award finalists Dead Pony. Also appearing are Becky Sikasa, who was BBC Introducing Scottish Act of the Year 2025, Connor Liam Byrne and the Bad Kissers, with art activities curated by artist Ruby Pester. The family-friendly festival will take place in August in the gardens and grounds of Forgan Arts Centre which was bought by Community Asset Transfer in 2022. It is one of four festivals Forgan Arts Centre hosts annually to celebrate nature and the turning of the Celtic wheel. Alongside the line-up of some of Scotland's best musicians, there will be food and drinks from top Scottish independent producers. Kathryn Joseph said she couldn't wait to be back in a part of the country that she loves very much. READ MORE: Pro-Palestine activists protest against Israel at Eurovision opening ceremony 'I'm very happy and excited to be part of Lughnasadh Music and Arts festival in Newport-on-Tay and very happy to get to play our new record live with Lomond Campbell,' she said. Big Rock Records member Chris Mugan added: 'With so many fond memories from last year's joyous event, we're thrilled our Forgan pals have invited us back for more. We've worked hard to pull together a line-up that's even stronger, more eclectic and diverse. There's something for everyone and everyone's welcome.' Last year's inaugural Lughnasadh Festival was programmed in response to a request for more live music events at Forgan Arts Centre. The positive reception to the 2024 festival enabled the organisation expand the festival to welcome audiences from across Scotland to see some of the best homegrown new music around in a beautiful setting. Interim director at Forgan Arts Centre Teri Laing said: 'Lughnasadh is becoming a much-loved community event, and the centre, grounds and woodland are the ideal backdrop for soaking up some sounds and celebrating the end of summer.' Lughnasadh Festival, which will take place on August 2, is supported by North East Fife Area Committee. Forgan Arts Centre is supported by Northwood Charitable Trust, the North East Fife Area Committee and Fife Council.
IOL News
30-04-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Cape Town father runs half marathon for little cancer warriors, while battling stage 4 cancer himself
Aadam Forgan with his son after the race Image: Supplied Aadam Forgan has run for the children whose laughter and sobs echo through the curtains of the oncology ward — young lives battling cancer just metres away from where he receives chemotherapy. On 26 April 2025, the 43-year-old father from Cape Town's Deep South completed the Outeniqua Half Marathon in the Wilderness, all while fighting stage 4 colorectal cancer, to raise money and awareness for the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (CHOC). Diagnosed in 2023, just months after his sister was found to have stage 3 colorectal cancer, Forgan said his life changed almost overnight. 'The doctors told our family we should all get screened. I had no symptoms — nothing — but the colonoscopy showed stage 4 cancer and 18 metastases in my liver. I couldn't believe it.' He has since undergone major surgery and continues to face chemotherapy sessions lasting up to eight hours. 'When I go in for chemo, there's a kids' section nearby. Sometimes I hear them laugh through the curtain. Other times I hear them cry. I usually unplug my IV pole, walk over to the window with six drips attached, and just let my own tears fall quietly. I don't want to disturb anyone. But those kids — they never leave my thoughts.' Despite the physical toll of treatment, Forgan has trained consistently since undergoing surgery last November. 'Running gives me hope,' he said. 'It's not just exercise — it's proof that I've survived. Every step tells me I'm still here. And I wanted to do something with that hope. I wanted to give it away.' He launched a BackaBuddy campaign in April to raise funds for CHOC and has already raised over R31,500 from 47 donors — well over his original target of R20,000. 'It didn't matter if I raised R100 or R10,000,' he said. 'I just believed that if I dropped a pebble of hope, maybe it could ripple outwards and help someone else.' Aadam lives for his son and the many cancer warriors Image: Supplied Speaking after the race, Forgan shared: 'The route was beautiful, and I managed a modest time of 1:57. I'd promised myself I'd keep running on every climb. When my body started to hurt, I thought about the kids I'd seen in chemo — about their families and their daily struggles. Like in a race, the pain builds, but you just keep going. You don't give up.' Forgan, who runs a construction company and mentors young tradespeople, said resilience has shaped his life from a young age. After losing a kidney at 14, he turned to surfing and later running to stay grounded. 'I've always believed that if you work hard and believe in yourself, anything is possible. There's no shortcut. Just grit and belief.' He now hopes to qualify for a liver transplant — and until then, he said he'll keep running for others who can't. 'This campaign isn't about me,' he said. 'It's a way of saying thank you to those who've supported me, and of giving something back to the kids still fighting.' 'I'm so grateful to everyone who's donated or sent a message. You've helped me find purpose in this pain. That means the world to me.' Forgan's campaign, Keep Hope Alive, is still open for donations via BackaBuddy: [email protected] Weekend Argus
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The world championship weekend for luge has arrived. Some eyes are already on the 2026 Olympics
