Super-Spike volleyball tourney returns for 24th year

It’s that time of the year again for Manitobans to participate in an iconic summertime event. Super-Spike is back and better than ever with a whopping 3,100-plus players — the most the event has had since 2017.

Taking place at Maple Grove Rugby Park this upcoming weekend from July 17-18, volleyball players of all levels of experience will be bumping at the outdoor courts in hopes of dusting off their skills or to simply have a little fun in the sand.

Greg Paseshnik, the events general manager, could not be more excited for this years tourney.

“Super-Spike is in year 24 now which is hard to believe,” Paseshnik said. “I still think it’s one of Winnipeg’s best kept secrets.”

Eagles galore at St. Boniface as Neill takes first men’s amateur title

Rory Neill wasn’t actually operating on auto pilot, even if it often appeared to be the case.

Over the course of 54 holes at St. Boniface Golf Club, Neill was able to execute his game plan to near perfection and his remarkable consistency allowed him to earn a two-stroke victory at the Golf Manitoba men’s amateur championship on Wednesday afternoon.

Neill, who plays out of Glendale, held the lead after 18 and 36 holes and he rarely wavered, shooting a three-under 69 during his final round to finish at five-under 211, holding off Drew Jones of Shilo (who had the low round of the day at 67) to secure his third consecutive runner-up finish.

“I was definitely nervous to start the day, but I tried really hard to detach from the scoreboard and just play another round of golf, like I had the first two days,” said Neill, whose lone bogey of the round came on the 18th hole. “It’s cool (to go wire-to-wire). It’s definitely not what I would have expected. I talked to some guys earlier in the week and we all agreed that it was definitely going to be a bunched-up leaderboard here. I knew that coming into (the final round) that there were probably 20 guys that could win

Bisons’ Neill carries lead into final round of men’s amateur

University of Manitoba Bisons’ golfer Rory Neill got out of the gates much slower than he did in Monday’s opening round, bogeying four of his first six holes, but stuck with it, finding birdies on four of the last 10 holes to salvage his round.

Men’s amateur tees off in tight race

It’s a crowded leaderboard after the opening round of the 115th edition of the Golf Manitoba men’s amateur championship.

Rory Neill of Glendale and Jordan Walford of Whitewater Golf Club near Thunder Bay are tied for the lead after carding matching three-under par 69s at St. Boniface Golf Club on Monday.

Neill, who recently completed his sophomore season with the University of Manitoba Bisons men’s golf team, managed six birdies, three bogeys and 9 pars, while Walford had five birdies, two bogeys and 11 pars to sit atop the leaderboard of the 54-hole event which wraps up on Wednesday.

“It was not the easiest of days out there. Windy and quite hot,” Neill told Golf Manitoba after his round. “But I kept the course in front of me and did a good job of not hitting any punch outs or anything — and I was able to roll in some birdies.”

Two new junior champions crowned

High stakes. High drama. The latest instalment of the Manitoba Junior certainly delivered during a fantastic — and frantic — final day of competition.

When the dust had settled late Thursday afternoon at Pine Ridge, a pair of new champions were crowned in both the boys and girls division. And they’ll have quite the tale to tell about how they earned the hardware.

Let’s start with Hunter Oakden, who claimed the male division with an eagle on the first playoff hole, which was the par-five second. The 16-year-old from Brandon had finished the 54-hole event at three-over par, which was the same score as Winnipeggers Adam Blair (Elmhurst) and Gavin Carver (St. Charles).

Oakden had just missed a short par putt on the 18th hole which would have given him the outright victory, the ensuing bogey providing a second chance to Blair and Carver.

‘Taking everything one shot at a time’

This week has been both a marathon and a sprint for Camryn Thomas and Jewel Lafleche.

Eighteen holes in the rain-delayed and re-scheduled Manitoba Women’s Amateur on Sunday. A gruelling 38 more on Monday — two rounds plus a pair of playoff holes to decide the third and final spot on the provincial team, which was ultimately claimed by Lafleche.

Then another 18 to open the Manitoba Junior on Tuesday, followed by 18 more in Wednesday’s daytime heat.

Now, 92 competitive holes over a 72-hour span later, the finish line is finally in sight. And the race is on to see who crosses it first and captures a championship.

The scoop on cricket

Need the scoop on cricket, but you’re not sure who to ask? Free Press mascot Scoop has you covered. Let’s break down the rules, plays and wickets of the second largest sport in the world.

Renovated Assiniboine Park cricket fields carry international tourney potential

The Winnipeg cricket bats are going to be hot this summer with two renovated fields at Assiniboine Park.

Previous president and active member of Manitoba Cricket Association (MCA), Garvin Budhoo, is excited about what this means for local cricket. With many immigrants getting to play the game they know and love in their new hometown, the MCA’s mission is to make it an inclusive and supportive environment.

