All summer long

Organizers at Roblin Park Community Centre are encouraging folks to lace-up up their running shoes.

The Roblin Park Running Club is described on the centre’s website as a fun, friendly, and welcoming way to get active, meet one’s neighbours, explore the community, and build fitness together.

According to key organizer and RPCC board member Heidi Ouellette, the idea came about last fall when the potential to hold a community run was explored, which developed into a fall festival with the run being part of that. The run was “a really big success,” Ouellette said.

The running club will be held on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. at the Charleswood-based centre, which is located at 640 Pepperloaf Cres.; there will be no sessions on Aug. 1 or Sept. 5 in light of upcoming long weekends. After the Saturday sessions, participants are invited to stay for coffee, snacks and conversations.

East sports news in brief — week of July 15, 2026

Local ball teams win provincial titles

East St. Paul won the 15U A (Zone 1) provincial baseball title on July 5, defeating Dakota 13-3 in the final, which was hosted by Bonivital.

East St. Paul won its first game 18-0 against South Winnipeg on July 3, but then lost 13-10 to St. Andrews-Selkirk-1 later that afternoon. The next day, East St. Paul beat Norberry-Glenlee 18-7 and then Charleswood 17-16 to advance to the semifinals.

On July 5, East St. Paul beat St. Andrews-Selkirk Smith 11-3 to advance to the final, while Dakota beat Charleswood 17-9 in the other semifinal to set up the final match at Highbury field.

Mining and match play

Now that we are in the summer months, many folks are considering their sunny day plans. Many are staying in Canada for their summer vacations, and with such a huge country to explore, why not? Speaking with many Manitobans over the decades, I have come to form the opinion that many of us haven’t taken the time to even explore our own vast province, let alone others. Maybe this is the year Manitobans change that.

I had plans to visit the northern part of our province last year, but with the fire crisis, I felt that being a tourist would be inappropriate. This year I did go up north, and many of the people I spoke to were very happy to see tourists return. One of the places I visited was Snow Lake, home to the excellent Manitoba Mining Museum, and the picturesque Wekusko Falls. This active mining town has many amenities, including a golf course!

The clubhouse is on a rock face that overlooks the first tee and ninth green. It has a full service restaurant, large patio, and a fleet of riding cart rentals. I would recommend getting a cart on this course, as it plays long with many significant elevation challenges. This course is situated on terrain that hasn’t evolved to support golf grass. Expecting Glen Abbey first cuts this far north would be unrealistic, but you will find well maintained fairway lawns and true grass greens. The prolific white and yellow flowers scattered throughout the fairways made me choose to play the orange balls I bought in Vancouver, B.C., earlier this season.

As mentioned, elevation changes are a main feature of these links. To get to the first tee, you have to go down to the valley floor from the clubhouse. Once on the tee, you look at an uphill fairway with no visible green. Fortunately, the only challenge on this hole is accommodating up-slope play. Now, once you are finished on the green, stick to the left pathway. If you take the right pathway, you end up at the tee for the fifth hole. You paid to play all the holes, so don’t skip three of them.

National table tennis competition returns to the city

While cortisol for many competitive athletes might be running on overdrive leading up to a national championship, it isn’t for everyone.

For Terry Zhang, he’s excited, because it’s his first time competing on the national stage in 10 years, and it’s the first time Winnipeg is hosting the Canadian Championship in table tennis in 10 years.

Over 350 athletes from across the country — and roughly 50 Manitobans — are prepping for the national championship, which is set to take place July 17 to 23 at Duckworth Centre at the University of Winnipeg (400 Spence St.)

“A lot of people feel nervous around this time, but I’m excited,” Zhang laughed.

Local sports journalists, scouts honoured

The Manitoba Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association is adding five new members with years of experience into its media roll of honour.