Luge's most important weekend of the year got underway Thursday, with the world championships opening on the track in Whistler, Canada, that was used for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. It's a big deal. It's also a big reminder of what's next. For the Americans, the goal is to win medals this weekend — and they have realistic chances to do so in no fewer than three events. But it's also clear that eyes and minds are starting to drift toward February 2026, when the next Olympic sliding races are held in either Italy (if a track gets built) or on USA Luge's home track in Lake Placid, New York. 'The Olympics is my focus," three-time women's singles Olympic slider Summer Britcher said. 'It has been my focus for a long time. But I don't view it as a distraction from other races like world championships or World Cups. I view it as in collaboration with them. Every World Cup and world championships is an opportunity to see how things are trending, to work on our equipment, to work on racing well. And it's all building towards the Olympics.' As always, Germany is the nation to catch — 44 medals so far in World Cup races this season are the most of any nation, six more than an Austrian team that seems to be peaking at exactly the right time in the Olympic cycle. Latvia has 11 medals so far this season and the U.S. is fourth with nine. The majority of the American medals this season have been claimed by the women's doubles team of Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby — winners of four medals in doubles races and part of more medal performances in relays. At this rate, they seem like locks to make their Olympic debuts next winter. On a team filled with Olympic veterans and proven sliders — Britcher and Emily Sweeney have been among the best in the women's singles world for years, Tucker West has one of the fastest men's starts on the circuit — Forgan and Kirkby are quickly proving themselves. They're young and exuberant, which is clear from the glitter adorning their faces on race days and just how excited they get on the medal stand. 'It's one of the most important things to make sure we're still having fun," Forgan said. 'Obviously, this season has been our best season so far results-wise. We've kind of been having to remind ourselves, when it's getting kind of tough and it's getting kind of serious and we're really pushing, that we are having fun and we love what we do. And I think that really carries us through a lot of the difficulties that come with being on the road so much and how intense the competition can get.' The world championship mixed doubles and mixed singles races took place on Thursday (the U.S. grabbed one of the six available medals), with three competitions — men's doubles, women's doubles and women's singles — on Friday. The championships close on Saturday with men's singles and the team relay. The relay is fast becoming a favorite for the U.S. squad, since it brings men's singles, women's singles, women's doubles and men's doubles sleds together in the same event. 'From Day 1, Team USA is drilled into you and we are Team USA at our core," Sweeney said. "And the way that we come together during relays is something that's pretty special.' Mixed singles Germany grabbed the first gold of the world championships, with Max Langenhan and Julia Taubitz edging Sweeney and Johnny Gustafson of the U.S. by about one-tenth of a second. The Austrian team of David Gleirscher and Madeleine Egle took the bronze. Mixed doubles Austria won gold in mixed doubles, with Thomas Steu and Wolfgang Kindl on the men's sled and Selina Egle and Lara Kipp on the women's sled. Germany took second and third. The silver went to Hannes Orlamuender-Paul Gubitz with Dajana Eitberger-Magadalena Matschina. The bronze was claimed by Tobias Wendl-Tobias Arlt with Jessica Degenhardt-Cheyenne Rosenthal. The U.S. was fourth: Zach DiGregorio and Sean Hollander for the men, Forgan and Kirkby for the women. ___ AP sports: Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
NBC Sports
06-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Chevonne Forgan, Sophia Kirkby ride success toward Olympic debut of women's doubles luge
Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby were training in Lake Placid, New York, when they received the news, officially, that changed the trajectory of their shared career. On June 24, 2022, the IOC announced a slew of new Winter Olympic events to debut at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. Some were introduced to bring the Winter Games closer to gender equality. One of them was Forgan and Kirkby's event of women's doubles luge. One doubles event had already been on the Olympic program since luge's debut at the 1964 Innsbruck Games, but only men had ever competed together. 'It was relieving,' Forgan said of the inclusion. 'We were kind of counting on it being added to the Olympics, and just the fact that it did, I was like, OK, now we can actually focus on getting there.' They're just a year away. Forgan and Kirkby, who used to compete against each other in singles, are now one of the world's best doubles teams. They rank third on this season's World Cup circuit going into this week's World Championships in Whistler, Canada. The women's doubles event is Friday. Forgan, 24, and Kirkby, 23, won world championships bronze medals in 2022 and 2024. 'Sometimes it's hard to even think of ourselves as being that good,' Forgan said. 'It still feels like we're really learning and figuring it out.' Forgan was born in Australia. She saw snow for the first time when her family moved to Massachusetts in 2011 for her dad's job in computer software. The next year, Forgan's mom learned of a slider search event in a nearby town. USA Luge sets up a street luge course with cones to introduce the sport to kids. 'I thought it was sort of try luge for fun, get to know the sport,' she said. 'I didn't realize it was a tryout to make the team, until we got the email months later inviting me back to Lake Placid to try it on ice. And that was sort of like, OK, maybe we should actually find out what this really is.' Forgan, a self-described daredevil, was hooked after her first few runs on ice, reaching about 30 miles per hour. Kirkby grew up one town over from Lake Placid, the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic host that is home to one of the U.S.' two full-scale sliding tracks. She said that her dad, James, had bobsled experience while with the Air Force. Naturally, she began sliding at age 8. 