Latest news with #Raptor
Hamilton Spectator
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada international Achini Perera takes to the street for Cricket to Conquer Cancer
TORONTO - Achini Perera gets to tick a few boxes Saturday, playing cricket and helping raise money for a good cause. The Canadian international cricketer is taking part in the inaugural Cricket to Conquer Cancer, a street cricket fundraiser for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. More than 40 teams will be participating at Celebration Square in suburban Mississauga, Ont., with celebrities including singer Jully Black, former soccer star Dwayne De Rosario and former Raptor Jamaal Magloire and West Indies cricketer Carlos Brathwaite. Like many taking part, Brathwaite has a personal connection to the cause. His mother is a cancer survivor. Saturday is also Cricket Day at the Park at the Rogers Centre, where the Toronto Blue Jays host the Athletics. Perera, 24, is looking forward to returning to her roots, playing the game in the street. She and her brother started playing cricket in their basement before taking the game outside. She began at age six, dwarfed in her older brother's equipment. It didn't help that he was a left-hander and she's a rightie. 'But I'd still make it work,' she said. 'It was such a humble moment when I got my own kit when I was 10.' She soon fell in love with the game. 'I like how patient you were, how you had to be strategic during the game. And it taught me a lot about life and patience, for sure,' said Perera, whose father played first-class cricket in Sri Lanka. Perera would go to her brother's games, hoping someone might not show up so she would be allowed to fill in. When she was 12, while playing a game with boys, she was scouted by George Codrington, a former Canadian international who was the national women's coach at the time. She was invited to train with the senior women's side and was an alternate in 2012 when the women went to Ireland to play a World Twenty20 tournament qualifier. Perera made her senior debut against the U.S. in May 2019 when she was 19. It could have come earlier, but the Canadian women's team essentially was on hiatus from 2012 to 2018 after losing international status. Perera kept playing at home with boys and made her national team debut when the program returned to action. An accomplished opening batsman, the Canada vice-captain has transitioned from a medium-pace bowler to an off-spinner. Perera played a variety of sports, including basketball, badminton and volleyball, while attending Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham, Ont. She also did track and field, excelling in the javelin. 'I found it quite easy because you're throwing a lot in cricket,' she said, noting that a 600-gram javelin (the minimum weight for women's competition) seems light in comparison. Growing up, Perera spent time playing cricket in England, Sri Lanka, the U.S. and the West Indies. Perera and Canada finished runner-up to the U.S. in Buenos Aires in March at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier, missing out on the chance to advance to the final stage of T20 World Cup qualifying. The U.S. defeated Canada by 78 runs to win the four-team Americas tournament with Perera the only Canadian to reach double figures with the bat, with 19 runs off 28 balls. Both teams were 4-1-0 going into the deciding match with the U.S. atop the standings by virtue of a superior run rate. Canada had defeated the Americans by nine runs in their first game at the qualifier. Perera saw positives despite not moving on. 'You learn something with every tour,' Perera said. 'How you can improve as a unit … Being sad about it for the next two years is not the goal. The goal is to actually get better.' Unlike the Canadian men, the women's team is not under contract to Cricket Canada. Perera said the women sometimes get paid at a tournament, but usually not. 'We do love playing the game but we have other jobs too,' said Perera, who works as a timekeeper for Greater Toronto Hockey League and other leagues. 'We would love a contract but we don't mind it because our passion comes first.' Outside the cricket pitch, Perera was featured in an Estee Lauder ad in 2021. With cricket coming to the Olympics in 2028, the T20 version of the sport will get a huge platform in Los Angeles. But Canada will be watching from the sidelines with only six men's and six women's teams taking part. 'We're a little bit far off, to be completely honest with you,' said Perera. 'But regardless, seeing cricket being introduced in the Olympics honestly makes me feel so humble. I'm glad and I'm more than happy to watch their countries. 'And if we do have that chance (in the future), I know the girls are actually ready to take that step forward.' Canada is currently ranked 31st by the International Cricket Council (ICC) among women's Twenty20 International (T20I) countries with the U.S. No. 24. Cricket to Conquer Cancer and Cricket Day at the Park are sponsored by TD. —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025
Winnipeg Free Press
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada international Achini Perera takes to the street for Cricket to Conquer Cancer
