It was a triumphant year for B.C. athletes on the provincial, national and global stage. They not only reached for greatness through different disciplines, but also overcame their own personal barriers.
British Columbians overcame political obstacles to represent their country. British Columbians demonstrated dedication and honour to a sport they have devoted their entire life to. They proved through sport, that greatness will not be impeded. These are the most inspirational sports stories from around the province in 2018.
Comox’s golden girl
Comox freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe, 26, made her hometown proud when she won gold at the 2018 Pyeonchang Olympics in the ladies half pipe. Read more >
Whalley’s Little League World Series run ends in loss to Puerto Rico
With plenty of drama on and off the diamond, Whalley Little League represented Canada proudly at the Little League World Series. The baseball world watched as Dio Gama, one of the squad’s best young players, was initially prevented from joining his teammates in Pennsylvania due to immigration issues. Read more >
Paralympic dream for rider with cerebral palsy
Kim Scott was given a two percent chance of survival. Now, the Victoria-native para equestrian has her eyes set to represent Canada at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. “I can go anywhere I want to go and not worry about falling down or tripping or getting tired. The horses really are my legs some days.” Read more >
Ucluelet cheers Special Olympic gold medalist
As Ucluelet’s first Special Olympic athlete to compete at the national event, Maxtin Lengyel was greeted with cheers, hugs and high fives as he returned home as a gold medalist in the 200-metre race. Read more >
NHL official from Penticton celebrates 2,000th NHL regular season game
Shane Heyer admits “it’s been a fun journey” after 30 years, millions of air miles and 2,000 NHL regular season games wearing the stripes. Read more >
Blind Ambition: Abbotsford man plays on despite vision disability
Brian Mackie was never picked first growing up, but that has not stopped him from pursuing his passion of hockey. Read more >
Skidegate hosts first Pacific Unity basketball series
From Tonga, Hawai’I, Aoteraoa/New Zealand and Skeena River, youth basketball players landed in Skidegate for the first-ever Pacific Unity U22 Summer Series. Read more >
Sky’s the limit for Stó:lō soccer player Bruce Silver
Silver’s rise through the soccer world wasn’t easy. Teams can be political, and undercurrents of racism still exist. Read more >
Owls QB on historic championship win: ‘We’re a well rounded team’
The Kelowna Secondary School Owls became the first junior varsity football team in the Okanagan to win the provincial championships. Read more >
Fernie Ghostriders welcomed home in front of sold out crowd
The Ghostriders celebrated victory after winning for the first time at the Fernie Memorial Arena after a tragic ammonia leak shut down the arena and struck the community. Read more >
Alberni dominates at home wrestling championships
Nine Alberni District Secondary School wrestlers made it to their respective finals, with three taking home the gold. The wins marked the first time in 20 years that ADSS has won the boys’ provincial banner. Read more >
Engineering technologist earns way to Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon and entry is limited. Parksville’s Gordon Chilton he was one of 30,000 runners who qualified. Read more >
Sedin twins wrap up stellar NHL careers
It will be a confusing time in British Columbia, having to cheer on the Vancouver Canucks without Daniel and Henrik Sedin. B.C. fans said tearful goodbyes to the twins earlier this year as they marked their last season. Read more >
Surrey Eagles honour former player, Humboldt Broncos crash victim
Jaxon Joseph played for the Eagles in the 2015-16 season, prior to his death in the horrific bus crash that involved Saskatchewan Junior A team the Humboldt Broncos. Read more >
B.C. veteran uses boxing, coaching and farming to combat PTSD
After returning from Afghanistan, Quesnel’s Cam Tetrault found solace in farming. Oftentimes, Tetrault would skip from the farm to the gym, as he said the gym “really helped me with my PTSD to be accepted and it’s motivating to be there.” Read more >
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kieran.oconnor@bpdigital.ca
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