UBC's Ben Hladik (left) coming off an All-Canadian season with the Thunderbirds will be joined by standout Regina transfer Nick Cross within the team's highly-touted linebacking core. (Photos by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2019 and Piper Sports Photography 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Football

Linebacker U? Heart of UBC’s defence could become its new identity as Hladik, Cross form dynamic tackling duo in the middle

VANCOUVER — A new chapter in UBC Thunderbirds football history?You can author some variation of that narrative with the dawning of each new Canada West season, yet as the Aug. 31 opener at home to the Regina Rams looms ever closer, there is a legitimate feeling that 2019’s true story remains as unwritten and mysterious […]

Simon Fraser freshman kicker Kristie Elliott has enjoyed an historical fall camp with the NCAA Div. 2 Clan football team. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Football

“Do you believe in Kristie Elliott?” From out of nowhere, SFU’s new kicker has become the Clan’s first female football player

BURNABY — The second day of fall football camp was coming to an end last Thursday on Simon Fraser University’s Terry Fox Field when Clan head coach Thomas Ford posed an inspiring question to his team.“Do you believe in Kristie Elliott?” the effusive Ford asked his charges, all of whom were staring at the possibility […]

For a mythical mug, The Howie is still pretty heavy. (Graphic property of Dan Murphy 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School University

The Howies: Our mythical, season-ending awards celebrate the author’s Top 25 moments of the 2018-19 season

LANGLEY — The idea to hand out a mythical set of season-ending awards called The Howies was first hatched in this corner way back in the winter of 2005.Back then, during my days at The Province, it was my way of honouring the top men’s and women’s university basketball talent playing at B.C.’s then-CIS schools.The […]

Calvin Westbrook, head coach of Haida Gwaii's Gudangaay Tlaatis’gaa Nay senior boys basketball team cheers on his charges at last March's B.C. championships at the LEC. (Photo by Wilson Wong 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball

Calvin Westbrook: How the record-setting G.P. Vanier & TWU guard found his coaching paradise amidst the remote splendour of Haida Gwaii

LANGLEY — It had been a long while since Calvin Westbrook had anything to do with a B.C. senior boys provincial basketball championship tournament. In fact you’d have to go back 13 years to find the last time.

Killarney racewalker Daniel Soliven takes his purposeful stride to the UBC Thunderbirds track and field program next season. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School University

THE COMPLETE LIST: Varsity Letters’ B.C. Recruits List 2019! Where 1,039 athletes in 19 sports are headed this coming season

LANGLEY — We know there are still many more names and post-secondary destinations going unanswered once again, yet in our never-ending quest to bring you the most complete list of post secondary-bound B.C. high school student-athletes, we’re happy to report that the annual B.C. Recruits List has reached a milestone.

Liam McChesney of the Charles Hays Rainmakers is headed to NCAA Div. 1 Utah State. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Boys Basketball University Men's Basketball

Varsity Letters B.C. Recruits List 2019: Where 88 boys basketball prospects are headed this coming season

LANGLEY — Even over an offseason in which the majority of local university programs are not brining in big classes, there almost 100 names to note provincially in the world of high school-to-post-secondary men’s basketball. All told, that adds up to 182 names between our boys and girls lists, among the most we’ve ever had.

Riverside's Tessa Burton (left) is part of deep recruiting class headed to Kelowna to bolster the fortunes of the UBC Okanagan Heat. (Photo by Howard Tsumura property of VarsityLetters.ca 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Basketball University Women's Basketball

Varsity Letters B.C. Recruits List 2019: Where 99 girls basketball prospects are headed this coming season

LANGLEY — B.C.’s graduating class of girls high school stars will deliver their talent all over the continent this fall, touching all three NCAA divisions, as well as U Sports, CCAA, NAIA and NJCAA institutions. Here’s your guide to who’s going where. If we’ve missed someone, let us know at howardtsumura@gmail.com and we’ll make the additions. And […]

Flanked by teammates Josh Hamulas (left) and Austin Swedish, Lord Tweedsmuir senior guard Patrick Jonas met the crowd at December's TBI 2018 with a brave smile. (Photo property of Wilson Wong 2019. All rights reserve
Feature High School Boys Basketball University Men's Basketball

Patrick Jonas: Despite his wounded knee, Tweedsmuir senior set a new ‘bench’ mark for leadership during championship season

LANGLEY — Patrick Jonas was such a bad shooter that his teammates called him Brick Squad. He was only in the eighth grade at the time, a stage at which the cloth we’re actually cut from is still unwoven.

Centennial Centaurs' Kiara Buono (jumping for joy) and Langley Fundamental's Jacob Sol (shouting) each won B.C. high school soccer titles over their senior seasons. Buono is off to Simon Fraser in the fall while So heads to UBC Okanagan. (Photos by Howard Tsumura property of Varsity Letters 2019. All rights reserved)
Feature University Men's Soccer University Women's Soccer

Varsity Letters B.C. Recruits List 2019: Where 237 soccer prospects are headed this coming season

LANGLEY — Day 3 of Varsity Letters’ 2019 B.C. Recruits List Week brings us to the beautiful game! Nowhere else does B.C.’s vast youth delivery system produce the number of NCAA student-athletes in addition to the scores of U Sports and CCAA products as in soccer.

Who's going where? Victoria-Belmont teammates (l to r) Jocelyn Sherman and Taylee Pomponio are off to SFU and Camosun respectively, while North Vancouver-Windsor's Aaron Voth heads to UBC Okanagan. (Photos property of Paul Yates, Vancouver Sports Pictures, and Wilson Wong, UBC athletics 2019. All rights reserved)
Feature University Men's Volleyball University Women's Volleyball

Varsity Letters’ B.C. Recruits List 2019: Where 151 volleyball prospects are headed this coming season

LANGLEY — It’s the second day of Varsity Letters’ B.C. Recruits List week. Yesterday we opened with football, and we’ve got soccer on Thursday and basketball on Friday. Today? We’ve got women’s and men’s volleyball!