As we wrap up another year, here’s a chance to recall a few sports highlights from the first part of 2016.
January
Shames Mountain sparkled after an early snowfall last year, and the hill opened early and boasts a fantastic holiday season. Clear skies, perfect temperatures lots of sparkling powder drew crowds, including 600 people on New Year’s Day. The newly renovated kitchen was a huge improvement and new seats on the chair lift were a big hit.
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The holidays last winter also saw people flocking to the Onion Lake cross country ski trails. The club boasted 320 members (360 is the record) in early January, with more than 60 of them new, and jackrabbits was boasting a new record. The glistening trails drew more than 250 skiers to the free open house Jan. 3.
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Terrace ringette players Sarah McLeod, Cassidy Pavao, and Jessica Dahl travelled internationally with a team of players from Prince George, Finland, Vancouver and Quesnel. They played in Sweden and Finland in the Helsinki Ringette Festival Dec. 28, 2015 to Jan. 6, 2016 and said it was a fantastic experience, sharpening their skills and forging new friendships with players across the world.
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Terrace freeskier Tom Yasinchuk and Kitimat skier Jared Thornton from the Shames Mountain Ski and Snowboard Club carved the steep open slopes of Red Mountain in the Canadian Junior Freeskiing Championships Jan. 21-23. Though they didn’t place in the top, and fog cancelled their second run, it was an exhilarating experience, particularly for 3-year-old Yasinchuk who hadn’t skied anything larger than Smithers’ Hudson Bay.
February
Terrace figure skaters had a blast at regional championships in Prince George Jan. 23 to 24, where they won the team trophy overall as well as a whopping 34 medals.
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Terrace Blueback swimmer Avery Back struck six new personal bests, earned a silver medal and a provincial qualification at regional championships in Prince George Jan. 22-24. Renzo Zanardo also earned first in the 50 Fl and qualified for provincials at a Last Chance swim meet at the Terrace pool Jan. 30.
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Terrace WAKS won the Terrace Men’s Basketball League, boasting a strong winning record of 28 wins, four losses. A team of mostly Nisga’a men, they competed in the All Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert Feb. 7-13, but were frustrated to lose both games.
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Four Terrace ladies competed in the curling provincials on Feb. 15-21, earning fourth place and having a great time. All friends, the ladies Lisa Bulleid, Sylvia Griffith, Kathie Simpson and Joan Kucharyshen, threw their team together for zones and won, and had a great time in provincials, only narrowly losing to the team who claimed first.
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Several high school basketball teams won medals in their zone tournaments. Both the senior girls from Caledonia Secondary School and the junior boys from Centennial Christian School won first in their zones. The junior girls from Caledonia got second and junior boys third in their zone tournaments.
March
Laura Dale showcased her hard-earned figure skating abilities with the best of Canada, earning sixth at the Special Olympic Nationals March 1-6. Dale had a blast in the Singles level 3 division in Newfoundland and said she could hardly wait to get on the ice.
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Three Terrace brown belts and two coaches from the Terrace Shogun Dojo competed in the massive Kickboxing Irish Open International tournament March 4-6. Competing against martial artists from more than 20 different countries, Jenna Hoornenborg, Adrian Babcock, and Robbie Cline did not win, but felt good about their fights. The competition gave them a higher standard to attain and a renewed drive in their training.
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Two Terrace Wolverine basketball teams competed in the Junior All Native Basketball Tournament in Williams Lake March 13-19. The team was formed with the regulars from a weekly drop-in at the Suwilaawks gym.
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Seven Terrace figure skaters earned top 10 placings and personal bests in the provincial Super Series Star Skate Final competition in Kelowna early in March. The girls earned nine medals in the 17 categories, with Halle Classen winning a medal in all three of her events and Maya Lecuyer earning two gold medals. Makayla Forrest got a gold evaluation (placed in the top provincial category), and Camryn Monsen won gold in the Bronze Interpretive group two.
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Terrace Kermode Kinsman Atoms held up a shiny new trophy from Richmond after they dominated a four-day, tier two tournament there on March 12-15. They won all six games in Richmond, dominating with four shutouts.
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Dylan Currie, 12, and Claire Hernes, 9, from the Totem Saddle Club in Terrace were honoured for sportsmanship by the Horse Council of British Columbia. The 2015 Alf Fletcher Youth Sportsmanship Award honoured them for positive, friendly and helpful attitudes both in competition and outside of it.
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The Terrace River Kings earned second place in 2016 Coy Cup Championship hosted in Terrace March 22-26. It was their third year in a row for second place, and ended with a disappointing final loss to the Fort St. John Flyers. But the team played several excellent games and finished at the top in the round robin to get a bye to the finals.
