Sea Bears Dance Crew takes athleticism to the next level

Many grow up believing dance can only be a hobby and never a career. The Sea Bears Dance Crew defies the notion by showing there can be a professional side of dance in Winnipeg.

Tasha Farmer and Kersey Sarao lead a team of 18 dancers from different backgrounds and styles. Together, they create a high-energy game-day experience — one that encourages everyone in the arena to get up and boogie.

Farmer started dancing at a young age, experimenting in all that was offered.

“I trained in ballet, lyrical, hip hop, musical theatre — every single style you can think of,” she said.

Bombers fortunate to escape with win

OTTAWA – Can the Winnipeg Blue Bombers get away with a performance like that against a legitimate Grey Cup contender?

Heck no.

Thankfully for them, they weren’t playing one Sunday night in Ottawa.

The Bombers struggled mightily in the first three quarters against a winless Redblacks side which put them in a 26-9 hole heading into the fourth.

The World Cup is over. Here’s where to get your next soccer fix

If you’re a new fan of soccer, you might be thinking, “Now what?” Here’s a guide to some of the biggest leagues in the world — and how you can follow them — to help solve even the most acute cases of World Cup withdrawal.

Overlooked Really Ralis now the local favourite for Manitoba Derby

Trainer Cindy Krasner now has the local favourite for the $125,000 Manitoba Derby on Aug. 3, with a horse nobody wanted.

The 69-year-old former Hastings Park trainer saddled Really Ralis to win the $50,000 Derby Trial on Monday, defeating previous Derby favourites Prime Suspect, who had romped through a pair of local allowance races earlier this year for trainer Steve Keplin Jr., and Elston Gunnn, who defeated Prime Suspect to win the Golden Boy Stakes for trainer Tina Birdwell.

Really Ralis went through the BC Yearling Sale with a $5,000 reserve and did not come close to meeting it. Buyers took one look at his size and passed. Krasner’s longtime client, Dennis Spence, stepped in with a number and the colt changed hands for $2,500.

“I thought, God, for $2,500 you could triple your money as a show horse if he couldn’t run,” said Krasner.

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

Winnipeg’s first pro women’s team will be in the Northern Super League

Desiree Scott made a name for herself on the pitch as The Destroyer. Now, she’s continuing her legacy as a builder.

On Tuesday, the Olympic gold medalist helped announce the Northern Super League’s expansion to Winnipeg, the seventh franchise in Canada’s rapidly growing professional women’s soccer league.

It’s also the first pro women’s sports team in the city.

Scott, a Winnipeg native, had been vocal about her desire for a pro women’s team in her hometown during her playing days, and has spearheaded the movement for it to come to fruition in the last year.

Bjorck inks three-year, entry-level contract with Jets

Putting pen to paper was merely the next step in the journey for Viggo Bjorck.

Now that the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft has inked his entry-level deal with the Winnipeg Jets, the real fun begins.

This is standard operating procedure and was basically a formality after Bjorck’s club team Djurgardens announced publicly over the weekend that the skilled forward was leaving the Swedish Hockey League to pursue NHL opportunities.

Bjorck signed his three-year pact on Monday and it carries a cap hit of US $1.075 million in the NHL, with the ability to make another US$1 million per season if he hits his performance bonuses.

Top prospect Viggo Björck plans future with Jets

The stage appears to be set for Viggo Björck to make an immediate impact with the Winnipeg Jets.

A significant development occurred this weekend when Djurgården — the Swedish team Björck was under contract for the coming season — announced the 18-year-old was departing the organization under very positive terms.

“Viggo Björck has chosen to leave Djurgården to continue his career in the Winnipeg Jets organization next season,” the news release stated.

The announcement prompted vastly different reactions depending on your perspective.

Bombers-Ticats clash will be remembered for all the wrong reasons

There were no winners on Sunday night in Hamilton.

