It took little time for the sports world to hit full speed in 2015.
The biggest news came from the South Okanagan Motorsports Corporation (SOMC) which was given the green light to begin constructing Area 27. Along with Area 27 being a country club for sports car owners, it will also function as a corporate entertainment facility. After two years of planning, SOMC president Bill Drossos and his group of Trevor Seibert, Jacques Villeneuve and David King got the thumbs up from the Osoyoos Indian Band, which passed a motion Jan. 9 to designate the site for motor sports for 110 years.
“The band has agreed this is a project they want,” said Drossos.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Dec. 16 and when the announcement was made earlier in the year to go ahead with plans, Drossos said it would take six months to complete.
“If you own a sports car, you can’t enjoy it on the public roads or you can’t experience what the car is capable of,” said Drossos. “You’re not going to be able to use it properly, and if you did, it’s highly frowned upon.”
Area 27 reported on its website on Dec.22 that it had sold out of its 100 limited charter memberships. Regular memberships are now available and they have received applications for 40.
Construction has begun with a scheduled break in January and grounds work resuming in February.
Sarah Cornett-Ching gets chance behind wheel
On Feb. 14, the Summerland driver entered the Automobile Racing Club of America Daytona 200 at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.
“It’s unreal. So surreal,” said Cornett-Ching.
Cornett-Ching drove the car belonging to Tony Blanchard, whom she met while attending the Race 101 school in North Carolina in 2011. Cornett-Ching’s season concluded with her finishing as the highest rookie female in the ARCA’s 62-year history. Cornett-Ching was seventh in the standings and earned five top-10 finishes. Next season she will primarily race in the NASCAR K&N East Pro Series.
AFC alum gets first world cup podium
Andi Naude couldn’t find the right words to describe how she felt after taking third for her first podium finish in FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y.
“This is huge for me. It’s like a huge confidence booster, especially after the last couple of weeks,” said Naude, a grad of the Apex Freestyle Club. “I had a couple of hard competitions. This is really exciting for me.”
Following the first final, Naude climbed to third with a score of 81.29 behind Justin Dufour- Lapointe and Hannah Kearney. That also had her in the top six and she maintained her third place position with a score of 76.51. Naude finished the season fifth overall on the FIS Freestyle World Cup standings.
CSSHL Championships
Potential future NHL-ers, WHL draft picks and junior A hockey players were showcased in Penticton in what organizers believed would bring a $1.5-million economic spinoff to the city.
“The community of Penticton and the region of the South Okanagan are going to be treated to some extremely competitive and talented athletes here,” said CSSHL chairman and Okanagan Hockey Academy president Andy Oakes. The four-day event was run by the OHA and Global, with support from the City of Penticton and the Penticton Hospitality Association. A total of 33 teams competed March 12 to 15 with games at the South Okanagan Events Centre, OHS Training Centre, Memorial Arena and McLaren Park Arena. In the six years since the league’s inception, the tournament has travelled to different communities. Oakes said he hoped to change that. The CSSHL championships will remain in Penticton for the next two years.
Goodis becomes CIS assists leader
Racking up eight assists in a UVic Vikes 72-55 win over Brandon put Cassandra Goodis atop the Canada West assist list. The former Pen High Laker shattered the mark previously held by Simon Fraser’s Lani Gibbons, 539, and had a weekend left to add to her totals. Goodis said it was surreal to have her name thrown around with such amazing players.
“Individual records have never really been something I’ve chased, but what means the most is how excited and supportive my teammates have been about it,” said Goodis on the Vikes website. “To play with a group of people that are genuinely excited and rooting for me is the greatest feeling in the world.”
Goodis completed her career as the Canadian Interuniversity Sport all-time leader in assists with 598 in regular season and playoff action. She also became the Vikes all-time steals leader. Last season in 20 games, Goodis averaged 2.6 steals per game. Prior to the season, she was 11th on the CIS all-time list with 223 career steals.
Playing for Kaylee
Dubbed Cross City for Kaylee, the senior boys basketball teams of the Pen High Lakers and Princess Margaret Mustangs collided on Feb.16.