Kelly Moore is the sports director for radio station CJOB; Russ Hobson, a longtime TV broadcaster for Global, and Curt Keilback is remembered as the play-by-play voice of the Winnipeg Jets before the team moved to Phoenix. Rita (Ringo) Mingo was a sportswriter for the Winnipeg Tribune before it folded in 1980. Most of her career has been in Calgary where she worked for the Sun and the Herald. Jon Thordarson becomes the second photographer to be honoured, joining Hugh Allan. He was the photo editor of the Free Press before his death in 2010. He began his career at the Tribune and later worked for the Sun, as well.

Jon was the unofficial photographer for the media hockey group that played at River Heights Community Club for many years. He also was one of the most competitive players in a casual scrimmage that on occasion got out of hand. In my photo archives, I found a photo he took once long ago Monday using an extension cord so he could be in the front row. Among the culprits are journalists Gord and Dave Sinclair and Bill Burdeney, broadcasters Bob Irving and Barry Moroz, and my longtime writing partner Ted Holland.

Former Manitoba sportswriter Gregg Drinnan has provided updates from Kamloops on the Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Foundation. Most importantly, the word ‘western’ has been dropped in a name change that reflects the Foundation’s vision to grow beyond Western Canada and expand its impact across Canada and beyond.

Growing the game

On June 17, over 60 children and their caregivers came out to learn tennis or to improve their skills at the Garden City Collegiate community tennis courts, located at 711 Jefferson Ave.

Hosted by the Garden City Tennis Group, this first annual free tennis fest event was sponsored by Tennis Manitoba. Executive director Steve Dreger supplied all the tennis rackets and other equipment for event day, and invited eight of Manitoba‘s elite youth tennis players to be part of the training sessions. Head coach Dennis Flores was assisted by Jowen Sangalang, Edj Villamar, Boni Riteul, Noy Manalasesa, and Derek Dabee. Refreshments were sponsored by area councillor Devi Sharma.

Young Falcons player passionate about football

Jaxson Gemon is a 10-year-old Grade 5 student who attends Dawson Trail School.

“School is going really well,” Jaxson said. “My favourite class is gym. I like gym because I can play a lot of games and stay active at the same time.”

Jaxson really likes sports. He is mostly focused on football, though.

“I enjoy football because my team is like a second family to me,” he said. “I enjoy being a part of the team. I also like to tackle because I am really good at it. I play defensive middle linebacker and D-line. I like my position because I am big and strong and good at pushing and tackling.”

Simple strokes in Steep Rock

For those who have been very busy at the end of June, the sudden mid-week statutory holiday to celebrate the best country on this planet may have caught you off guard. How can one get out of Winnipeg on a mini road trip that’s not too short, but not too long? Unfold the highways map — ask a grey hair — and trace a route up through the Interlake to Steep Rock, Man.

The limestone shoreline here on Lake Manitoba has some wondrous cliffs, caves and beaches to explore. Folks can hike along the shore and trails to seek their adventure. Paddling a locally rented kayak, or the canoe you thatched onto the roof of your Civic, is also a great option. Most family members would be delighted rumbling about with all that accounts for Steep Rock’s name. For others, there’s always a need for activity that absorbs time and that is less physically demanding. I hear this rally cry, and in response, I present the Hard Rock Golf Course.

I had the great pleasure of meeting the head greenskeeper who goes by the name of Mac. He talked about the team of volunteers that help him maintain the links. He also spoke of how the community has brought exciting additional attractions to the area, including new hiking trails that lead to an elaborate camp ground complex. This new, sprawling seasonal community includes a marina and bouncy castle pavilion. COVID gave Steep Rock’s popularity a boost, and folks are now coming and staying for the season.

The original town site is relatively small, but if you are a landmark person, seek the old church. At the northwest corner of said church is a picnic table, and the first tee. Cost is $10/round, or free for those under the age of 16. Membership fees for the entire golf season will run you a staggering couple of greenbacks ($40 CDN). There’s no pro-shop. You just plunk your money in the strong box bolted to the picnic table, and get your score sheet from the fishing tackle box, also bolted to the table. Bring your own snacks and hydration, but please use the refuse cans provided. If you forgot, the local shops, a small stroll away, have yummy supplies on hand.

