JANUARY
RUPERT BASKETBALL PLAYER TO PLAY NATIONALS
Justin McChesney made the cut to be added to B.C.’s Under-17 provincial team for 2015. The roster has 12 athletes from across the province. McChesney and Tyrell Laing from Prince George are the only two from northern B.C. The six-foot-nine Rupertite went on to Halifax, Nova Scotia to play in the national championship in early August.
COASTAL CLASH CHAMPIONS
The junior boys Charles Hays basketball team hosted the 14th Annual eight-team competition and won. Charles Hays met the Nisga’a Secondary School and won 45-33 — once again claiming the championship title.
RAMPAGE OUT FOR THE SEASON
After a 5-1 loss to the division-leading Terrace River Kings, the Rampage were out of the playoffs. The team ended its season in the fourth place.
FEBRUARY
ALL NATIVE TOURNAMENT WRAP-UP
In the 56th All Native Basketball Tournament the Skidegate Saints won the senior title for the fourth year in a row.
The Saints dominated in their final game against the Ahousat Suns with an 87-76 win. In the intermediate division, the Taquan Chiefs narrowly beat the defending champs, the Saints, 79-74. The 51-year-old player who still competes, Sid Edenshaw, was inducted in the All Native Basketball Tournament Hall of Fame. In the Master’s Division Edenshaw’s team, Hydaburg, won 90-68 in the finals against the two-time defending champs the Alaskan Haidas. In the women’s final the Bella Bella Women’s team upset Kitamaat 71-59.
JR. GIRLS RAINMAKERS ON FIRE
The Charles Hays Rainmakers junior girls team defeated Caledonia 42-27 to win the Northwest Zone Finals. Ruby Mason was named tournament MVP after she led the team with 20 points.
MOVOLD MEDALS AT NATIONALS
Avery Movold, 14, won a silver medal in the 15-and-under girls 50 freestyle and bronze in a 50 backstroke at the 2015 Speedo Western Canadian Open in Edmonton. Her 50 free time of 27.15 qualified her for the Senior Nationals. She also had two Top-10 placements with a fifth place in 100 freestyle and sixth-place in 50 fly.
MARCH
RAINMAKERS TAKE ZONE TITLE
Prince Rupert basketball star, Justin McChesney, who plays on B.C. provincial Under-17 team, helped the Charles Hays senior boys Rainmakers win the ‘AAA’ Northwest zone title despite suffering from an ankle injury. McChesney was named MVP of the tournament after scoring 28 points in the 84-71 game over the Smithers Secondary Gryphons. The Rainmakers ended up third at the 16-team 2015 TELUS BC High School Boys AAA Basketball Championship in Langley.
RUPERT TEAM WINS LADIES BONSPIEL
Aina Pettersen, Michelle Bartel, Kathey Yamamoto and Jennifer Dias went undefeated at the 2015 Prince Rupert Ladies Bonspiel. This was Pettersen’s first-ever bonspiel victory after spending 18 years away from the club. In the finals, the ladies won 5-0 against the McLean rink.
SWIM TEAM IMPROVES RANKING
The Points North swim team finished in 17th place at the 2015 Swim BC Short Course AAA Age Group Championships in Surrey. It was the team’s highest placing since 2010. Avery Movold, 14, took home the only gold medal in the 15-and-under girls 50 backstroke with a time of 30.58.
RUPERT GOALTENDER ENDS TENURE IN THE NCAA
Western Michigan University Broncos’ goaltender from Prince Rupert, Frank Slubowski, played his last game as an NCAA hockey player. He played four years with the team.
APRIL
LAX KW’ALAAMS WINS THIRD-PLACE AT JR. ALL NATIVE
After winning three games in a row the Lax Kw’alaams’ boys’ Junior All Native Basketball team lost to the Snuneymuxw Native Sons, the team that took the Junior All Native championship. The team ended up in third place in the 13-team tournament in Nanaimo.
RAIN-SODDEN HALF-MARATHON
The 34th Annual Prince Rupert Half Marathon Plus 8 had 81 participants in spite of torrential downpours during the race. In the category female aged 50-59, Gail Bennett won first, female 40-49, Sarai van tan Keren won. For men aged 60-plus, Dale White took first, in males 50-59, Frank Williams won, for males under 40, Shaun Davies came first.
CHARLES HAYS’ TRACK TEAM TAKES SECOND PLACE
Prince Rupert hosted the annual track meet and placed second with 303 points. Smithers took first place with 356.
The first meet of the year was held in Prince Rupert at the new Charles Hayes track. Some notable achievements were in the girls’ Grade 8 100-metre dash final where Maddison Abrahams came second overall. She also took second in the 400m race. In the junior boys’ 100 metres Cody Schaeffer took first, Jason Rioux second and Cole Jeffrey third. Ezekiel Appollos took second in boys’ 1,500 steeplechase and Kevin Rioux came first in senior boys’ 100 metres.
