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Barracudas taking nothing for granted in provincial fast-pitch tourney

The undefeated Collège Béliveau Barracudas varsity girls fast-pitch team is aiming for a provincial title this weekend — avenging a semifinal loss a year ago.

The Barracudas are in a field of 12 teams set to compete in the Manitoba High Schools Athletics Association championship, Friday and Saturday in Ile des Chenes.

Head coach Jeremie Gauvin said Thursday despite his team’s perfect record, no one is taking the competition lightly.

“I think, if anything, we’re the underdogs, to be honest. We play really stiff competition with the country teams. They’ve got a lot of talent out there. They are good, well-coached teams,” said Gauvin.

Manitoba hitting above its weight on national volleyball team

While Manitoba comprises just one of 13 provinces and territories in Canada, the prairie province accounted for one quarter of the athletes named to the roster for the Under-21 men’s national volleyball team.

Spencer Grahame, Samuel Ludwig, Jonah Dueck and Josh Jehle were named to the 16-man roster for the U21 national squad that will compete in the the NORCECA Men’s U21 Pan American Cup from June 3-11 in Havana, Cuba, and the FIVB Men’s U21 World Championships from July 7-16 in Manama, Bahrain.

Not only do they hail from Manitoba, they all play for the University of Manitoba Bisons. The Bison athletes will be joined by their head coach Arnd (Lupo) Ludwig and their assistant coach Mike Stephens who were announced as the U21 head coach and assistant coach, respectively. Lupo Ludwig is also Samuel Ludwig’s father. The chance to coach this team was meaningful for coach Ludwig especially when he looks back at his playing days.

“It’s something very special for me, specifically because I was playing at the 1987 Junior World Championships in Bahrain as well, so it’s a full circle (experience),” said Ludwig.

Golf Manitoba season tees off with match-play championship

Addison Kartusch stood on the opening tee at the Manitoba junior women’s golf championship nearly a year ago in search of a breakthrough performance. And shine she did, winning the title by 13 strokes at St. Charles Country Club, her home course.

Thieves target Elmwood Giants

The Elmwood Giants gave up some steals before the 2023 Manitoba Junior Baseball League season had begun.

Bisons expected to name veteran bench boss Burnett new men’s hockey coach

The University of Manitoba has found its new head coach of men’s hockey.

Gord Burnett, a 42-year-old Regina product with a lengthy coaching resume in junior hockey, is expected to be unveiled as the successor to long-time Bisons head coach Mike Sirant as early as this week.

Burnett, who has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, was the winning candidate in a hiring process that lasted several months.

After spending four seasons as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice, he was named head coach of the Winnipeg Blues and led the MJHL club to a playoff berth in 2019-20.

Girls are trying lacrosse and loving it: fun, fast and easy to play

It was just the second time Laylah Laquette-Koch had stepped foot on a lacrosse field.

The first came earlier this month when Edmund Partridge Community School hosted a “lacrosse week” for its students to learn one of Canada’s national sports.

“It was just fun to play and it was pretty easy to start. Everyone was having fun,” Laquette-Koch said.

That led the 13-year-old to the inaugural girls’ lacrosse day at Shaughnessy Park on Sunday, where more than 200 players gathered to compete over six games on a hot spring day.

Roughnecks one win away from NLL final

You can set your watch to the Calgary Roughnecks' playstyle. In fact, they do.

Captain Jesse King and his teammates break every National Lacrosse League game into five-minute sections and focus on winning each one. That strategy has taken them to a do-or-die Game 3 against the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday in the best-of-three Western Conference final.

"We always say 'win the next five minutes.' Whenever there's a new five-minute increment, we try and win those five minutes," said King, who leads Calgary with 16 points this post-season. "You break that game down into those increments and make things a little bit less stressful and a little bit easier to focus on."

Forward Tyler Pace, who is second on the Roughnecks with 15 points, agrees with his captain.

