Sports
3 Days, 3 Waves, One Unforgettable British Columbia Surf Trip
There’s a certain kind of magic to surfing in British Columbia. Maybe it’s the contrast of raw coastline against clean lines, freezing water paired with warm camaraderie. Or maybe it’s the sheer unpredictability of the Pacific Northwest conditions. Either way, when a decent window opens, you go. Recently, I packed the essentials and jumped on […]
There’s a certain kind of magic to surfing in British Columbia. Maybe it’s the contrast of raw coastline against clean lines, freezing water paired with warm camaraderie. Or maybe it’s the sheer unpredictability of the Pacific Northwest conditions. Either way, when a decent window opens, you go. Recently, I packed the essentials and jumped on a boat with Pete Devries, Reed Platenius, and Curtis Parker to explore the outer edges of Vancouver Island’s coastline. What followed was three days of perfect weather, fun surf, and the kind of moments that remind you why you chase waves in Canada in the first place.
The trip kicked off with what can only be described as Canada’s most infamous slab — a wave that breaks over a shallow, dry reef. Pete and Reed made the most of it, threading tight pockets, while Curtis was more selective and ended up snagging the wave of the day. It was the kind of session you dream about after watching storm after storm roll through all winter.
The next morning started with glass. That rare, still moment when everything goes quiet, except for the ocean. Wave after wave lined up down the point, peeling with just enough punch to keep everyone frothing. Toward the end of the session, a killer whale surfaced near the lineup. No urgency — just a slow, steady cruise, like it was watching us from a distance. Our final day took us to a remote headland we’d been hopping for, a wave that rarely gets good, and even more rarely works with no one around. That morning, it did both. The wave itself looked like a colder, shorter version of J-Bay: fast and down-the-line, with the perfect pace for carving turns and linking sections. We surfed it alone under blue skies, grateful for the solitude and the kind of surf you usually need a plane ticket to find.
Trips like this don’t come around often. They take planning, luck, and a willingness to get uncomfortable. But when it all comes together, it’s pure gold. Having boat access — thanks to Nootka Wilderness Lodge — opened the door to a stretch of coastline few ever see, and even fewer get to surf. These are the kinds of adventures that define surf culture on Vancouver Island. Quiet, wild, and deeply rewarding. No crowds. Just waves, friends, and a deep appreciation for the place we call home.
See more from photographer Marcus Paladino on his Instagram page.
Sports
Olympic level AquaPark nears key construction milestone
Pietermaritzburg’s AquaPark development at St Charles College has moved from concept to physical reality, with construction now at a critical phase and the Olympic-standard Myrtha pool set to arrive later this year. The multi-million rand, world-class aquatics centre was unveiled at the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business (PMCB) annual gala dinner last year. AquaPark […]
Pietermaritzburg’s AquaPark development at St Charles College has moved from concept to physical reality, with construction now at a critical phase and the Olympic-standard Myrtha pool set to arrive later this year.
The multi-million rand, world-class aquatics centre was unveiled at the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business (PMCB) annual gala dinner last year.
AquaPark chief executive Theo Verster said the bold new vision for swimming, water polo and para-sport was becoming a reality.
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“This is about creating access and opportunity for all South Africans. From grassroots to high-performance, AquaPark will be a place where champions are made, where para-athletes and school teams train side-by-side, and where swimming becomes a part of every child’s journey,” said Verster.
He said the project, formerly known as the South African Aquatics Park (SAAP), has undergone a strategic rebrand to AquaPark — a simpler, more inclusive identity designed to reflect the facility’s purpose and impact.
Verster said at the heart of the development was the Myrtha competition pool, which is manufactured in Italy and used in 14 Olympic and World Championship venues around the world.
“Unlike traditional concrete pools, the Myrtha system uses modular stainless-steel panels laminated with PVC, offering fast installation, exceptional durability, and reduced maintenance.
The 52,5m pool features a movable bulkhead, allowing it to quickly shift from a single Olympic-length format to two 25m pools — a game-changer for training, water polo matches, and multi-event competitions
The shipping of the pool components will begin in July, with installation commencing on September 25. Verster said the facility will be ready for filling and testing by November, with full handover of the pool system expected by December 10, 2025.
“The pool is just one piece of the five-phase development plan, which also includes learn-to-swim pools, a gymnasium, hospitality areas, and warm-up facilities. Construction is moving rapidly through phase 2.
