World record set on Stawamus Chief
It was the balancing act seen around the world.
In August, Spencer Seabrooke, the founder of Squamish鈥檚 slacklining festival Hevyfest, made international headlines. Seabrooke had people holding their breath as he walked across a 305-metre gully at the top of the Stawamus Chief on a highline without a safety line.
Once safely on the other side, Seabrooke had set a world record in free soloing. The feat was captured on video and the almost two-minute YouTube post went viral on social media.听
鈥淎fter the video came out, the media attention was overwhelming,鈥� Seabrooke said, noting if he hadn鈥檛 have slipped and caught himself on the rope, he wasn鈥檛 sure if the video would have generated so much press. 鈥淭hey eat that stuff up.鈥�
As a proponent of the sport and founder of Slacklife BC, Seabrooke is continuously looking to improve the understanding and image of slacklining and its cousin, highlining. He has called upon BC Parks to create guidelines for the activities.听
Last summer, when Seabrooke hosted the international highline gathering at the Stawamus Chief Provincial Park, BC Parks did not grant him a permit. While the function was able to continue, without a permit, Seabrooke couldn鈥檛 bring in corporate sponsors.
鈥淭he Slacklife BC crew and myself maintain a low impact approach to everything we do, as well as offer to teach safe rigging,鈥� Seabrooke said. 鈥淲e have not talked with the Parks in a couple months, but we look forward to helping them understand how we can work together to听help the community and new sport grow in our amazing parks.鈥�
In the past three years that Seabrooke has been involved in the sport, its popularity has grown rapidly, he said. Slacklining drew plenty of media attention in 2015. As it becomes more 鈥渘ormal,鈥� Seabrooke predicts slacklining will 鈥渂low up.鈥� As for 2016, Seabrooke has big plans.听
鈥淥ne thing I can tell you is that the Lions on the North Shore are 375 metres apart,鈥� he hinted.听
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Dinghy nationals set sail
Squamish鈥檚 famous wind may not have been present that weekend, but the Canadian Optimist Dinghy Championships was still a mile marker.
During the first week of September, Howe Sound was dotted with dinghy sails as sailors from across the country and as far away as Bermuda competed for gold.听
The event鈥檚 winners formed the national team ready to represent Canada at the 2016 North American, European and World Dinghy Championships.
The weather didn鈥檛 co-operate. The regatta kicked off on Aug. 28 with a week of training before the race horn blew.听
While the training days were accompanied by mostly sunny skies, most of the racing was greeted by rain. However, Squamish鈥檚 beauty and steady wind did shine through, said Garry Cotter, the 麻豆社国产Yacht Club co-chair of the event.听
鈥淭he regatta was a five-day event and began with a huge storm and no wind, but ended under perfect 麻豆社国产conditions,鈥� Cotter told The 麻豆社国产.听
鈥淚t was amazing to see young sailors from Florida, Bermuda and across the country connecting with each other, making friendships off the water and being fair competitors on the water.鈥�
Having hosted two provincial championships and a major national championship, 麻豆社国产is now being recognized as a potential site for other major sailing events in the future, he said.听
In 2016, 麻豆社国产will host the B.C. Sailing Championships on July 9 and 10.听
麻豆社国产will likely host the Canadian Optimist Championships again in 2017 for sailors eight to 14 years old.听
Sail Canada is also discussing having 麻豆社国产host the 2018 Canadian Under 19 Championships, Cotter added.听
Sailors would compete in Lasers dinghies.听
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Kermodes make history
On Feb. 28, the Quest Kermodes women鈥檚 basketball team made Pacwest league history. The team, undefeated during the regular season, crowned its victory with a provincial win. The milestone made the Kermodes the first team ever to record a perfect 21 wins and no losses. After setting the record following the defeat of Vancouver Island University鈥檚 (VIU) Mariners 74-73, Quest guard Shayna Cameron said it was a great accomplishment. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 really think about the record much, it鈥檚 always about how we can win,鈥� she said.
On March 7, the team secured its place at the top with a 76-48 win over Douglas College at the Pacwest provincial championship. The gold marked a repeat of the previous year, but this one felt all the sweeter with a line of Ws behind it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing feeling 鈥� words can鈥檛 really describe it,鈥� Cameron, who won MVP for the tournament, said following the final game. 鈥淲hen I came to Quest in my first year I told Toran [Savjord, Quest vice-president] that I want to win a provincial banner for this school, and he came up to me today and said, 鈥榊ou lied you got two.鈥欌�澨�
Quest moved on to place sixth at the Canadian Athletic Association Nationals.听
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Triathlete stripped of titles
It started with a disqualification from the Whistler Ironman race and ended with a two-year suspension from Triathlon Canada.听 In late August, news of 麻豆社国产athlete Julie Miller鈥檚 disqualification from the Whistler Ironman sent ripples through the triathlon world.
Miller, who originally placed first in the women鈥檚 40 to 44 division at the event on July 26, was headed for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. But in August, Ironman released a statement saying 鈥渂ased on the combination of photographs and timing data, it was determined Julie Miller did not complete the entire run course of Ironman Canada and was therefore disqualified.鈥�
That announcement was followed by Miller being stripped of a win at the 2014 Subaru Vancouver Triathlon, which changed the W to a disqualified, with no times recorded for any of the stages.听
In October, Canada鈥檚 triathlon governing body announced it was in the midst of a full investigation focused on allegations of misconduct by Miller in the Whistler Ironman race. On Nov. 13, Triathlon Canada imposed a two-year ban on Miller. 听
The organization鈥檚 disciplinary committee also rescinded Miller鈥檚 Triathlon Canada Award of Excellence and removed her name from all race results from 2013 to present.听 Following Triathlon Canada鈥檚 announcement, Miller commented in an email to The 麻豆社国产.
鈥淚 continue to love sport and the joy of fair competition with myself and others, and I am training daily for future events.听This has been an extremely difficult, unfair and emotional time for me and my family, and we are looking forward so, respectfully, I won鈥檛 be commenting any further,鈥� she said.
