VANCOUVER — Come Saturday afternoon, in a quiet moment, Jesse Symons is sure to hear his own private ringing of a cel phone, and a special voice on the other end with a message he will never forget.“Back in 2019, right after we won the national championship, I got a phone call from him and […]
Author: Howard Tsumura
4 Questions for Andrew Evans… On the eve of Trinity Western’s first-ever men’s XV match at powerhouse UBC, we talk with the Spartans head coach!
LANGLEY — On Saturday, in a 2:30 p.m. clash at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby centre, the young Trinity Western Spartans men’s rugby team will mark its first match in the inaugural Coastal Cup series as its’ first-ever 15’s meeting with the powerful, tradition-laden UBC Thunderbirds.In advance of that match, Varsity Letters got a hold […]
Pro hoops come to the LEC: Fraser Valley Bandits make the move to Langley Events Centre for 2022 CEBL season!
Via Press ReleaseLANGLEY — The Fraser Valley Bandits announced Thursday that the club has chosen Langley Events Centre (LEC) as its home for the upcoming Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) season, which begins May 2022. As the new home of professional basketball in B.C., LEC builds upon its history of showcasing the province’s best players by […]
UBC Football 2021: Postmarked ‘Texas’, Garrett Rooker emerges from ‘Birds deep talent pool to be named starting quarterback ahead of Saturday’s opener at Alberta!
VANCOUVER — Sometimes, stuff happens that makes you want to thank your lucky stars.For UBC Thunderbirds head football coach Blake Nill, one of those days was May 8 of 2020.“Some days are better than others,” wrote Nill that day on his official Twitter account in announcing that quarterback Garrett Rooker, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback out […]
UBC women’s soccer 2021 home opener: When it comes to goals, ‘Birds national MVP striker Danielle Steer takes the wheel and points the way!
VANCOUVER — There was a moment, back in the spring of 2016, when Danielle Steer might have wondered about the direction of the UBC Thunderbirds’ women’s soccer program.A shining Grade 11 youth soccer talent with both Coastal F.C. and her school team at Elgin Park Secondary in Surrey, Steer was in the midst of taking […]
Thursday’s GNAC 2021 opener: It’s a youthful re-start atop Burnaby Mountain for SFU women’s soccer, yet coach Hamel says “…We’re one decision, one moment away”
BURNABY MOUNTAIN — Ask Annie Hamel what it’s been like pushing the re-start button on the B.C. women’s collegiate soccer program perhaps most limited since the pandemic’s arrival some 18 months ago, and the Simon Fraser head coach relates a moment early in the team’s preseason.“We wrote on the white board for the coaches ‘PATIENCE’,” […]
B.C. High School Football Weekend Survival Guide 09.21.21 edition: New rankings welcome AAA Fox, plus Bateman & Langley shake up AA Big 5!
LANGLEY — The Varsity Letters’ Big AAA rankings remain relatively stable, with the Terry Fox Ravens parlaying a 2-0 start and an impressive win against South Delta to move into a spot within the Big 5.The most dramatic movement, however, comes at AA, where Abbotsford’s Robert Bateman Timberwolves and the unranked Langley Thunderbirds each make […]
Varsity Letters 09.21.21 B.C. High School Football Players of the Week: Rutland’s Walker, GWG’s Branauer take top honours!
B.C. high school football is finally back into the full swing of things, and with that, Varsity Letters is honouring the top performances of each weekend by naming a winner and a runner-up as our Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.Coaches should remember that nominations from each weekend’s games need to be sent to […]
UBC Football 2021: Thunderbirds’ head coach Blake Nill dubs his diminutive, speedy receiver trio of Soriano, Phillips, Williams as ‘The Smurfs’ ahead of Saturday opener at Alberta!
VANCOUVER — As children of the 2000’s, you couldn’t blame a certain trio of UBC Thunderbirds’ receivers for being a little perplexed last week when head coach Blake Nill announced during a team gathering that he had discovered their perfect nickname.“I have these three guys who are all around 5-10 and they have burners,” explained […]
A SUNDAY READ: Lightning flashes from the football gods try to steal SFU’s thunder on stadium-opening night, valiant fight falls short against CWU Wildcats!
BURNABY — The Simon Fraser football team knew it was going to have to catch lightning in a bottle in order to upset the heavily-favoured Central Washington Wildcats on Saturday as SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field had it official opening ceremonies.What it didn’t know was that in the midst of its best stretch of […]