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Quincy Wilson won yet another national title at the New Balance Nationals. The 17-year-old track and field phenom silenced all of his haters with his sixth-straight crown, indoors or outdoors, in the 400-meter event.

He won the race by (almost) one full second after being fueled by unruly hecklers while in the blocks.

Wilson, who competed in track and field for the United States at the Olympics last summer, is going to be the United States’ next big star— if he isn’t already there. The rising senior owns just about every U18 record in the 400 and has not lost at New Balance Nationals during his high school career.

His latest win might be his most impressive. The second place finisher ran 46.33 and still lost. Wilson went 45.37 even though he slowed at the line! He would’ve won by more than a second if he kept pace.

Hayes, 61, of Hideout, died Sept. 25, 2024, after a late-night road rage altercation near the Ross Creek day use area ended in a gunshot.

Nine months later, dozens of people filled the beach just a mile from where Hayes died to remember a man they described as loving, kind and the life of any party.

His fiancée, Sue Ann Kern, said Hayes easily made friends.

“He was always gregarious, he was funny, he was always joking with people,” she said. “He gave the best hugs.”

His younger brother, Andy Hayes, said he was confident and always laughing.

Another brother, Matt Hayes, said he had a “huge heart.”

“He’d do anything for you,” he said.

And Michael Hayes said simply, “I love my brother.”

Hayes’ fiancée and brothers were among the many relatives and friends who traveled from near and far for the celebration of life June 21, where they shared photos and stories beside the water.

Kern said the shoreline was the perfect place to honor Hayes, a lifelong swimmer and avid water polo player.

“This is exactly what he would have wanted: by the water, in the sunshine, all of his friends,” she said.

She wore his favorite T-shirt, emblazoned with the name of his water polo team. And, like many of those in the crowd, she sported a pale blue hat embroidered with the words “I’ll be there for you.” Kern said a friend suggested everyone wear the hat in solidarity.

“It’s just a great way to show how all these friends have been so supportive and loving – it’s amazing,” she said.

Hayes’ siblings, Michael, Matt and Andy, got choked up as they remembered their brother. All three described a childhood in southern California spent constantly in the water. Later, when several of the siblings got swimming scholarships to the University of Utah, they fell in love with the mountains.

Michael Hayes, the oldest, said he was grateful for the way his relationship with his brother evolved as they grew into adults. He said they became close over long conversations about family, politics and parenting.

“That’s really what I remember about Pat – that relationship that we had, that was built over time and just being a really good friend and companion when we were together,” he said.

For Hayes’ loved ones, learning about his death was traumatic, and the months since have not brought closure. At Saturday’s celebration of life, his brothers said it’s been difficult to accept how the shooting has been handled by law enforcement.

Matt Hayes said the Wasatch County Attorney’s Office decision not to charge the shooter with his brother’s death still makes him angry.

“It’s actually moved from sorrow to frustration and anger that is now happening,” he said. “I’m sad that he’s gone, but now it’s, boy, something’s got to happen.”

Wasatch County sheriff’s deputies identified and arrested Greg Kyle DeBoer three months after the shooting. He told investigators he shot Hayes, drove away and buried the gun in the backyard of his Browns Canyon home. He was charged with a single count of obstruction of justice.

Detectives testified about the weapon at a preliminary hearing earlier this month. DeBoer hasn’t entered a plea, and a judge has yet to determine whether the case will head to trial.

In February, Hayes’ son, Christian Hayes, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against DeBoer. The suit said DeBoer should be held responsible for Patrick Hayes’ death.

Both cases continue to make their way through court.

The placid watercolours featured this month at the Gumboot Café in Roberts Creek may be a stylistic departure for professional cartoon character developer Matt Boismier, but there is one subtle feature in common: animation.

Cars trundle under the neon-lighted entrance of Granville Island. A pedestrian raises an umbrella in rain-slicked School Road. Bathers tiptoe into the azure waters of Hopkins Landing, while a diesel-powered leviathan steams sedately past Howe Sound promontories. Even a sleepy island scene (Savary Transport), which shows a bicycle at rest in an evergreen’s shade, hints that the two-wheeled conveyance dreams of takeoff.

Boismier — who works for the TV and movie animation industry under his sobriquet Tooninator, by engineering the characters for new productions — opened his home-based gallery to Art Crawl visitors for the first time last fall. (He and his wife moved from Kitsilano to Gibsons during the COVID diaspora.) He put his favourite works on display, depicting airliners under tow at YVR and tankers sighted from the Kits beach volleyball pitch. To his surprise, an unlikely subject attracted buyers, again and again: his brutalist portrayals of coastal ferries.

“No one’s looking at that going: ‘that’s beautiful,’” Boismier chuckled. “It’s industrial, it’s grey. But we all know it. We all know it very well, and there’s a lot of life around it. I just draw whatever and hope it sticks.”

In his Horseshoe Bay Bound, the car deck’s double doors open to reveal the approaching terminal. Pools of reflected light soften the vessel’s rust-accented interior. A ferry worker wearing incandescent safety gear meanders unhurriedly to his station.

“These [paintings] are just things that I was interested in and that I thought were challenging to capture or to evoke a certain emotion, so that’s why I painted them,” Boismier said. “They weren’t meant to be masterpieces because when I do that, the life kind of goes by the wayside, and it’s sad.”