TORONTO – Achini Perera gets to tick a few boxes Saturday, playing cricket and helping raise money for a good cause. The Canadian international cricketer is taking part in the inaugural Cricket to Conquer Cancer, a street cricket fundraiser for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. More than 40 teams will be participating at Celebration Square in suburban Mississauga, Ont., with celebrities including singer Jully Black, former soccer star Dwayne De Rosario and former Raptor Jamaal Magloire and West Indies cricketer Carlos Brathwaite. Like many taking part, Brathwaite has a personal connection to the cause. His mother is a cancer survivor. Saturday is also Cricket Day at the Park at the Rogers Centre, where the Toronto Blue Jays host the Athletics. Perera, 24, is looking forward to returning to her roots, playing the game in the street. She and her brother started playing cricket in their basement before taking the game outside. She began at age six, dwarfed in her older brother's equipment. It didn't help that he was a left-hander and she's a rightie. 'But I'd still make it work,' she said. 'It was such a humble moment when I got my own kit when I was 10.' She soon fell in love with the game. 'I like how patient you were, how you had to be strategic during the game. And it taught me a lot about life and patience, for sure,' said Perera, whose father played first-class cricket in Sri Lanka. Perera would go to her brother's games, hoping someone might not show up so she would be allowed to fill in. When she was 12, while playing a game with boys, she was scouted by George Codrington, a former Canadian international who was the national women's coach at the time. She was invited to train with the senior women's side and was an alternate in 2012 when the women went to Ireland to play a World Twenty20 tournament qualifier. Perera made her senior debut against the U.S. in May 2019 when she was 19. It could have come earlier, but the Canadian women's team essentially was on hiatus from 2012 to 2018 after losing international status. Perera kept playing at home with boys and made her national team debut when the program returned to action. An accomplished opening batsman, the Canada vice-captain has transitioned from a medium-pace bowler to an off-spinner. Perera played a variety of sports, including basketball, badminton and volleyball, while attending Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham, Ont. She also did track and field, excelling in the javelin. 'I found it quite easy because you're throwing a lot in cricket,' she said, noting that a 600-gram javelin (the minimum weight for women's competition) seems light in comparison. Growing up, Perera spent time playing cricket in England, Sri Lanka, the U.S. and the West Indies. Perera and Canada finished runner-up to the U.S. in Buenos Aires in March at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier, missing out on the chance to advance to the final stage of T20 World Cup qualifying. The U.S. defeated Canada by 78 runs to win the four-team Americas tournament with Perera the only Canadian to reach double figures with the bat, with 19 runs off 28 balls. Both teams were 4-1-0 going into the deciding match with the U.S. atop the standings by virtue of a superior run rate. Canada had defeated the Americans by nine runs in their first game at the qualifier. Perera saw positives despite not moving on. 'You learn something with every tour,' Perera said. 'How you can improve as a unit … Being sad about it for the next two years is not the goal. The goal is to actually get better.' Unlike the Canadian men, the women's team is not under contract to Cricket Canada. Perera said the women sometimes get paid at a tournament, but usually not. 'We do love playing the game but we have other jobs too,' said Perera, who works as a timekeeper for Greater Toronto Hockey League and other leagues. 'We would love a contract but we don't mind it because our passion comes first.' Outside the cricket pitch, Perera was featured in an Estee Lauder ad in 2021. With cricket coming to the Olympics in 2028, the T20 version of the sport will get a huge platform in Los Angeles. But Canada will be watching from the sidelines with only six men's and six women's teams taking part. 'We're a little bit far off, to be completely honest with you,' said Perera. 'But regardless, seeing cricket being introduced in the Olympics honestly makes me feel so humble. I'm glad and I'm more than happy to watch their countries. 'And if we do have that chance (in the future), I know the girls are actually ready to take that step forward.' Canada is currently ranked 31st by the International Cricket Council (ICC) among women's Twenty20 International (T20I) countries with the U.S. No. 24. Cricket to Conquer Cancer and Cricket Day at the Park are sponsored by TD. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
GASROE and Raptor Technologies Partner to Launch Statewide Behavioral Threat Assessment Methodology for Georgia Schools
HABERSHAM COUNTY, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Georgia Alliance of School Resource Officers and Educators (GASROE) and Raptor Technologies, the trusted leader in school safety and student wellbeing solutions, announced today an expanded partnership to launch a statewide behavioral threat assessment solution for Georgia K–12 schools. This new offering builds on Raptor's and GASROE's shared commitment to equipping schools with tools and training that proactively support student safety. The introduction of the S.A.F.E.R. methodology in the Raptor StudentSafe platform marks a critical step in providing a consistent, research-based approach to threat assessment statewide. The S.A.F.E.R. solution will launch at the Georgia School Safety Summit (GS3), June 2–5, 2025 and be available to all Georgia schools this summer prior to the 2025-26 school year. Digitizing Georgia's First Statewide BTA Methodology GASROE's S.A.F.E.R. methodology, developed by Georgia-based educators, mental health specialists, school safety professionals and law enforcement leaders, establishes a standardized, state-specific framework for identifying, assessing and managing student behaviors of concern. 'S.A.F.E.R. was built to protect Georgia schools. It answers the ' How' of completing these types of assessments and it provides a consistent, step-by-step process to be followed by each school within the school district,' said Murray Kogod, Executive Director of GASROE and Chief of Police for Habersham County Schools. 'By partnering with Raptor to bring this methodology to life within a proven digital platform, we're empowering districts with the tools, training, and consistency they need to intervene early and keep students safe.' Under this expanded partnership, Raptor becomes the exclusive digital provider of the S.A.F.E.R. methodology's forms, workflows, and training resources through its StudentSafe platform. Raptor StudentSafe helps districts meet state mandates to document and manage certain behavioral concerns, while allowing teams to collaborate and intervene earlier for positive outcomes. Already used by schools around the globe, StudentSafe supports district alignment with Georgia state requirements for behavioral threat assessments, bullying, suicide prevention, and other student wellbeing policies. 'This is a significant milestone in our continued work with GASROE to support student safety across Georgia,' said Gray Hall, CEO of Raptor Technologies. 'By integrating the S.A.F.E.R. methodology into Raptor StudentSafe, we're providing schools a consistent, evidence-informed platform for proactively assessing threats and intervening early, while helping districts meet key requirements for behavioral health and student safety.' Expert Training and Support for Statewide Success Raptor and GASROE will co-develop new trainings tailored to the S.A.F.E.R. methodology, supported by Raptor's behavioral threat assessment experts. These trainings will help ensure Georgia educators are fully equipped to implement the methodology with confidence. Raptor and GASROE will lead statewide training sessions, webinars and conference events to support successful adoption. In March, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a $50M supplemental appropriation providing each Georgia campus with an additional $21,635 for school safety needs. Districts have flexibility on how to spend the one-time funds. Districts may use the funds to purchase multi-year licenses. Raptor will provide special pricing for all Georgia school districts who wish to use this funding to implement the S.A.F.E.R. methodology on StudentSafe. The S.A.F.E.R. methodology enables Georgia schools to be compliant with HB268, also known as Ricky and Alyssa's Law, which requires all school districts to implement behavioral threat assessment and management plans as part of their safety protocols. Educators, school leaders, and safety professionals can learn more by attending the Georgia School Safety Summit (GS3), taking place June 2-5, 2025, where Raptor and GASROE will showcase the integrated S.A.F.E.R. solution. Visit to learn more. About Raptor Technologies Raptor was founded in 2002 with the mission to protect every child, every school, every day. Today, Raptor is a school safety partner for 60,000 schools in 55 countries, providing SaaS and mobile technology as well as comprehensive training and consultation solutions across the entire school safety lifecycle, ranging from crisis prevention and preparation to emergency response and recovery. Raptor's globally integrated product portfolio supports a school's foundation of safety and wellbeing, including Emergency Management, Campus Movement, Student Wellbeing and Safety Training and Compliance. About GASROE The Georgia Alliance of School Resource Officers and Educators (GASROE) is a school safety organization comprised of every discipline engaged in the education process, as well as local, state and federal associations and agencies that contribute to the school safety process. GASROE is committed to providing comprehensive school safety training based on best practices. It's primary goal - to ensure that every school in Georgia has the resources and knowledge to keep their students safe and to provide safe learning environments that address both the physical and mental well-being of all students, teachers, faculty and staff.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
SpaceX Starship test ends in explosion again, but Musk calls it ‘big improvement'
'Rapid unscheduled disassembly' has become a term of art in SpaceX's accounting of the fiery explosions that have marked recent test flights of the private space company's massive Starship/Super Heavy rocket booster package. Tuesday evening marked the third straight such occurrence when, in separate incidents, both the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket exploded before returning to the surface following a 5:37 p.m. MDT launch from SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas launch facility. The Starship spacecraft successfully separated from the Super Heavy rocket and the capsule even made it to space, outpacing the previous eight test flights. But the booster exploded about six-and-a-half minutes into the mission as it was executing a 'landing burn' that requires a re-firing of engines to allow for a controlled landing of the reusable component. While SpaceX had successfully recovered its Super Heavy booster on the last two test flights, Tuesday's mission called for a hard splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The Starship capsule encountered issues shortly after it began its reentry into Earth's atmosphere when it began leaking fuel, spinning out of control and eventually exploding. In a social media post, SpaceX owner Elon Musk said in spite of the explosive endings, the ninth Starship test flight was a success and one that will help advance development of the program. 'Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight!,' Musk wrote on X. 'Also, no significant loss of heat shield tiles during ascent. Leaks caused loss of main tank pressure during the coast and re-entry phase. Lot of good data to review.' While the Super Heavy booster rocket performed to expectations on the previous two test flights, the Starship capsule exploded less than 10 minutes after launch of both the seventh and eighth missions. Musk also noted that SpaceX is poised to increase the pace of Starship/Super Heavy test launches from its Texas site, which had previously been limited to five per year by the FAA. But earlier this month, the agency gave SpaceX the go-ahead for 25 launches and up to 50 landings each year. 'The FAA has determined that modifying SpaceX's vehicle operator license to support the increased launch and landing cadence would not significantly impact the quality of the human environment,' the FAA wrote in its decision. Under development for years, SpaceX's Starship system consists of the 164-foot tall Starship spacecraft and the 233-foot tall Super Heavy rocket booster. The massive booster is powered by 33 individual Raptor engines that, in unison, create nearly 17 million pounds of thrust. The methane-powered system dwarfs the former record held by NASA's Space Launch System, which flew a successful test flight last November and can achieve almost 9 million pounds of thrust. SpaceX describes Starship as 'a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, help humanity return to the moon, and travel to Mars and beyond.' As SpaceX does with its workhorse Falcon 9 rockets, the Starship system is designed for booster return and reuse capabilities. The company has been successfully recovering Falcon 9 boosters for nine years, employing a remote controlled, floating landing pad typically deployed off the coast of Florida. Starship is capable of lifting as much as 250 tons into space and could accommodate 100 people on a potential trip to Mars. SpaceX has its own plans for putting the Starship to work once it becomes operational, ferrying satellites to low Earth orbit and potentially carrying paying passengers to space. But NASA is also vested in successful development of the giant rocket system, having struck a multibillion-dollar deal with SpaceX in hopes of making Starship part of the Artemis moon mission. Starship's upper stage spacecraft would be used to carry astronauts from lunar orbit to the surface of the moon but the NASA contract stipulates that SpaceX must first prove its abilities by performing a successful unmanned lunar landing.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
After 9 SpaceX Starship launches, some have been more successful than others
SpaceX's Starship Flight 9 ended in failure — and it is not the company's only one. Since its first launch in April 2023, SpaceX has seen a mix of failed and successful launches. While not every launch is a success, the company often says that "success comes from what we learn." SpaceX's first Starship flight test started with success as the spacecraft cleared the orbital launch pad for the first time. However, Starship experienced multiple engine outages, lost altitude and began to tumble. At that point, according to SpaceX, "the flight termination system was commanded on both the booster and ship." The company experienced another issue during its first flight test beyond what SpaceX livestream hosts described as a "rapid unscheduled disassembly." While the rocket was built to be reusable, no part of the rocket was recovered. Spacex Successfully Launches Giant Starship Rocket, Explodes Minutes Later Months after its first flight test failed, SpaceX once again launched Starship. While SpaceX celebrated a number of major milestones with this launch and saw Starship make it further than the first flight, it still ended in failure. Read On The Fox Business App Starship's takeoff was successful in this second test, but the separation from the Super Heavy booster ended in an explosion. Despite this premature ending, SpaceX classified the separation itself and the Super Heavy booster's flip maneuver to being successful. Once again, the spacecraft experienced a "rapid unscheduled disassembly." The third Starship test flight was the first to be considered a success. In its third test, it met the same key milestones as the first two, and it ultimately went further than either of its predecessors. As the first successful test flight, the Starship was able to experience its first-ever reentry to Earth from space, which gave SpaceX "valuable data on heating and vehicle control during hypersonic reentry." Celebrating the company's success, SpaceX founder Elon Musk vowed "Starship will take humanity to Mars" following the test flight. SpaceX's fourth test flight was also a success from takeoff to reentry. Additionally, Starlink was able to capture live high-definition video throughout every phase of reentry, according to SpaceX. "Flight 4 ended with Starship igniting its three center Raptor engines and executing the first flip maneuver and landing burn since our suborbital campaign, followed by a soft splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean one hour and six minutes after launch," SpaceX wrote in a summary of the launch on its website. Musk celebrated in a post on X, saying that despite Starship losing "many tiles" and ending up with a "damaged flap," the spacecraft successfully made its soft landing in the ocean. Starbase, Home To Elon Musk's Spacex, To Officially Become A Texas City In the fifth flight test for SpaceX's Starship, the company achieved a major milestone as Mechazilla's mechanical arms successfully captured the Super Heavy booster, making the reusable design closer to reality. Musk hailed the achievement as "science fiction without the fiction part." SpaceX celebrated the successful test in a post on X, saying that the ability to launch and return are "fundamental techniques" for Starship's reusable design. Then-former President Donald Trump reacted to the launch during a campaign rally in Arizona just weeks before the 2024 election. Trump told a crowd of supporters that he "never saw anything like it." He joked that the booster needed a new paint job, which is "a lot cheaper than building a new one." Spacex Dragon Capsule Sticks Splashdown Landing As Nasa Astronauts Return Home After Months Stuck In Space Just over a month after SpaceX's impressive achievement during its October 2024 launch, the company saw another successful launch but did not execute a catch at the launch site as it did with its fifth test flight. Not all the criteria for a booster catch were met, which led to the decision not to go through with the move, according to PBS, which cited SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot. The outlet added that Huot did not mention any specific issue. However, SpaceX says on its webpage dedicated to the launch that the booster pulled off a "pre-planned divert maneuver" before its splashdown in the Gulf of America. In its first flight test of 2025, SpaceX saw its Starship experience another "rapid unscheduled disassembly." As the Starship upper stage performed its ascent burn to space, SpaceX lost contact approximately eight and a half minutes into the test flight. Despite the issues with the Starship upper stage, the Super Heavy booster made a successful landing and was caught back at the launchpad. On its seventh test flight, Starship was carrying mock satellites which SpaceX reportedly planned to use to practice releasing them, according to Reuters. Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was briefly forced to slow down and divert flights that could have been in the path of debris from the Starship, though normal operations eventually resumed. Musk seemed to take it in stride, writing on X that "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!" Starship's eighth test flight ended when several engines failed, and SpaceX lost connection with the spacecraft approximately nine and a half minutes after it was launched. Ultimately, Starship exploded off the coast of Florida. While the flight was a failure, SpaceX was able to execute a successful booster catch for the third time. The FAA said that the test impacted 240 flights, more than two dozen of which were forced to divert due to concerns about debris, according to Reuters. Additionally, the FAA issued ground stops for just over an hour in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Palm Beach. In total, there were 171 departure delays, 28 flights were diverted, and 40 airborne flights were held for an average of 22 minutes, Reuters reported. The outlet said that the average delay time for the 171 flights was 28 minutes. SpaceX's ninth Starship test flight ended in failure. The mission aimed to deploy eight Starlink simulator satellites and test reentry with 100 heat shield tiles intentionally removed. The payload door failed to open during the flight. Any parts of the aircraft that did not disintegrate upon reentry landed in the Indian Ocean. Despite the failure, Musk noted a "big improvement" since Starship's last flight as the craft made it to the scheduled engine cutoff. Additionally, he said there was "no significant loss of heat shield tiles during ascent." Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr contributed to this article source: After 9 SpaceX Starship launches, some have been more successful than others