A SILVER AND BRONZE FOR THE SWIM TEAM
Points North regional swim team came second at the 2015 Prince George Dental Moose Meet with a score of 1,105.5 points. There were three medals for the North Coast swimmers Trey Kish, Isaac Mastroianni and Zachary Dolan.
MAY
FIRST PLACE FOR RUPERT RAPIDS
The Prince Rupert Amateur Swim Club Rapids crushed the competition at a hometown regional meet. Rupert Rapids took first place with 1,306 points, the Marlins came second with 476 points. Five gold aggregates won by Emma Movold, Issac Mastroianni, Amy Leighton, Zach Dolan and Avery Movold.
CHUGH WINS TWO GOLDS AT KARATE TOURNAMENT
Andy Chugh, Prince Rupert Karate Club member and orange belt, won two gold medals at the Kitimat Karate Club Spring Tournament, his first ever karate tournament. He won in individual kata and group kata.
TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES MAKE PROVINCIALS
Charles Hays’ student athletes qualified for the provincials at the 2015 Northwest Zone Championships in Smithers. Grade 12 student, Kevin Rioux was first in the senior boys 100 metres with 12.07 and he placed first in the 200 metres in 24.29 and in the 400 metre event in 56.42. Jason Rioux and Cody Schaeffer also qualified.
JUNE
LIU COMPETES IN CHINA
Former Rupertite Adrian Liu and his partner Derrick Ng played a men’s doubles badminton tournament in China, the 2015 Sudirman Cup. The team lost its first game against the Netherlands’ but won the next three in a row. Still, it wasn’t enough to win the Cup, which was taken by Team China.
BIG FINISHES FOR ELEMENTARY TRACK TEAM
After a year-long hiatus due to the 2014 teachers labour conflict, elementary students competed in their first track meet of the year. The top-three finishes included Lax Kxeen’s Catalina Gonzales in first, Ava Edwards in second in Grades 3-4 girls’ high jump, and Robert Christenson in third for Grades 3-4 boys’ high jump.
FOWLER, HOLKESTAD WINNERS AT THE LADIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
Haida Gwaii’s Fran Fowler won the overall gross net title at the Prince Rupert Golf Club’s Ladies Jubilee with a score of 142 after a handicap of 25. Rose Holkestad won overall low gross with a score of 172 on the 36-hole course.
MOVOLD IN QUALIFYING SPOT FOR OLYMPICS
Swimmer Avery Movold is on her way to qualifying for the Rio summer Olympics. She finished sixth at the 2015 Mel Zajac Jr. International swim at the University of British Columbia. She also set a personal best for the 50 fly and qualified for the Olympic trials next year with her time of 28.59.
LEES, MCCHESNEY MAKE BASKETBALL PROVINCIAL TEAM
Two Grade 8 Prince Rupert students made the final roster of Basketball BC’s under-14 provincial team. Eric Lees and Liam McChesney made it through the intense try-outs with three to five hour practices for three days. Both players join the Charles Hays Rainmakers in September.
ROBINSON, SCHAEFFER WIN MENS CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP
At the 2015 Men’s Jubilee, Ian Robinson won overall low gross championship with a 54-hole total of 217. Andrew Schaeffer, another Rupertite, won the overall low net title when he carded a 203 net score with a handicap of 16.
JULY
TOP THREE FINISHES FOR RUPERT SWIMMERS
At the 2015 SwimBC AA Championships in Kamloops three swimmers from Prince Rupert area gained top-three finishes. Amy Leighton, 14, got second place in female 200 IM. Jarred McMeekin, 13, received first in both 100 and 200 breast and picked up second place in 50 freestyle and 200 IM. Isaac Dolan, 11, placed third in male 100 backstroke and 200 freestyle, second in 400 freestyle and first in 800 free.
UPSET IN LIU’S QUEST FOR PAN AM GAMES
Adrian Liu, the Prince Rupert badminton player who was favoured to medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, was disqualified due to an administrative error by Badminton Canada. Liu and his badminton partner, Derrick Ng, had apparently violated a Badminton World Federation rule where no player or pair were allowed to enter two federation-sanctioned competitions in the same week. They were unable to play in the Pan Am Games and their chances of qualifying for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics was hurt as well.
NEW RULES GUARENTEE PLAYOFF SPOT FOR RAMPAGE
The Rampage were guaranteed a playoff spot for the 2015-2016 season. The Central Interior Hockey League (CIHL) altered the format for making the playoffs allowing all seven CIHL teams enter the playoffs.
AUGUST
RUPERT GOALIE PLAYS FOR POLAND
Prince Rupert goaltender, Frank Slubowski, signed a one-year contract with Polska Hokej Liga’s (Polish Hockey League) team Orlik Opole, in Poland. Slubowski played for the NCAA’s Western Michigan Broncos for the past four years. He’s never watched a PHL game or been to Poland.