“Cricket is one of the sports that they love and if we can provide that opportunity for them to play, then that’s our biggest goal,” Budhoo said.

“We’ve been trying to get this turf in Manitoba for 10 years,” he added. “The two fields at Assiniboine Park will have natural grass pitches.”

Race to crown new champs tees off at Pine Ridge

Adam Blair hopes he’s saved his best for last.

The Elmhurst golfer is teeing it up this week in the Manitoba Junior Championship for the sixth and final time. His top finish came in 2024, when he placed eighth, and the 18-year-old is on the cusp of aging out of the event after graduating from Vincent Massey Collegiate last month. He’s headed to Kentucky State University on a golf scholarship this fall.

A provincial title would be quite the parting gift, don’t you think?

“It would be pretty awesome,” Blair told the Free Press with a big smile.

Competition can’t catch Kartusch

Addison Kartusch has spent countless time on the driving range and the golf course preparing for moments like this one, which meant she was not about to take anything for granted.

Kartusch didn’t let her foot off the gas and did everything in her power to lap the field to claim her third consecutive Manitoba Women’s Amateur Championship on Monday at St. Charles Country Club.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to say that I won it again,” said Kartusch, who finished the 54-hole event at 1-under 215 after rounds of 70, 73 and 72 to earn a whopping 20-stroke victory. “I’m just proud of how hard I’ve worked and the hours I’ve put in.”

Since inclement weather postponed the original event at Gilbert Plains Golf and Country Club, the 54-hole event was compressed into two days — which meant 18 holes were played on Sunday before a 36-hole marathon capped the tournament, complete with a weather delay of just under one hour for the second round of the event and gusting winds that made calculating distances a bit more challenging.

Swimming star Summer McIntosh headlines Canadian trials in Montreal

MONTREAL - Summer McIntosh crafted an all-time great performance the last time she entered the pool at the Canadian swimming trials.

A year later, she's back for an encore.

The 2026 trials run from Sunday through Thursday at the Olympic pool in Montreal as swimmers look to qualify for this summer’s Pan Pacific Championships. McIntosh, meanwhile, could be eyeing more history. 

Here are things to watch for over the next week.

Vigfusson vying to impress at Jets development camp

You’ll forgive Adam Vigfusson for having a bit of a “kid in a candy store” mentality these days.

The 20-year-old Gimli product is truly living his best life, fresh off winning a Manitoba Junior Hockey League title, a Centennial Cup championship, Most Valuable Player honours at the national tournament and earning a scholarship to St. Cloud State University that begins this fall.

This week, you’ll find him at Hockey For All Centre, skating alongside the likes of Viggo Bjorck, Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow and the other top prospects in the Winnipeg Jets organization. Vigfusson could hardly believe it when the Jets recently extended an invitation to their annual rookie development camp.

“I got the call asking if I wanted to come and it was like, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s something I never thought would happen.’ Just super excited to be here,” Vigfusson told the Free Press following Tuesday’s skate.

Four Manitobans find NHL homes in latest draft

Brek Liske figures it was meant to be.

“So my Dad was always a Flyers fan throughout his whole life, and he kind of brainwashed me into it,” the Beausejour product told reporters on Saturday — mere moments after Philadelphia had selected him in the second round, 53rd overall, of the NHL draft.

He learned of his selection while at the family cottage, surrounded by dozens of family members and friends, including many in Flyers jerseys.

Liske was one of four Manitobans to hear their name called over the weekend.

Fish handling tips for fishes’ welfare and better photos

Most of us who spend any appreciable time fishing have encountered those special moments when we want to capture a photograph of the catch that has just made it into the boat.

Numerous circumstances might be driving our desire to get that photo: a neophyte’s first fish, an exceptional catch, the so called “fish of a lifetime,” or any number of other factors that really can be determined only by the angler and the photographer.

Regrettably, many of us have also experienced varying levels of satisfaction with the images captured after we have released the fish to swim free, leaving the angler wishing for more, at which time it’s too late.

The good news is that with a little bit of forethought and planning, we can consistently take great photos of the fish we catch — with the fishes’ welfare of utmost interest, of course.

Divers Tiaglei, Rumpit jumping their way through 50 states in 50 days

Two months ago, Winnipeg high-diver Alex Tiaglei received a call that he could’ve easily confused for a belated April Fool’s joke.

On the other end was his American-born friend Braden Rumpit, whom Tiaglei had dove against at several competitions around the world.

Rumpit gave it to him straight: he planned to do a cliff dive in all 50 United States in 50 days, and he wanted Tiaglei to do it with him.

“I mean, at first I thought he was kind of crazy,” said Tiaglei. “But then I started thinking about it, and the pieces were definitely falling together pretty well.”