Sure, the end result saw the Winnipeg Blue Bombers improve to 2-2, but quarterback Zach Collaros went down in the process and the game will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

A win is a win, but the only reason the Blue and Gold escaped with a 14-13 victory was because the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ worst nightmare came true: superstar quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was taken away in an ambulance in the third quarter after a sack left him with a serious ankle injury.

Then there’s the CFL, which had been heaped with praise for the excellent quarterback play across the board in the opening weeks, only for this to happen.

Bombers steal win on somber night

HAMILTON — It was supposed to be a showdown between two future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks.

Instead, it ended up being a somber night for the CFL.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers starter Zach Collaros was ruled out for the contest with an upper body injury after being hit from the blindside on the first play of the second quarter.

And just when you thought nothing could possibly overshadow that, Bo Levi Mitchell — the face of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who was playing some of the best football of his illustrious career this season — suffered what appeared to be a serious left ankle injury in the third quarter after being taken down by defensive lineman Jake Ceresna for a sack.

Manitoba-bred Brachetto stakes his claim as King’s Plate favourite

For the first time in memory, a Manitoba-bred could be one of the favourites for Canada’s most prestigious horse race, the $1-million King’s Plate for three-year-olds, to be run Aug. 15 at Woodbine in Ontario.

Last Saturday, Brachetto, bred by longtime Manitoba owner-breeder Dr. Ross McKague, won the $150,000 Marine Stakes (G3) as the longest shot on the board, beating two heavily favoured rivals and vaulting himself into the Plate favourite conversation for the mile-and-a-quarter classic.

Brachetto is a son of multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma, who stands for $100,000 at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky. He is out of McKague’s mare Colorino, who earned more than $200,000 on the track and has now produced nine winners from nine foals.

McKague has owned a racehorse for 52 years. He has bred them for 50. He has a barn’s worth of horses that could have been somebody, and a lifetime of reasons why they weren’t. Last Saturday afternoon at Woodbine, standing on a patch of grass under the trees in the winner’s enclosure of a graded stakes for the first time in his life, the 79-year-old finally got the one that was.

In photos: World Cup fans flood stadiums and fan zones with dazzling costumes, face paint and flags

World Cup supporters have turned stadiums and fan zones into colorful celebrations of national pride, expressing their passion for the game through creative costumes, fac paint and flags from around the globe.

Skinner signing adds to Winnipeg Jets goalie intrigue

Stuart Skinner made no bold proclamations about his expected workload, nor did he provide any hints about whether or not he expected to be part of a tandem with Connor Hellebuyck, given the noise that has surrounded the Winnipeg Jets starting goaltender.

After agreeing to terms of a two-year deal with an AAV of US$3.75 million, Skinner showcased his trademark accountability and humility when asked about his expected role come this fall.

“To be honest, it wasn’t too much of a conversation because we don’t know too much,” said Skinner, when asked directly about Hellebuyck. “Obviously, there’s rumors out there. As far as my experience, rumours are just rumours until something happens.

“As of right now, me and Helle are teammates, which is so exciting. I mean, he’s the best goalie in the world, so it’s a great opportunity for me. I think, again, with the thought process of growing my game and just becoming a better goalie and the type of culture that Winnipeg brings, it’s extremely exciting.”

Sea Bears confident as club welcomes Mamba into town

Xavier Moon has been in town for nearly two weeks and still hasn’t made his debut for the Winnipeg Sea Bears.

Men’s squad shows its Canadian grit with victory in gruelling contest

Alistair Johnston said it would be a track meet. It was that, and then some.

Canada’s round-of-32 showdown with South Africa had enough running, hurdling and feats of strength to exhaust observers, nevermind the players, and its only goal cut through more than 90 minutes of tension like a javelin thrown to the winning position.

To the neutral, it was likely hard to watch. For fans of the teams involved, everything was happening all at once, on turbocharge. It was not the sort of game you’d easily stomach losing.

Thankfully for Canada, Stephen Eustáquio’s decisive delivery in the second minute of second-half stoppage time remedied the nausea just as it was setting in.