March Snapshots: A roundup of local sports happenings

By Ottawa Sportspage

Wiebe cements Commonwealth Games spot

Ottawa’s Eric Wiebe defeated 2017 World Championships bronze medallist Justina Di Stasio to secure her spot at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Di Stasio was forced to pull out of the Commonwealth Games Trials in November due to injury, so the wrestle-off between her and Wiebe was to decide who would represent Canada this summer at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Wiebe won the gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Ottawa to represent Ontario in bid for 2020 NAIG

Ottawa will be the province’s host candidate for the 2020 North American Indigenous Games. Mayor Jim Watson made the announcement during his State of the City address in January. The City of Ottawa has partnered with the Aboriginal Sport and Wellness Council of Ontario, to present the bid. The North American Indigenous Games Council will make site visits in late Paril, where bid presentations will take place. A final vote will be held to decide the host city in May.

Smart coaching national juniors

Dave Smart of the Carleton Ravens was named head coach of Canada’s Under-18 national basketball team for the upcoming FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2018 in St. Catharines in June. Smart is a long-time assistant of Canada’s senior men’s basketball team. This season, he led the Ravens’ men’s basketball team to an undefeated 23-0 regular season record. His Ravens has won nine OUA Championships and 12 national championships in the last 15 seasons.

Ottawa Sport Council shares educational vids, announces next webinar

The Ottawa Sport Council has released a pair of videos summarizing the two summits that the organization held last year. Let’s Talk About Concussions provides insights from the Sport Council’s Spring Summit in June 2017, in which attendees discussed how to mitigate the concussions through awareness, prevention and identification. Grants Demystified sums up the organization’s fall panel from November that covered how to successfully indentify and apply for grant. Visit the Ottawa Sport Council’s websiteOttawa Sport Council’s website to watch the educational videos. The organization has also announced its spring webinar series. The first topic, financial management best practices for community sport organizations, is scheduled for noon on March 21. Two more dates featuring presentations about using sport for development and strategic planning are scheduled for April 18 and May 16. Register at the Ottawa Sport Council’s website.

Local players named to Canada’s 2018 World Junior Football Championship team

A crop of players from the Ottawa-area will represent Canada this summer at the Under-19 World Junior Football Championship in Mexico City this summer. Ottawa’s Hono Iloki, Lake Korte-Moore, Kervens Bonhomme and Arthur Hamlin, and Gatineau’s Patrick Lavoie were named to the team’s roster. Nolan Cole from Orleans cracked the team’s reserve roster. Carleton Ravens football coach Steve Sumarah will lead the junior team as its head coach.

Trio of Ottawa squads run into tough luck in Ontario Indoor Cup semis

There were three Ottawa teams that came just short of cracking the Ontario Indoor Cup finals. The Under-13 Futuro Soccer Academy boys lost 4-3 to the Bolton Wanderers, while the U-14 Futuro boys team were shut out 3-0 by Futsal Club Toronto. The Under-18 Nepean Hotspurs were also blanked, falling 2-0 to the Brampton Brams United Bandits in their semi-final.

Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame welcomes five in 2018 Class

Jim Durrell, Jeff Avery, Betty Shields, Jim Kyte and Steve Gray will join the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame this summer. Durrell is a former Mayor of Ottawa (1985 to 1991) who is credited with the revival of the Ottawa Senators in 1990 and landing the 1988 Grep Cup. Avery was a Grey Cup champion with the Ottawa Rough Riders and Vanier Cup winner with the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Shields is accredited by the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame for securing ringette’s entry to the Canada Winter Games. Kyte played almost 600 games in the NHL. Gray notched 47 international rugby caps for Canada, and represented the country in three Rugby World Cups the first Rugby 7’s World Cup. They’ll be inducted at a ceremony on June 1 at the Horticultural Building at Lansdowne Park.

Three high school teams leave OFSAA Alpine as medallists

There were three teams from Ottawa that left the OFSAA Alpine Skiing championships with medals around their necks. South Carleton High School’s boys slalom team won silver. Andrew Popov, Rowan Kerrigan, Kirk Craig, Cote Mathieu and Gregor Nordstrum skied as part of that team. Ashbury College’s girls slalom team won bronze. It was made up of Olivia Carere, Kiersten Hall, Carolyn Parkes and Gillian Parkes. The Bell High School open girls slalom team won bronze behind Sophia Tan, Kim Vail, Hannah Vail, Cat Wang and Tatyana Vulin.

Officials announce world-class volleyball held at TD Place

Ottawa will host a series of Volleyball nations League games from June 8-10. Mayor Jim Watson and Mona Fortier, MP for Ottawa-Vanier, made the announcement at TD Place, the venue that will host games between Canada and Australia, Germany and the United States, the defending Olympic bronze medallists.