Canada rugby 7s men in relegation showdown

The Canadian men made their HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series debut in 1999-2000 and this weekend's season-closing tournament in London marks their 190th on the circuit.

It could also be their last for quite a while.

Canada is fighting for its World Series future, embroiled in a relegation playoff with Kenya, Tonga and Uruguay with only one retaining its status as a core team next season.

That's because the World Series is reducing the number of men's teams to 12 from 16 next season to align with the women's competition and the Olympic field.

Denz claims first Grand Tour stage win, Thomas stays in Giro lead

RIVOLI, Italy (AP) — Nico Denz won the 12th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday for his first victory in a Grand Tour, while Geraint Thomas kept hold of the pink jersey as the race prepares to head into the mountains.

Denz, who rides for Bora-Hansgrohe, beat Toms Skujiņš and Sebastian Berwick at the end of the 185-kilometer (115-mile) hill leg from Bra to Rivoli in the Piedmont region.

The first stage win for Denz in his sixth Giro prompted the German to yell in joy after crossing the line and put his hands on his head as his eyes appeared to tear up.

All three riders were in a large breakaway that had to battle to escape at the beginning of the day.

Toronto Marathon founder apologizes to runners

TORONTO - The founder of the Toronto Marathon is apologizing to the event's participants and supporters for challenges they faced during the race that took place earlier this month.

Jay Glassman says event organizers received complaints about inadequate road closures and water stations and about "pandemonium" at the finish line that made it difficult for some participants to collect their medals or food and beverages.

Glassman says barriers were knocked down and pushed aside and some people walked out with cases of water and food, which reduced what was available for other participants.

He says race organizers are still investigating what happened during the May 7 event by collecting more information and reviewing finish-area videos.

Canadian men reach semifinals in HSBC France 7s

TOULOUSE, France - Alex Russell scored the go-ahead try and Canada's defence held firm in the dying seconds Saturday in a 12-10 upset of Australia to move into the semifinal of the HSBC France Sevens.

It was the biggest win of the season for the 14th-ranked Canadian men, who face a relegation playoff next week in London to remain a core team on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series next season.

But first, they will play No. 2 Argentina in Sunday's semifinal. The Pumas dispatched No. 7 South Africa 21-12 in their quarterfinal.

By making the Cup quarterfinals in France, Argentina sealed a top-four finish in the season standings which means automatic qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Canadian diver charged with University of Utah dorm room rape

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A University of Utah diver has been arrested and charged with raping a young woman in her dorm room during the first week of the school year last fall.

Prosecutors have charged Ben Smyth, a Canadian diver in his second year at Utah, with sodomy, sexual abuse and rape. In an indictment filed this week, detectives say Smyth went to a woman’s dorm room after confirming she was alone last August. He asked her to play “truth or dare” and then allegedly raped her while she resisted physically, said she “did not want to do that,” shook her head no and told him she was in pain.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said Smyth was arrested upon returning to the United States this week.

“It is our understanding that he is in custody in Seattle,” Gill said

Fearless family making mark on gridiron

Lori Turski owes her football career to a speeding ticket.

She was standing in line at the Law Courts getting ready to pay her fine when she saw a woman, Terri Wolfe, wearing track pants with the words ‘Women’s Tackle Football’ running down the side of the leg.

As a longtime fan of the gridiron game, it immediately caught Lori’s attention.

“So, I said to her, ‘You play tackle football?’ And she’s like ‘Yeah, do you want to play?’ And I was like ‘Absolutely,’” Lori, a 48-year-old from Lorette, told the Free Press on Thursday.

Canada women look to end 7s season on high note

A season of change wraps up this weekend in Toulouse, France, for the Canadian women's rugby sevens side.

While the eighth-ranked Canadians have not made the podium as they have in the past, coach Jack Hanratty believes the depth developed this year on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, in part due to a rash of injuries, bodes well for the future.