Last Friday he competed in the Kube gallery’s high-spirited art battle, scoring a victory in one of the timed competition’s frenetic rounds by wielding spray cans to fashion a fast-paced creation.

Boismier grew up in Ontario drawing freelance portraits and caricatures — even while working at Canada’s Wonderland, a Toronto-area theme park. He competed as a member of the International Society of Caricature Artists. “Animation is such a good background for bringing life and storytelling to anything,” he observed.

While American comics are usually fixated on superheroes, he notes that in other graphic novel traditions — in France and Japan, for example — artists employ different ways of creating compelling scenarios. With such sophisticated influences shaping the industry, he laments the fact that high-achieving animated films are still relegated by the Academy Awards to a sandboxed category instead of being considered for Best Picture.

After a day of guiding designers and tending to the demands of producers, Boismier typically puts his newborn to sleep around 8:30 p.m. then paints until 2 a.m. He’s fascinated with the play of light in everyday locations — including the local service station that he depicts in Wilson Creek Ice Bin. During a recent visit to New York, he ran to the end of the block, saw an angle he liked, and pulled his omnipresent sketchbook from his pocket. “I’m obsessed,” he admitted. “I love it, and I just want to draw or paint all the time.”

Boismier credits the supportive arts community on the Sunshine Coast. During his decade in Vancouver, he was unsure how to build a local network. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” he said. Since coming to the Coast in 2021, he’s become a fixture of the Drink + Doodle gatherings at the Tapworks Brewing Company, and will show his work again during this fall’s Art Crawl. “I think the Sunshine Coast is just a little more chill,” he said.

Life in Watercolour by Matt Boismier remains on display at the Gumboot Café in Roberts Creek until the end of June.

According to university data, over 6,000 students enroll in ISU summer courses annually, with more than 400 unique courses offered in online, hybrid, and in-person formats. 

Dr. Benjamin Withers, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS), emphasized the strong demand for summer courses, especially in foundational subjects. 

“Our most in-demand courses measured by total number of students enrolled are in computer science, physics, chemistry and math,” Withers said. “Courses such as Introduction to the Design and Analysis of Algorithms (COMS 3110), General Physics I (PHYS 1310), Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 3310), and Calculus I and II consistently attract high enrollment. English courses such as Business Communication and Technical Communication also remain popular.” 

Dean Withers noted that students enroll in summer classes for various reasons. 

“Some see it as an opportunity to get ahead and maybe graduate a semester early, while others take advantage of the summer to catch up on required classes after switching majors,”  Withers said. 

He added that many students use the time to explore electives in areas like mythology, ancient civilizations, and computing theory, which sometimes leads to adding a second major or a minor.

“While the content and learning outcomes remain the same as in fall or spring, the courses are accelerated. This allows students to concentrate more deeply on fewer subjects. LAS offers many courses online, accommodating students who may be working, traveling, or living off-campus during the summer. Faculty members regularly participate in workshops offered by the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) to enhance the delivery of online and hybrid courses,” Withers said.

Dean of the College of Human Sciences Dr. Laura Dunn Jolly, said, “Faculty look at course planning at a high level, taking into account enrollment, credit requirements, course sequencing, and student interest. Our MAT program gives students the opportunity to earn their master’s degree and teaching license in 12 months.” 

“These summer courses have helped me stay on track and even get ahead, which helps alleviate stress in the long run,” Kaitlyn Krebs, a graduate student pursuing a degree in athletic training said. 

 Krebs found that summer classes allowed her to prioritize general education requirements in previous years and focus more intently on major-specific courses during the academic year. She described the pace of summer courses as intense but manageable.

 “Summer classes are typically only six to eight weeks, so the pace is much quicker. I find myself studying almost every day,” Krebs said. 

While she appreciated the flexibility of online classes in previous summers, she acknowledged the immersive nature of in-person sessions.

 “Smaller class sizes allow for more one-on-one interaction with professors and stronger connections with classmates, which is incredibly helpful when applying for graduate school or internships.”

‘I wanted to be able to shorten my course load going into my last semester this fall,” said Dylan Backe, a senior in finance. 

“As long as you stay organized and on top of things, you’ll be alright,” Backe said.

Assistant Dean for Engineering Student Success Dr. Cris Schwartz said, “If a course has a laboratory or design studio component, these remain central in the summer version. Lectures and labs are simply scheduled more frequently over a shorter period.”

Dr. Schwartz also acknowledged the challenges of the summer format. 

 “Some students do very well in summer courses, while others may find the pace more challenging than anticipated,”  Dr. Schwartz said. 

In the second set, Thailand struggled from the start, falling behind 0–2 and trailing 4–8 shortly after. Despite efforts to recover, Bulgaria dominated and closed the set comfortably 25–13, taking a 2–0 lead.

The third set saw a shift in momentum. Although Thailand trailed 6–12, a timeout by Coach Kiattipong helped rally the team. The Thai side gradually fought back to lead 20–17 and took the set 25–21.

Thailand carried their momentum into the fourth set, showing renewed confidence to go up 10–6. Despite late pressure from Bulgaria, Thailand held firm to win the set 25–22 and level the match at 2–2.

In the decisive fifth set, Thailand took an early 4–2 lead, but Bulgaria’s powerful attacks and consistency turned the tide. Bulgaria pulled ahead 8–6 and capitalised on Thai errors to take the final set 15–9 and seal a 3–2 victory.