Harrison Shrimpton, a product of the Whistler Youth Soccer Club, graduated from UBC Okanagan this week, taking home the award for Graduating Player of the Year.
"It was a huge honour," said Shrimpton of the award, marking the end of his five years playing for the Heat.
Shrimpton started playing soccer with the Whistler Youth Soccer Club when he was five years old.
In 2011 Shrimpton was a walk-on in his first year at UBC Okanagan. In the last five years he has not missed a match for his university team, playing all 64 games.
"My one claim to fame," joked the defender.
For the last three years he has been co-captain of the team. He has also been active coaching high school in Kelowna and working with Kelowna United, the local youth club.
Shrimpton graduates with a degree in human kinetics and is waiting to hear on a Masters placement for the fall.
"I'm very happy with the competitive career that I had," he said.
"I think it's time for new things."
Jumping to Top 10
Whistler Gymnastics sent three athletes to compete at the 2016 Canadian Championships, May 31 to June 4 in Edmonton.
Sydney Lovell-Schmidt, Gabby Flynn and Joe Davies were all competing in the trampoline discipline, with Davies also doing synchronized trampoline with David Dawson from the Lower Mainland.
All three Whistler athletes were chosen to join Team BC this season.
The championships last for six days and include three disciplines — women's gymnastics, men's gymnastics and trampoline/tumbling.
"I am very proud of the team," said coach Louise Stack. "Goals were achieved and this gives us much to look forward to for next season."
Both Flynn and Davies' results landed them in a position to be eligible to qualify for Team Canada at the junior competition level.
While Flynn did not make the finals of the trampoline, she came eighth in the double mini event.
She spent most of the competitive season on exchange in France, only able to train at a local gymnastics club, which had no trampoline, twice a week. Since Flynn got back in January she has been building her strength and her skills up.
Davies ranked 13th out of 30 competitors, only just missing the final round.
Said Stack: "Joe competed some stunning routines in both individual and synchronized trampoline. At this meet he competed five double flips in a 10-skill routine and was praised by teammates and Team Canada coach Rusty Pierce on his great form."
Davies did make finals in the synchronized trampoline event — quite an accomplishment as he has only had one practice with his partner. Davies and Dawson landed in 6th place in Canada.
Attaining Level 6 on trampoline means Flynn and Davies will have to not only get the qualifying score next season, but are required to travel to an international trampoline event representing Whistler Gymnastics to have the experience necessary to represent Canada.
Lovell-Schmidt had just recovered from a knee fracture she sustained at the Canada Cup competition back in March as she headed in the Canadian Championships. Despite this she competed in the double mini-tramp and the trampoline event.
Pemberton BMX riders strong in Squamish
A number of Pemberton BMX racers performed strongly in the Sea to Sky Nationals earlier this month. With competition relatively close to the team's homebase, several riders found themselves taking home some hardware.
On top of the podium were Sami Teitzel (11 intermediate), Graydon Petrie (12 intermediate), Alonso Perez (15 intermediate) and Erin Tierney (41-45 women's cruiser). All emerged as division champions on all three days of racing.
Tannen Debrisse (8 novice), Tegan Cruz (10 expert) and Ian Tierney (41-45 intermediate) took two wins apiece with Cruz and Tierney also notching a second-place showings over the weekend. Blake Benns (5 novice) and Bendigo Noble (16 expert) also took individual wins over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Lochlun Warren (7-8 mixed open), Sam Tierney (7-8 mixed open and 8 intermediate), Tavin Ihaski (5 novice) and Lucas Cruz (14 expert) took second-place finishes in Squamish, while Jody Hallet (36-40 women's cruiser), Robbie Tribe (10 cruiser), Wyatt Pogson (10 intermediate) and Christopher Beaton (13 expert) went home with bronzes. Arleigh Kemp, Noah Milner, Travis Benns, Sean McIntosh, Steve Petrie and Rebecca Beaton made main events on the weekend. Other local racers who represented Pemberton and raced hard in the baking sun were Levi Cruz, Elliot McInnes, Rowan Petrie, Holden Adams, Henri Teitzel, Liv Teitzel, Tigerlily Noble and Logan Twiss-Dannigan.
WSS riders shine at provincial event
Whistler's mountain biking future is clearly bright.
Three Whistler Secondary School riders captured medals at the provincials in Coquitlam on May 28.
Michael Murdoch won the Grade 10 boys' cross-country race and took second in the enduro, while Myles Kowalczyk was hot on his tail, placing a spot behind him in both races.
Meanwhile, Grade 8 student Camie Rushbrook took two provincial wins, capturing both the cross-country and enduro events.
While those were the only three to attend provincials, WSS boasted roughly two-dozen riders in the North Shore Bike League this season.
Whistler, Pemberton get kicks at provincials
Two Sea to Sky soccer teams made the long trip to Prince George worthwhile.
The Whistler Secondary School (WSS) Storm and Pemberton Secondary School (PSS) Red Devils both sent their girls' teams north for the provincial A tournament, placing fifth and ninth, respectively, in the 16-team event.
WSS went undefeated in the preliminary round, trouncing Queen Charlotte 8-0 and Fort St. James 4-0 before drawing even with Southridge, the eventual runners-up, 1-1.
The Storm then edged St. Andrew's 1-0 and Glenlyon Norfolk 2-1 in the playoffs to end up in fifth.
The Red Devils, meanwhile, found themselves in a tough group and dropped their first two games, going down 5-2 to eventual champion Immaculata and 5-1 to Glenlyon Norfolk before rebounding with a 9-0 win over Northside Christian. In the playoffs, PSS evened its record by nipping Osoyoos 3-2 but then were edged by Similkameen by the same score.
WSS sends six to provincial track meet
Whistler Secondary School athletes sent six athletes to the provincial track and field provincial championships in Nanaimo over the weekend.
The top performers included Kelsey Thompson, Luke Unruh and Michael Murdoch.
Thompson led the Storm with two top-10 finishes, placing eighth in high jump and ninth in triple jump, while Unruh took 15th in junior javelin. Murdoch, meanwhile, earned a personal best in the 1500-metre steeplechase to place 17th.
-with files from Clare Ogilvie