“The base slab is complete, plant rooms are in place, and the roof structure is scheduled for completion by September. The project remains on track to be operational by the end of 2025, with pilot events and training blocks planned for early 2026,” he said.
He said with construction progressing, the AquaPark team was actively seeking corporate sponsors, philanthropic donors, and aligned NGOs to support final development phases.
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“Opportunities include naming rights, event partnerships, funding for learn-to-swim initiatives, and support for para-sport programmes. This isn’t just about bricks and mortar.
“It’s about changing the landscape of aquatics in this country. And we’re inviting South Africa to help us finish strong,” said Verster.
St Charles College contributed initial funding of R18 million from its capital expenditure budget and has made land available for the project. College principal Allen van Blerk said the school has invested years into making the vision a reality.
“This is no longer a concept on paper — it’s becoming a physical landmark, and it will transform how South Africans access, train, and compete in aquatics.
The facility also anchors the larger Xhawula Precinct, a long-term development vision for the region that includes wellness, sport, education, and infrastructure upliftment
“For families, it means access to safe, high-quality swimming education. For athletes, it’s a high-performance base on par with international training centres,” said Van Blerk.
Sports
Tennessee Guard Zeigler Sues NCAA Over 4
University of Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler graduated last week with a bachelor’s degree in retail and merchandising management. He’s now taking the NCAA to court to keep playing as a graduate student. Zeigler, 22, sued the NCAA on Tuesday in a Tennessee federal district court. He accuses the association of violating federal antitrust law […]
University of Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler graduated last week with a bachelor’s degree in retail and merchandising management. He’s now taking the NCAA to court to keep playing as a graduate student.
Zeigler, 22, sued the NCAA on Tuesday in a Tennessee federal district court. He accuses the association of violating federal antitrust law and the Tennessee Trades Practice Act by limiting his eligibility to four seasons.
Unlike Diego Pavia, Jett Elad and other college athletes who have sued, with mixed results, over the last seven months to extend their NCAA eligibility clock, Zeigler’s situation doesn’t involve transferring, playing in junior college or Division II, or some other twist. Zeigler’s college experience was like most of his UT classmates: He attended one college and graduated in four years.
But unlike most classmates who graduated with him, Zeigler has been an outstanding DI athlete. The 5-foot-9 native of Long Island, N.Y., holds the record for most assists and most steals in Volunteers’ history, and the SEC named him 2025 Defensive Player of the Year. Zeigler has also excelled in the classroom, earning multiple placements on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Through attorneys Zachary C. Lawson, Marcos M. Garza and their colleagues, Zeigler argues that he is “arbitrarily barred” from a fifth season because the NCAA allows four seasons of intercollegiate competition within a five-year window.
Zeigler says the cap on seasons will cost him substantial money. He says he earned about $500,000 in NIL compensation during his senior year and earned six figures each year starting in 2021. His complaint contends that projections from Spyre Sports Group—the NIL collective associated with Tennessee—indicate his NIL valuation for 2025-26 would range from $2 million to $4 million. That high figure, Zeigler argues, reflects “the market value of an upperclassman with a proven performance record and high visibility, especially in a high-profile conference like the SEC.”
The gist of Zeigler’s antitrust argument is that NCAA member schools and conferences are competing businesses that conspire to foreclose competition in the market for the services of elite athletes like Zeigler (that is, players who play four seasons in four years and want to play a fifth as a grad student). Those athletes then lose out on NIL compensation. To that point, Ziegler’s complaint stresses that NIL opportunities are a function of being to play college sports. “When eligibility ends,” the complaint points out, “so too does access to the lucrative market for NIL compensation.”
Zeigler charges the four-seasons rule “artificially restricts the supply of the labor pool by removing approximately 20% of potential participants from the market.” He notes that these seasoned, slightly older players are often “the most productive and valuable participants” for colleges. Given their proven track record and name recognition at a school, these players also tend to be well positioned to land lucrative NIL deals.
Zeigler further argues there is no legitimate reason to deny him “the benefit of graduation education for athletes.” He notes that since 1964, the NCAA has awarded more than 100 scholarships of $10,000 to former athletes to assist them in pursuing graduate education.
The Third-Team All-American points out that some schools use the redshirt system to “strategically” extend athletes’ clock to five years, but that he and Tennessee opted for the more conventional route because it was the right thing to do.