"We've left 11 players at home for this trip, which obviously is a tough thing to say," said Hanratty. "But it also means that we've used more players in a World Series event than any other team this year which has its positives.

"I'd much prefer to swap that and be challenging for an automatic Olympic place this weekend but it wasn't to be."

Sport minister unveils slate of safe sport reforms

OTTAWA - Canada's sport minister has announced a slate of reforms to address the safe sport crisis, but former athletes and opposition politicians are reiterating demands for a national inquiry to be held.

Pascale St-Onge unveiled measures to make national sports organizations more accountable for the federal funding they receive.

A public registry of people who have been sanctioned or suspended within the sport system, restricting the use of non-disclosure agreements, making financial statements public and changing the makeup of boards of directors were among measures announced.

The recent avalanche of athlete complaints about maltreatment and abuse, including sexual abuse, in their sports threw Canadian sport into crisis.

Top PHF puckstopper Schroeder finds new hockey home in Montreal

The Premier Hockey Federation’s best goaltender has a new home.

Corinne Schroeder, the 23-year-old Elm Creek product who took the PHF by storm as a rookie in 2022-23 with the Boston Pride, has signed a one-year contract to join the Montreal Force.

Further details of the deal were not disclosed, but Schroeder, who had a productive four-year NCAA career with Boston University and a fifth season with Quinnipiac University before turning pro, was a free agent and considered an offer to return to the Pride as well as two other PHF clubs.

“There’s a lot that went into it obviously,” Schroeder said Wednesday from Elm Creek. “I’m sad to be leaving Boston… I’ve been out here for a while but I think one major piece for me was being back in Canada. I haven’t played for a Canadian team since high school (at Balmoral Hall) and being a little closer to home was a big part of my decision. I’m very excited to be in Montreal. I think it’s a great city.”

All Blacks and Japan to play more often after landmark deal

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The All Blacks and Japan will play regular test matches under an agreement signed by the New Zealand and Japanese rugby unions which might also see a faltering first step toward a global club competition.

The memorandum of understanding between the unions will see both countries explore opportunities for New Zealand-based Super Rugby franchises to play matches against clubs from the Japan League One professional competition.

Those matches will occur outside the current window for Super Rugby Pacific, which involves Fijian Drua, Moana Pasifika and five clubs each from Australia and New Zealand. A team from Japan and leading franchises from South Africa formerly participated in the Super Rugby competition but didn't return after the pandemic shutdown.

If the club matches in Japan are successful and other countries such as Australia seek to participate, it could provide an early framework for a global club tournament.

Narwal, Chen high school badminton champs

A back injury wasn’t going to stop Ranya Narwal from bringing home a gold medal from the Manitoba High School Badminton provincials.

The Grade 11 student from Fort Richmond Collegiate wasn’t moving at her usual pace, and even winced with pain at times on the court.

“I’m probably playing at 30 or 40 per cent,” said Narwal, whose father Rahul had an Icy Hot patch waiting for her on the bench at the Sport for Life Centre.

The thing about Narwal is even when she’s far from 100 per cent, she can still dominate. Narwal, who suffered the setback prior to the event, fought through the adversity and defeated Swan Valley’s Crystal Zamzow in straight sets (21-16, 21-10) in Saturday afternoon’s varsity girls provincial final.

A changing of the guard in Canadian diving

MONTREAL - Canadian diver Caeli McKay has a pretty unusual nickname for a 23-year-old.

"I actually get called ‘Grandma,’” the Tokyo Olympian from Calgary said Wednesday from the Olympic Pool. “In the gym, I get called ‘Grandma.’ Already. I’m only 23.”

Canada’s senior diving team is full of young, new faces entering this weekend’s World Aquatics Diving World Cup in Montreal as the squad undergoes a changing of the guard.

Montreal’s Jennifer Abel and Meaghan Benfeito, both two-time Olympic medallists, have retired since the Tokyo 2020 Games.