July
An 11-year-old Terrace participant makes an impressive finish at the seventh annual Salmon Run at Kitsumkalum on June 28. Hannah McNeil, 11, takes the top spot for the women’s 2km race, beating out competitors in all other age categories including the men, clocking just 10 minutes and 21 seconds. The event has its highest ever turnout with more than 500 people signed up to race in over 120 categories under the intense summer sun.
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Local resident Ashley Whittington is crowned Mr. BC for 2015 at a provincial amateur bodybuilding competition in Vancouver. At age 33, Whittington is co-owner with his wife of North Coast Health & Fitness in Terrace. In his fifth straight year of competing, Whittington weans himself to 235 pounds and wins top honours in the super heavy-weight category, as well as winning best all around physique at the event, which features 300 competitors.
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Terrace Northmen rugby team slams the PG Gnats in a huge shutout win 29-0 at their final home game of the season July 11. The game starts out close with a slim 5-0 lead for the Northmen at half, but in the second half the speed and conditioning of the Terrace back line takes over, scoring four tries in the final half and leading them to victory.
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The Terrace U15 boys cork and foot check their way to a silver medal at the Les Sinnott Memorial Boys Provincial Cup July 9-12 in 100 Mile House. Other Terrace soccer teams also compete at provincials, with U13 girls and U17 girls earning 4th, U13 boys earning 6th, and U17 boys and U15 girls earning 8th place in the province.
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A grade 10 student and volleyball player at Centennial Christian School, Terrace’s Evan Veldman is one of 40 youths from across the country selected for the national team. He trains with Team Canada as they prepare for the National Team Challenge Cup (NTCC) in Edmonton July 15-19. Now that Veldman is on the national roster, his development as a player will be supported in hopes he might make the men’s team.
August
Running champ Ed Ansems adds another first place medal to his collection after coming first in his age category at the 10km BC championships in Vancouver. The 67-year-old runner runs the 10km championship and beats out all other competitors aged 65-69 in the province.
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Rising volleyball star Carly Davies earns a second gold medal with Team BC at the National Team Challenge Cup in Richmond in July. The first medal was earned by Davies and the team in last year’s Western Elites Championship. At 17 and in her Grade 12 year at Caledonia, Davies has several scholarship offers from post-secondary institutions here in Canada and in the U.S.
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The Skeena River Challenge is revived for dedicated bicyclists in the region on Aug. 9, and cool weather and no wind makes for a pleasant race for the seven riders. The once-annual Skeena River Challenge is a scenic race from Prince Rupert to Terrace, and has an uncertain future as it was replaced in 2013 and 2014 with a gran fondo between Terrace and Rosswood and back, which draws cyclists from a wider range of skill-levels.
September
Terrace seniors take home 17 medals from the BC Seniors Games, re-named the 55+ BC Games. Terrace’s Maxine Smallwood wins six medals in track and field events, and is one of 17 Terrace seniors who come home with medals, including cyclists, bowlers, horseshoe players, golfers, and cribbage players.
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Terrace’s Roller Derby Association launches a new junior training program, starting Oct. 4, for young people to try out the sport. The eight-week training program for youth ages 12-18, is geared to build roller skating skills, and how to stop and fall safely. They hope to launch a junior team called the Night Terrors in a few years.
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Canucks alumni face off against Terrace hockey players at the Sportsplex Sept. 26, put on by the Terrace Peaks Gymnastics Club as a fundraiser for facility improvements. The event gives locals a chance to meet Canucks and honours dedicated volunteers who were chosen for the local team.
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Remote controlled cars is an expanding sport in Terrace and draws a large crowd at Skeena Valley Fall Fair Sept. 5. The newly-formed Northwest R/C Club built a big track at the Thornhill Community Grounds, and puts on a great show with freestyle tricks and races and an open chance for others to try the track.
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With his third win in amateur Mixed Martial Arts Sept. 11, Terrace’s Blake Sigvaldason is on his way for a shot at a title in the Battlefield Fight League (BFL), a step away from UFC. Ranked #4 in the BFL bantamweight amateurs, Blake is 21, 5’8” and 140 pounds and aims to go pro.
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Terrace Offroad Cycling Association (TORCA) starts work on a new intermediate-level trail called Downtube on Terrace Mountain in September. The 2.2-kilometre trail will open a new route from the northeast end of Flathead Loop to Kitselas Road, add to the 25-km trail network on the mountain and will be done by the end of 2016.