Zeigler also maintains there are less restrictive alternatives to a four-seasons rule. His complaint suggests a possible “graduate eligibility exception” that would permit “an additional year of competition for student-athletes who have completed their undergraduate degrees in four years.” Zeigler’s odds of success in his case would increase if he convinced the court there is a less restrictive alternative.
Zeigler seeks a jury trial and an injunction that would allow him to play.
In the coming weeks, attorneys for the NCAA will answer Zeigler’s complaint and deny wrongdoing. The complaint does not reference Tennessee seeking a waiver on behalf of Zeigler that would allow him to play in 2025-26 or that he and the school have exhausted appeals to the NCAA.
In a statement shared with Sportico, an NCAA spokesperson said the association “fully supports all student-athletes profiting from their name, image and likeness and receiving new financial benefits from their schools in addition to the many current benefits they get and is working to bring about these reforms, including through the recent settlement proposal.” At the same time, the spokesperson said, “a patchwork of different state laws, executive orders and court opinions, make it challenging for any league to operate on a fair playing field, including at the conference level, and that’s why partnering with Congress to develop a national standard would provide stability for student-athletes and schools everywhere.”
Other arguments against lawsuits that try to extend the eligibility clock have included that eligibility rules help to align academics and athletic careers. They also preserve opportunities for high school students to become college athletes, as they might lose roster spots if players don’t leave school.
It’s also been argued that to the extent college sports are played by comparatively older athletes, the college sports brand might suffer. That’s because NCAA sports might seem more like minor league sports and less like a unique product, which in turn could hurt TV ratings and other metrics. Zeigler would likely counter that even if such a concern were true in general, it would not be applicable to him given that he only seeks to play one additional season and is around the same age as redshirt players.
Other athletes in Zeigler’s position should closely watch his case. Zeigler has a vested stake in staying in school. He’s a highly skilled player at an excellent, high-profile program. At the same time, he’s not regarded as a top pro prospect in part because of his height compared to NBA guards, and he might never earn the big bucks at the next level. Zeigler could, however, earn life-altering NIL money (and potentially also revenue share money if the House settlement is approved) by staying in school for another year.
Sports
Trickey &Harvey lead Ripon High graduating class
Logan Trickey and Chetan Harvey knew for quite some time that they were in line for the top two academic spots come graduation. That was before the start of the school year – both were all but certain by January. The two will lead the Ripon High Class of 2025 at Friday’s 7 p.m. commencement […]
Logan Trickey and Chetan Harvey knew for quite some time that they were in line for the top two academic spots come graduation.
That was before the start of the school year – both were all but certain by January.
The two will lead the Ripon High Class of 2025 at Friday’s 7 p.m. commencement ceremony at Wes Stouffer Field.
Trickey earned the No. 1 spot as class valedictorian based on his 4.45 grade point average. Harvey, who has a 4.4 GPA, is the salutatorian.
Logan Trickey is the son of Kristopher and Cynthia Trickey. He’ll be attending UCLA in the fall to study Aerospace Engineering – the program is ranked among the top 10 in the U.S., according the U.S. News & World Report.
“I’ve always had a fascination with problem solving and with space,” he said.
Trickey, who was also involved in track & field, cross country, and soccer for the Indians, credits his teachers and parents for their support.
“My teachers always pushed me to do extra work while my family was there to provide positive feedback,” he said.
Chetan Harvey is the son of Jack and Anupa Harvey.
His father is Manteca podiatrist Jack Andrew Harvey DPW.
Chetan, like his father, is also leaning towards the medical profession, possibly as a G.I. doctor specializing in the digestive system and its related organs.
But those plans are on hold as he awaits his upcoming two-year mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I’m still deciding (on colleges) between UCLA and BYU,” said Harvey, who was water polo, swimming, and choir at RHS. For the latter, he was named to the San Joaquin County Office of Education’s High School Honor Choir.
Harvey was part of the Ripon boys water polo team that made a historic run back in November to capture the CIF NorCal Division III title.
He’s thankful for his religious faith – first and foremost – and his family for his successes thus far.
“My parents pushed me to do my best,” said Harvey.
