Fraser Valley Cascades' rookie Bryana Buttar (centre) has played like a veteran over the first six matches of the 2019 Canada West season. (Photo by Dan Kinvig property of University of the Fraser Valley athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Soccer University Women's Soccer

Cascades are better with Bryana Buttar in the batter! Rookie a rare ingredient as UFV hunkers for huge weekend homestand vs. UBC, UVic

ABBOTSFORD — With the same clockwork precision she has shown at every key stage of her soccer career, Bryana Buttar has once again arrived ahead of her time.“I definitely feel that my whole youth career has set me up for this,” the Fraser Valley Cascades’ dynamic midfielder remarked Wednesday of the opportunity she has seized […]

Gabe Olivares came off the bench Saturday in Winnipeg to quarterback UBC in its loss to the Manitoba Bisons. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Football

UBC Football: ‘Birds hit midway mark of Canada West season plagued by giveaways, penalties in 37-19 loss at Manitoba

The UBC Thunderbirds spent the week leading up to Saturday afternoon’s key Canada West clash in Winnipeg against the Manitoba Bisons building the good vibes they hoped would bring about a sharp turn in their road as the 2019 Canada West season reached its midway mark.Instead, a fumbled hand-off on its first series, a surrendered […]

Feature High School Football University Football

Varsity Letters PODCAST welcomes a football coaching trio: SFU’s Thomas Ford, UBC’s Taylor Nill, Langley’s Ryk Piche

Welcome back to Varsity Letters — The Podcast! You’ll find an embedded player below to listen to this week’s episode! As mid-September hits, footballs are in the air everywhere, including the respective home bases of our three gridiron guests this week. Off theta, Simon Fraser head coach Thomas Ford takes us from fall camp through […]

The Kelowna Owls, including Anya Pemberton (16) and Sophie LaChapelle (7) defeated North Vancouver's Handsworth Royals in the championship final of the UBC Mizuno invitational held last week on the Point Grey campus in Vancouver. (Photo by Wilson Wong property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature High School Girls Volleyball

B.C. Girls High School Volleyball: Quad-A champion Kelowna Owls pick up where they left off, capturing UBC Mizuno Invitational title

VANCOUVER — Even though they are the defending B.C. champions at the province’s highest tier and expected to open at No. 1 atop the first Quad-A Top 10 poll of the season, the Kelowna Owls senior girls volleyball team has still got its own script to write this season.“Our prime objective last weekend was to […]

UBC running back Sharique Khan gets a test of his equilibrium courtesy of the Calgary defence on Saturday at Thunderbird Stadium. (Photo by Chuck Russell property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Football

Football gods frown on UBC: Dinos drub winless ‘Birds as 2019 Homecoming game goes awry in second half

VANCOUVER — In the Canada West football world, there is only one magic pill… one way to turn a down-trodden season around in one afternoon.Beat the Calgary Dinos.For most of the first half Saturday, the UBC Thunderbirds (0-3) looked like they had Houdini on their side.A blocked punt and ensuing touchdown by the UBC special […]

UBC Thunderbirds' head men's rugby coach Curry Hitchborn sees the immense value attached to his team's participation in the 2019 World University Rugby Invitational in Japan next week. (Photo by Ben Nelms provided courtesy of UBC athletics 2019. All rights reserved)
Feature High School Rugby University rugby

A Rugby World Cup of their own! UBC Thunderbirds travel to Japan for eight-nation World University men’s championship

VANCOUVER — Canada opens play in Japan at the 2019 World Cup of Rugby on Sept. 26.And while the UBC Thunderbirds men’s team won’t be able to attend any of their home nation’s matches, they’ll be returning from the Land of the Rising Sun with some world-class rugby memories of their own.That’s because the ‘Birds […]

UBC's second-year receiver Jacob Patten has been one of the bright spots over an 0-2 start to the Thunderbirds' 2019 Canada West season. (Photo by Richard Lam property of UBC athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Football

Patten pending: ‘The Catch’ might be his trademark, but there’s so much more to UBC wide receiver Jacob Patten

VANCOUVER — Precious little has gone right for the struggling and winless UBC Thunderbirds over the first two games of the Canada West season.Yet in a figurative sense, as UBC (0-2) gets set to welcome its undefeated, conference-leading nemesis, the Calgary Dinos (2-0), for Saturday’s crucial Homecoming Game (3 p.m., Canada West TV) at Thunderbird […]

UBC head coach Blake Nill takes his team into a pivotal week of practice as the 'Birds attempt to rebound from an 0-2 start to the Canada West season. (File photo by Bob Frid property of UBC athletics)
Feature University Football

Saskatchewan 40 UBC 7: Thunderbirds’ first 0-2 start in the Blake Nill-era leaves plenty of questions with Dinos up next

Sometimes clichés are unavoidable, and in the case of the UBC Thunderbirds football team, there is no better way to paint their predicament than to say they are caught between a rock and a hard place.Friday’s 40-7 drubbing in Saskatoon at the hands of the defending Hardy Cup champion Saskatchewan Huskies not only leaves the […]

Trinity Western's fourth-year defender Kristen Sakaki (left) had her love affair with the beautiful game reaffirmed during the Spartans' 12-day training camp in England last month. (Photo by Scott Stewart property of Trinity Western athletics 2019. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Women's Soccer

TWU women’s soccer: On eve of 2019 season opener, training camp in England reminds Spartans of their “love and joy” for the beautiful game

LANGLEY — It wasn’t a trip planned specifically as a soccer pilgrimage.Training camps are serious business, and when you’ve played in five of the last seven U Sports national title games like the women’s team from Langley’s Trinity Western University have, it’s pretty clear that no part of the process can be ignored.Yet allowing that […]

New Westminster Hyacks head football coach Farhan Lalji (left) and UBC head men's basketball coach Kevin Hanson each visit with host Howard Tsumura as Varsity Letters -- The Podcast returns to the pod stream. (Photos by Howard Tsumura and Richard Lam property of VarsityLetters.ca and UBC athletics)
Feature High School Football Podcast University Men's Basketball

We’re back! Varsity Letters – The Podcast makes its return! UBC hoops coach Hanson, New West football coach Lalji stop in to chat

LANGLEY — There’s a sense deja vu filtering through the airwaves this week around the province of B.C. with return of Varsity Letters-The Podcast. Long a weekly staple during my years at The Vancouver Province, we’re back for the first time since 2016, right here at our new home at VarsityLetters.ca This week, we’re honoured […]