Track and field provincials held

The Manitoba High Schools Athletic Association’s provincial track and field meet was held the weekend of June 12 to 14 at the University of Manitoba Stadium.

Division banners were won by St. Paul’s High School (varsity, junior varsity boys), St. Mary’s Academy (varsity girls), and Sisler High School (junior varsity girls). The AAAA aggregate banner was taken home by Sisler High School.

Garden City Collegiate sprinters took home both the silver and gold medals in the unified 4x100-metre relay, setting a new record with the gold of 53.56 seconds. Dakota Collegiate won gold for the 4x100M varsity boys relay with a time of 43.82 seconds, while St. Mary’s Academy won the varsity girls relay with a 51.41 second time. Garden City won the junior boys varsity relay with a time of 45.69 seconds, while Sisler High School won the girls junior varsity relay, finishing in 52.04 seconds.

Garden City’s Alex Logan set a new record for boys para discus, throwing 19.63 metres. Meanwhile, Kaylee Robbins of Collège Jeanne-Sauvé set a new junior varsity girls record in the qualifying round, throwing 36.11M. For the final, Robbins threw 35.34 to earn the gold medal. Robbins also set a JV girls record for shotput, throwing 13.67M to earn the gold medal. Timi Inumoh of Pembina Trails set a new record for varsity boys 100M hurdles, with a time of 13.19 seconds.

Local legends inducted into baseball hall of fame

The induction speeches at the recent Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony were poignant reflections on family and community.

Elmwood baseball legend Al Kinley received his honorary life membership in recognition of decades of contributions as a player, coach, historian and administrator.

“Al believes that community involvement is as important as success on the ballfield,” chairman Dan Giesbrecht said. “His knowledge of baseball history is vast and unmatched.”

Kinley introduced fellow Giant Ed Kulyk as a coach and builder, calling him “one of my boys.”

Volleyball, slo-pitch inducts members to halls of fame

At its annual awards and hall of fame banquet on June 7, Volleyball Manitoba announced its newest group of hall of fame inductees. Alicia Ogoms was inducted in the athlete category and Grant Wilson and Wilma Fehr were honoured as builders.

Ogoms, who represented Canada internationally for nearly a decade, played for the University of Southern California, Canada’s National Senior Women, and in professional leagues in four countries. Wilson coached the Brandon University Bobcats men to multiple Canada West titles and the U Sports national championship in 2025. Fehr is described as an athletic therapist, coach, mentor and volunteer, who has served the sport for more than 30 years in our province and country.

Slo-Pitch National (SPN) Manitoba will induct one player, one umpire and three builders into its Field of Dreams Hall of Fame later this year. Gary Ellis played slo-pitch softball for more than 30 years, including in countless provincial and several national championships. He later became a SPN umpire. Gerry Hiebert became an umpire for SPN in 2004. He is considered to be one of the top umpires by his peers and has worked in six national championships.

Builder Natasha Sanburn of Thompson, Man., was described as “the eyes and ears of the Northern part of Manitoba” for her 20-plus years of service. Kent Kamenz, who has served 25 years as the regional director of SPN National, finally has accepted his long overdue induction. Leadership, dedication, and passion are words that best describe Kent.

Lions leaving lacrosse legacy

The girls’ lacrosse team at Glenlawn Collegiate recently finished its season in style – and will leave a lasting legacy.

Now in its fourth year in the program, the St. Vital-based team won its first Manitoba High School Field Lacrosse League division 1 championship, beating Sturgeon Heights Collegiate 8-7 on June 14 at Shaughnessy Park Field.

Grade 12 student Vayda Rigaux, a midfielder, said as the season — which started in April — progressed, she started to believe the Lions could go all the way and win the title, adding that in the championship game the team went two goals up with a couple of minutes to go, so it was a case keeping hold of possession until the final whistle.

“It feels great,” said Rigaux, 18, who was preparing to graduate at press time. “It definitely means a lot to us to be champions at the end of the season. This honestly makes it harder to leave high school now … because of all the people I’ve met and all the fun and success I’ve had.”