Sports
Role vacancy – Project Lead (Talent)
Volleyball England is seeking a Project Lead (Talent) to help continue to develop an enhanced Talent system that provides opportunities and supports players to achieve their potential across all formats of the sport. The role supports the Beach and Indoor Performance Programmes – including national teams – at both Senior and age group levels in […]
The role supports the Beach and Indoor Performance Programmes – including national teams – at both Senior and age group levels in line with Volleyball England’s strategy, The Game Plan.
Working within a wider Talent team, the successful candidate will coordinate annual programme registrations and selection processes for the programmes, lead on the planning and delivery of logistics for camps and competitions, support meeting the entry requirements for national and international events and maintain up-to-date athlete, camp and competition records.
They will also collaborate with the Digital and Communications team to produce content where required and project manage and execute the administrative tasks aligned to national funding grants (such as SportsAid and Backing the Best), among other tasks.
For a full role description, including key responsibilities, person specification and contractual details, please click here.
To apply please follow this link to complete the application (you will need to upload your CV and covering letter). If you have any queries, please email jobs@volleyballengland.org.
Please complete our Diversity and Inclusion Questionnaire link.
The application deadline is Wednesday 4th June 2025 with interviews planned for 10th June 2025.
Sports
Blue Tornado, Lady Lakers win 2A Regional track and field championship | Sports
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Sports
Three Dirtbags Named All-Conference – Long Beach State University Athletics
LONG BEACH, Calif.—The Big West announced Tuesday that three Long Beach State baseball players were awarded All-Conference honors. The conference’s 11 head coaches voted on all awards. Kyle Ashworth was named second-team All-Conference. Ashworth was the leading Long Beach State hitter this season. The graduate student hit .330 and had a team-high 11-game hitting streak. […]
Kyle Ashworth was named second-team All-Conference. Ashworth was the leading Long Beach State hitter this season. The graduate student hit .330 and had a team-high 11-game hitting streak. Ashworth was the club leader in runs scored (43), hits (64), doubles (12), triples (2 with three others), total bases (86), and on-base percentage (.456). Ashworth recorded 20 multiple-hit games in 2025 and nine multiple-RBI games. He did not commit an error in 117 chances (111 PO-6A). In Big West only play, Ashworth led the league in on-base percentage (.507). He was fourth in hitting (.393), fourth in walks (22), tied with two others for fourth in hits (46), tied for sixth with three others in doubles (10), and 12th in stolen bases (60). A 2024 honorable mention All-Conference selection, Ashworth moved to fourth in school history in career walks, completing his career with 99. Former MLB All-Star Jason Giambi holds the school mark with 116. Ashworth led the team in walks in 2025 with 37 and was second in the Big West in the category.
Albert Roblez earned second-team All-Conference honors. Roblez led the team in ERA (2.78), saves (4), strikeouts (79), and strikeouts per nine innings (12.19). His strikeouts per nine innings tally is the fifth-best in school history. At 4-3, he was third on the team in victories. Opponents hit 168 (the sixth best in school history) against him in 2025. In league-only play, Roblez was the Big West leader in earned run average (1.97), opposing batting average (.146), fewest hits allowed (23), fewest runs allowed (12), and fewest earned runs allowed (10). He was fourth in strikeouts (61) and tied for fifth with five others for fifth in saves (5). In the May 19 NCAA Division I statistical report, Roblez was fourth in hits allowed per nine innings (5.25), 22nd in strikeouts per nine innings, 36th in ERA, 47th in WHIP (1.06), 93rd in strikeouts, and 149th in saves.
Kellan Montgomery was chosen as an honorable mention All-Conference. Montgomery finished the season with a team-high nine wins (9-4) and a team-high 76 innings pitched. He was second on the club in strikeouts with 60. He was named Big West Pitcher of the Week on April 14. Montgomery retired the final 19 Cal State Bakersfield batters he faced as he tossed a complete game four-hitter as Long Beach State defeated the Roadrunners 3-2 on April 13. Montgomery threw the first Long Beach State complete game since May 12, 2023, when Nico Zeglin blanked UC Santa Barbara 1-0. He struck out eight and walked two. He got 15 ground ball outs to go along with the strikeouts. Montgomery threw 122 pitches, 82 of which were for strikes. In conference-only statistics, Montgomery was third in wins (6) and fifth in innings pitched (58.1). Entering the May 19 NCAA Division I statistical report, Montgomery is 12th in victories, 11th in starts (14), and 56th in complete games.
~#LongBeachBuilt~
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This is poetry in motion.
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