DZAVASHVILI CONQUERS MT.HAYS QUICKCLIMB
The fastest overall climber for the 2015 Mt. Hays Quickclimb challenge was Davit Dzavashvili with a time of 39 minutes and 24 seconds. He is a fitness trainer who co-operates Prince Rupert’s Red Shadow Boxing and his training involved running the mountain, along the highway and the Butze Rapids trail.
HOLKESTAD WINS THIRD STRAIGHT VIC MARRION SENIORS JUBILEE
Rose Holkestad won the Vic Marrion Seniors Jubilee at the Prince Rupert Golf Club. This was her third straight Vic Marion title shooting an overall gross 36-hole total of 160.
SEPTEMBER
KYDD, HOLKESTAD WIN DUFFERS TOURNEY
Doug Kydd won the Prince Rupert Duffers Tournament. With a 13-handicap, he shot 36-hole net total of 130. Rose Holkestad won the women’s division with a 15- handicap she carded a 36-hole net of 159. This was her fourth Prince Rupert championship this year.
GOLD FOR RAINBOW WARRIORS
The Prince Rupert Rainbow Warriors take gold in the ‘B’ final at the 10th annual Dragon Boat Regatta at Lakelse Lake in Terrace. The team finished the race in 1:17.3, beating the Lakelse Dragons from Terrace, and they also improved on their time from last year.
GOOD START FOR THE RAMPAGE
The Prince Rupert Rampage started their season off on a high note when they beat the Terrace River Kings 8-3 in an exhibition game with 650 people watching from the stands. In the previous season, the Rampage only had two wins. The player of the game was Tyler Halliday who scored four goals for the Rampage.
OCTOBER
RAMPAGE SPLIT HOME-OPENING WEEKEND
The Prince Rupert Rampage lost their home opener in a shootout against the Williams Lake Stampeders 5-4, but came back the next night winning 4-3 in a shootout against the Quesnel Kangaroos. The Rampage won again beating the Terrace River Kings 7-4 on the . The final score was 7-4 and Patrick Robert had a hat trick. They were able to take the win despite having five regulars out of the lineup.
JR. BOY’S VOLLEYBALL WIN
The Charles Hays’ junior boy’s volleyball team claimed their first set as a team. They beat Terrace’s Centennial Christian School 26-24. Seven of the eight players were in Grade 9 and had never played on the Rainmaker team before.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE FOR JR. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Charles Hays’ junior girls volleyball team hosted Skeena Senior Secondary and Caledonia Secondary in a three-team tournament. The girls won both games against Skeena (18-25, 25-18, 15-9), (19-25, 25-21, 15-9) but lost to Caledonia (16-25, 10-25).
SR. GIRLS GO TO HAWAII
The Charles Hays’ senior girls volleyball team went to the Hawaii/Canada Thanksgiving Challenge in Hawaii for a week-long tournament. The team played against high calibre volleyball teams and finished with a 7-1 win-loss record.
NOVEMBER
SR. GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL END SEASON IN SECOND
Charles Hays senior girls’ volleyball team finished in second place in Terrace losing 4-1 in a best-of-five match to Caledonia Secondary School Kermodes. Brittany Waite, Suttira Johansen and Charlotte Kobza made the tournament all-star team.
NORTHWEST TITLE FOR SR. BOYS
The Charles Hays senior boys’ volleyball team earned a spot in the provincials after they competed at the zone championships in Smithers. They played the host team in the first match winning 25-14, 25-16 and then again in the final match 25-13, 25-19 and 25-15. The team claimed the Northwest regional title. Justin McChesney was named the MVP of the tournament. The experienced team will lose nine players after graduation but not before playing in the AA volleyball provincials in Langley.
DECEMBER
RAIDERS QUALIFY FOR ANBT
The Masset Raiders beat out the Hazelton Spartans 85-59 to qualify for the Senior Men’s All Native Tournament.
SR. BOYS’ TRAVEL TO LANGLEY
The Charles Hays Secondary School senior boys’ volleyball team finished in 15th place at Langley at the Big Kahuna BC Volleyball Provincial Championships. They lost all three games against Nanaimo, Creston and Kamloops.
SECOND PLACE FOR SWIM CLUB
The Prince Rupert Rapids Swim Club finished second at the Terrace Northwest Holiday Invitational. The Rapids won three gold aggregates by Isaac Dolan for 11-12 boys in the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke and 1,500 freestyle. His brother, Malcolm Dolan, won for 10-and-under boys in 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, 200 IM and 100 breaststroke. Zach Dolan won the third gold aggregate in 13-14 boys 100, 200, 400 and 1,500 free, 100 back, 100 breast and 200 IM.
