Local Sports

Squinting through a blinding November snow squall, the wizened gunslinger glides silently past the young bucks on the Canadian National Biathlon Team with silent confidence.

When six girls from École Notre Dame Des Monts took to the volleyball court at Lawrence Grassi Middle School on Tuesday (Nov. 5), they managed to write a new chapter in school history.

The first ParaNordic world cup in Canmore’s history is less than a month away and more than 12 countries have confirmed their participation in the two-week event.

Inuit cross-country ski phenom Jesse Cockney shuffles his way to the centre of the Morley School gymnasium to face a throng of screaming teenagers. They roar in delight, whistle and wave as he flashes a sheepish grin.

The Drumheller Titans lived up to their name as they defeated the Canmore Wolverines in the local team’s first Tier IV provincial playoff home game, Saturday (Nov. 9) at Millennium Field.

Amidst the suffering and toil that comes with challenging the globe’s best off-road triathletes at the Xterra world championships in Maui, Hawaii, Canmore’s Kyle McLaughlin had an epiphany: he’d rather spend time with his kids.

Twenty-eight years ago, Banff’s Paul Stutz made those impressionable first tracks down the bunny hill at Mount Norquay.

When goaltender Ryan Ferguson was named to the Canmore Eagles squad, he expected to spend much of the season stapled to the bench. Two months into the season, he’s effectively removed the backup label from his game.

Rising from the ashes of injuries and inconsistent play in September, the Canmore Eagles appear reborn. Hard hitting, tight forechecking and top-notch goaltending have led to a five-game win streak by defeating the top teams in the AJHL.

Fans, funders and federal agencies have made their message to Biathlon Canada abundantly clear: win an Olympic medal in Sochi. And with the talent the team has assembled this season, they have a shot of bringing home Olympic hardware. J.P.