'Eventually, I just found out that I was pretty decent at it,' she said. In 2020, Kirkby and Forgan went one-two in the U.S. Junior Championships in singles. That same year, then-U.S. coach Robert Fegg suggested they give doubles a shot. 06 January 2024, North Rhine-Westphalia, Winterberg: Luge: World Cup: Doubles, women, 1st run. ride through the ice channel. Chevonne Chelsea Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (USA) race through the ice channel. Photo: Marius Becker/dpa (Photo by Marius Becker/picture alliance via Getty Images) dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Forgan is 5 feet, 10 inches. Kirkby is 5 feet, 3 inches. A height difference is beneficial for aerodynamics in doubles. Neither was sure about it. They spent the 2020-21 pandemic year training both singles and doubles. When they teamed up, Forgan said it felt like they were almost learning how to luge again, which was fun. 'We're kind of having to share a brain on the sled,' she said. They went all-in on doubles in 2021-22, the first season with a world championship for the event. 'My main concern was, is this going to be an Olympic category or not?' Kirkby said. Forgan and Kirkby won bronze at those first world championships. Five months later came the announcement that women's doubles was added for the next Olympics in 2026. After luge's Olympic debut in 1964, it took 34 years for the U.S. to win its first medals — men's doubles silver and bronze in 1998. And 50 years for the first U.S. medal in singles — Erin Hamlin's bronze in 2014. With Forgan and Kirkby, the U.S. from the get-go is rivaling traditional powers Germany, Austria and Italy in women's doubles. This season, Kirkby is competing with a quote written on her left glove from her father, who had prostate cancer and died last summer. 'Everything is going really really good! -Dad,' reads the glove she is wearing at world championships. Before he died, Kirkby's mom had him talk to save his voice in recordings. He spoke about Forgan and Kirkby's team. He spoke about how great their previous season was. He said he hoped they'd go to the Olympics. 'Before he died he said to me, 'I might not be able to watch your next season, but I'd like to think I'll be there giving you an extra push sliding down,'' Kirkby posted on social media this week. 'I might not have him here to watch this season, but I feel I've had him help push me to 4 World Cup podiums so far this season🥇🥈🥉🥉. I'm beyond blessed to carry his strength and love with me on every run. Here's to our most successful season yet—together.' Nick Zaccardi,
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The world championship weekend for luge has arrived. Some eyes are already on the 2026 Olympics
Luge's most important weekend of the year got underway Thursday, with the world championships opening on the track in Whistler, Canada, that was used for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. It's a big deal. It's also a big reminder of what's next. For the Americans, the goal is to win medals this weekend — and they have realistic chances to do so in no fewer than three events. But it's also clear that eyes and minds are starting to drift toward February 2026, when the next Olympic sliding races are held in either Italy (if a track gets built) or on USA Luge's home track in Lake Placid, New York. 'The Olympics is my focus," three-time women's singles Olympic slider Summer Britcher said. 'It has been my focus for a long time. But I don't view it as a distraction from other races like world championships or World Cups. I view it as in collaboration with them. Every World Cup and world championships is an opportunity to see how things are trending, to work on our equipment, to work on racing well. And it's all building towards the Olympics.' As always, Germany is the nation to catch — 44 medals so far in World Cup races this season are the most of any nation, six more than an Austrian team that seems to be peaking at exactly the right time in the Olympic cycle. Latvia has 11 medals so far this season and the U.S. is fourth with nine. The majority of the American medals this season have been claimed by the women's doubles team of Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby — winners of four medals in doubles races and part of more medal performances in relays. At this rate, they seem like locks to make their Olympic debuts next winter. On a team filled with Olympic veterans and proven sliders — Britcher and Emily Sweeney have been among the best in the women's singles world for years, Tucker West has one of the fastest men's starts on the circuit — Forgan and Kirkby are quickly proving themselves. They're young and exuberant, which is clear from the glitter adorning their faces on race days and just how excited they get on the medal stand. 'It's one of the most important things to make sure we're still having fun," Forgan said. 'Obviously, this season has been our best season so far results-wise. We've kind of been having to remind ourselves, when it's getting kind of tough and it's getting kind of serious and we're really pushing, that we are having fun and we love what we do. And I think that really carries us through a lot of the difficulties that come with being on the road so much and how intense the competition can get.' The world championship mixed doubles and mixed singles races were set for Thursday, with three competitions — men's doubles, women's doubles and women's singles — on Friday. The championships close on Saturday with men's singles and the team relay. The relay is fast becoming a favorite for the U.S. squad, since it brings men's singles, women's singles, women's doubles and men's doubles sleds together in the same event. 'From Day 1, Team USA is drilled into you and we are Team USA at our core," Sweeney said. "And the way that we come together during relays is something that's pretty special.' ___ AP sports:
