Pacific Northwest Moving Haulers emerged the champion as the junior squash league wrapped up its season last weekend at the Better Bodies Crosstraining Centre.
The Haulers took charge in the final, giving the Vandelay Systems Super Geeks a good beating and winning with a decisive 29-15 score.
Pacific Northwest won five of the six matches, with Jasper Martin, Zoe Walker (subbing for Brandon Gullison) and Jane Bell winning in straight sets over Stephen Harlow, Logan Godin and Logan Small, respectively.
Chantal Emond lost her first two sets to a tough Kai Knorr, but managed to turn things around and win in five.
Stephen Grundmanis fought a back-and-forth battle with Erin Linklater, and needed the full five sets to record the win for the Haulers.
The Super Geeks only win came at the hands of Scott Meredith, as he throttled Kelly Panchyshyn in three sets.
In the battle for third place, the Honda Hustlers trounced the Canada Flooring Crushers by a 31-14 margin.
Honda took five of the six matches, winning one by default.
Shaun Stinson beat Robert McMynn in four sets, and Tamera Matechuk did the same to Aziz Van Gassen.
Braedan Brickner beat Rory Gibson, and Denis Godin beat Gavin Nyland, both in four sets.
Jessica Borgford had the Crushers lone victory, as she beat Logan Bull in four sets.
Whitehorse Games to be the most broadcast ever
The 2007 Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse will be the most televised Canada Games ever in the events 40-year history, with more than 130 broadcast hours.
APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network), CBC Sports, TSN and RDS (Le Réseau des Sports) will be the event’s official broadcasters.
“The Canada Games Council’s new emphasis on building brand equity and promoting our unique stories to the entire country has forced us to take a good look at how we have been covered in the past and to optimize partnerships that will improve our exposure as we move forward,” said Sue Hylland president and CEO for the Canada Games Council in a release on Tuesday.
TSN’s comprehensive schedule includes 50 hours of coverage, plus preview reports and profiles of the Games on SportsCentre.
RDS will also air 50 hours of French coverage on its French sports network and its French news information channel RIS.
TSN/RDS televised the 1997 Canada Games in Brandon, Manitoba, the 2001 Games in London and the 2003 Games in Bathurst-Campbellton.
“TSN is thrilled to continue its involvement with the Canada Games,” said Phil King, president of TSN. “We are proud to support Canadian amateur sports and offer these world-class athletes the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a national audience.”
CBC Sports has seen the Canada Games evolve and have shown their commitment to the Games by broadcasting the event on radio and then television on through much of its 40-year history.
CBC will broadcast 18 hours of both the opening and closing ceremonies, sports coverage on Sports Saturday and Sundays and a half-hour highlight show each weekday of the two week Games.
“As a leader in amateur sports coverage, CBC is proud to be broadcasting the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse,” says Nancy Lee, Executive Director CBC TV Sports.
“The Games have provided us with the inspiring stories of grassroots athletes who have gone on to compete for Canada at the international level.”
APTN will become the official aboriginal broadcaster of the Games with on-going sports and cultural coverage as well as simulcast coverage in aboriginal languages.
The final broadcast schedule should have APTN broadcasting 22 hours of the 15 day Games. The 2007 Canada Winter Games will be the first time APTN will broadcast the Games for the two weeks of sporting events.
“We are extremely pleased that we can share this world-class sporting event with our viewers in some Aboriginal languages,” said APTN CEO Jean LaRose.
“Sport brings communities together while giving our youth strong role models they can look up to,” LaRose said.
“We hope this will help establish a long-term relationship with the Canada Games organizers and that these games will become a tradition on our network,” he added.
The 2007 Canada Winter Games will be held February 24 to March 10, 2007, with an estimated 3,500 athletes, coaches and officials supported by more than 4,500 volunteers.
In the true northern tradition of friendship and hospitality, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut have joined together to make the 2007 Games a Pan Northern celebration.
“Sharing our Games with all Canadians is very important,” said Piers McDonald, President Whitehorse 2007 Canada Winter Games Host Society.
“We want to ensure that the Nation has an opportunity to see for themselves how amazing these Games are.
“We are also excited to be able to showcase Whitehorse and the entire north to our southern neighbours. Without partnerships such as these we would be unable to make our Games truly accessible to all Canadians.”
Nordic walking clinic
Nordic walking originated in Finland in the 1930s as a dry-land exercise for cross-country skiers. Essentially, it’s hiking with specially designed ski poles.
In the 1990s it was designated a Finnish national sport, and since then its popularity in Europe as a fitness activity has exploded.
“This is the only sport that uses 90 per cent of your body’s muscles,” said Nicole Newman, a Whistler-based Nordic walking master trainer. “You’ll burn up to 46 per cent more calories than regular walking, without realizing you’re working harder.”
Newman says the poles will also reduce strain on the lower body, so it’s great for people who have had knee injuries.
Newman will be in town this weekend offering Nordic walking clinics at Icycle Sports.
The public clinics run Friday at 4:30 p.m., and Saturday noon to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. A BC Parks and Recreation Association approved instructor’s course is also being offered on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Poles are provided, but due to limited numbers, pre-registration is recommended. For more information call Devon at Icycle Sports 668-7559.
Soccer
Under-10 (Monday)
Alkan Air 5
Clearview Autoglass 3
Alidas Jamnicky led the way for Alkan, scoring four goals. Jared Steinback added a single. Jamnicky was named MVP.
Lindsay Eby, Adam Waddington and Josh Harlow scored for Clearview, and Zack Marno was the player of the game.
EVF Fuelwood Enterprises 5
Fire-trol Canada 2
Scoring for EVF were Liam Webster and Emile St.-Pierre with two goals each, and David Grove with a single. Webster was named EVF’s player of the game after a great first half as keeper, and an offensive second half.
Fire-trol’s goals game from Samantha Burgess and Sarah Kearney, and the MVP was Daria Jorden.
M&A Yukon 4
Arctic Respiratory 2
Mike Bennett scored the hat trick for M&A, and Ty Nordahl added a single and was named MVP.
Arctic scorers were Wyatt Gale and Dylan Reed, with Eryn Thornton being named MVP.