Spectators packed the Pen High gymnasium wearing blue T-shirts in support of Kaylee Kozari-Bowland, who received treatments for cancer. Writing on the front of the shirt said “She who is brave is free” while the back had “Kaylee #kickcancer.”
While the Mustangs won 46-41 in a hardfought, defensive battle, Kaylee was the big winner that day as more than $2,700 was raised to support her family.
“I think that’s absolutely amazing. I think the community has been amazing,” said Kaylee’s mother Tammy Kozari. “I think for those kids to get together, and plan such an event, it’s awesome.” In April, Kaylee lost her nine-month battle with family and friends at her side.
First provincial field title for Heat
Of the 15 goals scored by Beau Chetner during the B.C. Lacrosse Association Subway Provincial Field Lacrosse under-14 Championship, none were bigger than the one netted in a 7-6 victory against the Richmond Roadrunners.
Chetner scored twice in the championship, his final sewed up the Penticton Minor Lacrosse Association’s first provincial championship.
“He was very good. He drew special coverage when they had the ball. He found ways to get himself open,” said coach Dan Chetner of Beau, named the most valuable player.
“His teammates were great. Working well as a team was their strength. There’s no way he could have done that without his teammates.”
First championship for Express
The KVR Express Grade 8 boys basketball team made school history by winning its first South Zone championship and it was at home. The Express achieved the feat with three convincing wins, the final being 67-37 against the Similkameen Elementary Secondary School Sparks.
“It was a dominating team defensive performance throughout the weekend as we applied tough ball pressure,“ said Express coach Blair Haddrell.
Tegan Elder scored 12 points as the KVR Express Grade 8 girls basketball team defeated the Summerland Wave 56-16 to claim the South Zone championship.
Brown takes over Peach Classic
The Peach Classic Triathlon Race Society and Three Lakes Triathlon Series reached an agreement to hand the event over to Steve Brown.
The race society approached Brown and his business partner Jeff Plant (Axis Events and Race Director for Granfondo Axel Merckx) and were happy they would make it part of their series, while keeping true to the original principles upon which the Peach Classic has been run for 30 years.
“I feel like this has come full circle,” said Brown. “I have been connected to the Peach Classic going back to the mid-1980s. I’ve been an athlete, volunteer, sponsor, the race director and sat on the board over the history of this race. For me it is an honour to be entrusted with the oldest triathlon event in the Okanagan and one of the oldest in B.C.”
OHA wins prep CSSHL championship
Captain Tyler Popowich joined the mass of Okanagan Hockey Academy bantam prep teammates who swarmed goalie Brandon Peacock.
They won their first Canadian Sport School Hockey League championship at the OHS Training Centre.
The OHA were crowned champs after they dumped Kelowna’s Pursuit of Excellence 5-1. Tanner Bahm and Connor Bouchard scored twice, while Riley Krane opened the scoring. Bahm netted the winner at 12:35 of the second period.
“It was hard but the boys battled through,” said Popowich. “It’s a great feeling.”
Popowich credited the team with using their speed and physical presence.
“I just think we dominated them there for a bit,” he said. “They are pretty hard, they are a rough team.”
OHA White also won a championship, their second straight, defeating Yale 6-0.
“It wasn’t what we expected. Had a lot of tight games with Yale,” said Jordy Bellerive, one of six scorers for the OHA. Nolan Hildebrand only faced 18 shots.
Symonds wins in Melbourne
Penticton’s Jeff Symonds captured his first Ironman victory in the Asia-Pacific championship in Melbourne, Australia.
From the moment the gun went off, Symonds said the race was full on until reaching the finish line eight hours, four minutes and 28 seconds later. Against a field that featured Ironman and world cup champions, Symonds had pure adrenaline pumping through him as he reached the end.
“Winning a race of this magnitude against that kind of field is something that just seems unreal when you are out there,” wrote Symonds in an email. “It didn’t seem real until I grabbed that Canadian flag from my parents with 20 metres to go and did see second place in the finishing chute. Once that happened I was just overcome with thrill of the moment.”
Golden results for skier
Apex Freestyle Club members stepped up while competing against the best in Canada.
AFC was in Vernon March 30 to April 4 for the Difference Capital Canadian Junior Nationals presented by Bannister Vernon GM.
The local club returned with several medals in freestyle skiing, including five gold from Brayden Kuroda in the under-14 age group, in slope style, big air, hybrid-air, which is a transition from an aerial jump, moguls, dual moguls and silver in aggregate air and medals.
“It was really awesome. I had a real fun time there,” said Brayden, 14. “It was pretty nerveracking the first couple times. Then I got back into the groove of it. Just took some deep breathes and focused on what I had to do.”
Other AFC skiers medals: Liam Collyer, U14, silver in slope style; air, U18 Kassidy Todd, gold,
U20 Mason Barzilay gold, U16 Koleton Phipps, gold, Hayden Person silver, U18 Joe Durham gold; moguls, U16 Madison Parker, bronze, U20 Barzilay silver, U16 Person silver; dual moguls, U16, Anna Spence bronze, Person, silver, U20 Barzilay, silver; air and moguls combined, Todd, gold, Phipps, gold, Barzilay and Person, bronze.
“I’d say they did remarkable,” said AFC coach Kenni Kuroda.
Challenge Penticton gets changes
Kevin Cutjar and Michael Brown shared their vision for Valley First Challenge Penticton at an open house.
The co-race directors discussed plans to revamp the race to provide a more exciting and entertaining experience for racers and spectators. One of the changes was adding a stadium-style setup in Okanagan Lake Park to create a village atmosphere for athletes and fans.
“It gives people a look at the athletes as they come around,” said Cutjar, who has since sold his share to Brown. “It’s exciting for the athletes to run into that stadium style finish in front of a crowd of people as opposed to running down a chute.”
Cutjar let the crowd in on their thinking behind revamping the run course to include the river channel.
“That’s a beautiful part of Penticton,” said Cutjar. “A lot of people that come here want to run the channel. They want to see all those people floating down the river. That’s part of Penticton. Why not make that part of the course? It happens to be flatter, potential to be faster.”
In 2016 Challenge Penticton will serve as the Canadian Long Distance Triathlon Championships where pros race for prize money and compete for a national championship. Penticton will also host the 2017 International Triathlon Union Multisport World Championships Festival, LD Triathlon.
Skier strong in international field
Jorgen Anderson watched as his Apex Ski Club athletes competed well against the future stars of world cup racing during the 23rd Whistler Cup April 3 to 5.
In under-14 girls, Kayley Davies earned the best results finishing 19th on the first day, then 48th in giant slalom and 13th out of 108 skiers in slalom, clocking a time of one minute, 33 seconds and 94 hundredths of a second. Marcus Athans of Kelowna was the lone skier for the club in the U16 men’s group. On the first day he placed 37th among 74 who started and took 25th in slalom.
Canadians halt Vees RBC hopes
The Penticton Vees fell short of playing for the RBC Cup national junior A hockey championship after a double overtime loss to the Carleton Place Canadians May 16.
Jordan Larson buried a rebound over the pad of outstretched goalie Hunter Miska after a Ryker Killins shot at 3:43 to win 2-1 at the PCU Centre in Portage la Prairie, Man. Miska finished with 38 saves.
“It hurts for our players. We played our asses off,” said Vees coach-general manager Fred Harbinson shortly after the loss. “I thought we had a lot of chances to make it 2-0 and it didn’t happen. They made a play, they are a great team. We scored a goal in the first overtime, unfortunate quick whistle. We have seen that before. It wasn’t intentional. It’s one of those things that happens. They were able to make the last play.”
The Vees earned a berth to the RBC Cup after they won the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup in Fort McMurray. The Vees defeated the Portage Terriers 4-3 in overtime on May 2. The Vees earned their spot to compete for the WCC when they defeated the Nanaimo Clippers 3-2 in overtime to clinch the BCHL championship for the second time in four years.