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More than 40 youth got a taste of the great outdoors and some of the fun things they can do in the woods and on the river during an event held near Owen Sound on Saturday.
Archery, target shooting, birdwatching and fishing challenges were just a few of the activities youth were able to experience.

More than 40 youth got a taste of the great outdoors and some of the fun things they can do in the woods and on the river during an event held near Owen Sound on Saturday.
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The youngsters between the ages of 10 and 17 participated on the 2025 Youth Expo at the Sydenham Sportsmen Association clubhouse, taking part in activities like archery, target shooting, geocaching, birdwatching, water critter identification, and more.
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It was the 19th year for the EXPO – which stands for Experience, Xcitement, Participation, Outdoors – put on by a group of local organizations and businesses with a goal of encouraging youth to get outside and learn about the natural world around them.
“We are teaching youth to be good stewards of the land and knowing that there are things they can do outdoors that they aren’t familiar with that they don’t get that opportunity to experience,” Said Jo-Anne Harbinson, who assisted head co-ordinator Nancy Griffin with the expo this year. “They can do the fishing, the target practice and know what the reasons behind that is, the resources that are out there and some of the habitats too.”
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Down at the river, the youth were using dip nets to dig into the muddy bottom and catch various creatures like mayfly, damselfly and dragonfly larvae and using a picture guide to identify them.

Just up the trail, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Conservation Officers were teaching the youth about casting fishing poles and identifying the various pelts of local fur-bearing mammals.
Harbinson said in the digital age it has become even more important to educate local youth about the importance of caring for the outdoors.
“With the critter catching they are looking at what are some of the bugs in there that feed the fish and with the birds they are learning about what kind of habitats they need and what kinds of birds are moving through and when,” said Harbinson. “They are learning a lot about ecosystem health and it is getting them interested in the environment and maybe as a career they might come into that too.
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“They get to know this kind of property is available to them as adults if they have interest in hunting and fishing.”
This year, organizations involved include the sportsmen association, Stewardship Grey Bruce, the South Bruce Game and Fish Protective Association, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Owen Sound Field Naturalists and the Grey Sauble and Saugeen Valley conservation authorities. Businesses like Bruce Power and Fairmount Security are also involved, providing financial support to help cover the costs of putting on the expo. More than 25 volunteers are involved in putting on the event.
Kim Bishop of Elmira was taking part in the expo for the second straight year. She said she really enjoyed the event last year and wanted to try it again.
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“I really liked the shooting and the archery. I thought that was really fun,” said Bishop, 13. “The new experiences were really nice for me.”
Bishop said she enjoys the outdoors and spends a lot of time in the bush at her grandparents’ home, but some of the experiences at the expo are different than what she normally does. It also allowed her to improve some of her outdoor skills, particularly with the bow and arrow.
“I was definitely a lot better at archery this year,” Bishop said. “My aiming was a lot better and I got a lot better at holding the bow and keeping it centred.”

Friends Ryden Morley of the Keady area and Bryson Campbell of the Tara area were both taking part in the event for the first time.
Campbell said his brother had attended before and when Morley decided to go he thought he would try it out too.
“It has been pretty good,” said Campbell. “We did like fishing and then we went to see some birds.”
Morley said he enjoys the outdoors and was excited about trying many of the activities at the expo on Saturday.
“It has been really fun,” he said.
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TRYON, N.C. – The High Point University women’s track and field team traveled to the western part of the state to compete at the Tryon International Collegiate Opener hosted by Big South Conference foe UNC Asheville. The Panthers used this meet as practice for the Big South Indoor Championships that will take place at the same facility at the end of February.
High Point had a group of throwers and combined events student-athletes make the trip.
In the throwing events, Ashlyn Giles broke her own program record in her second meet as a Panther in the shot put. She threw a 15.43m throw for first place which was 0.43m farther than her previous record. She also competed in the weight throw and launched the weight 15.32m for third place.
Vanessa Kobialka placed in second behind Giles in the shot put with a 13.27m throw. Jill Stroup placed fourth in the weight throw and matched Giles’ throw with a 15.32m launch.
Jhanelle Thomas and Mya Hines competed in the 60m hurdles and crossed the finish line in back-to-back times as Thomas registered a 9.08 time and Hines posted a 9.25 time for fourth and fifth place respectively. Thomas also competed in the high jump and cleared 1.47m for a six-way tie for third. Kaitlyn Green was right there with Thomas in the high jump also clearing 1.47m for third place.
UP NEXT: High Point travels to Blacksburg, Virginia for the Virginia Tech Invitational on January 16-17.
#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl
Ufodiama delivered the standout performance of the meet for the Pirates, setting a new ECU program record in the women’s 60-meter dash semifinals with a time of 7.14. The mark further cemented her place atop the record book, as she now holds the top eight performances in program history in the event.
On the men’s side, East Carolina made a strong statement in the sprints. Tyson Tippett finished runner-up in the men’s 60-meter dash finals, clocking 6.85, while Jace Coleman added a fourth-place finish at 6.89 to give the Pirates two top-four finishes in one of the meet’s deepest events.
The Pirates also found success in the hurdles, where Kailey Elliott advanced through the rounds to place fourth in the women’s 60-meter hurdles finals with a time of 8.27. Her performance marked one of ECU’s top technical-event finishes of the weekend.
Abrielle Schweitzer continued her strong indoor campaign with a third-place finish in the women’s mile, crossing the line in 4:52.34. On the men’s side, Alex Sawyer placed ninth in the mile with a time of 4:14.67, while Elliott Kleckner followed closely in 11th at 4:21.33.
Additional solid efforts came in the 300 meters, where Brianna Clayton finished 13th in the women’s race at 38.70, and in the men’s 600 meters, where Jordan Good narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in 1:18.34.
In the field events, Shakiel Dacres led the way for East Carolina with a sixth-place finish in the men’s shot put with 16.66m. Dacres’ performance marked the Pirates’ top result in the throws.
East Carolina finished strong over the weekend and will look to carry their victories toward the Dick Taylor Challenge, hosted by North Carolina starting January 16.
Streit secured her first lifetime best in the weight throw since February of 2025 (Gopher Classic) to finish second on Saturday behind only teammate Anthonett Nabwe (22.82m | 74-10 1/2). Streit, a 2025 weight throw First Team All-American, moved up from No. 5 all-time at Minnesota to No. 4 with the performance and now is No. 3 in the NCAA this season.
On the men’s side it was Godfred who captured the attention of the crowd with his two runs in the 60m. The two-time Big Ten outdoor long jump champion, running unattached, posted lifetime bests of 6.65 and 6.62 to secure the event win in Minneapolis. Godfred’s previous lifetime best in the event was 6.70 (2024 M City Classic) and would rank the Nigerian inside the top three nationally among men’s NCAA sprinters in 2026.
The other seven event wins for the in-uniform Gophers on Saturday included: Victory Godah (60m – 7.58), LauBenra Ben (200m – 25.09), Zeal Kuku (400m – 55.68), Kitania Headley (800m – 2:13.00), Charlotte Lange (3000m – 9:54.82), Sofia Condon (Pole Vault – 4.01m) and Nabwe (Shot Put – 16.11m).
Eight other Minnesota victories on Saturday came from unattached student-athletes. Jordan Dunigan capped the day off with a lifetime best in the weight throw at 20.52m (67-4) while teammates Precious Opinion (Triple Jump – 15.25m), Brooke Moore (Triple Jump – 12.49m) and Waukeem Walters (Long Jump – 7.27m) also picked up wins in field events at the Minnesota Open. On the track Minnesota’s unattached runners won three other events, which included: Joseph Manser (400m – 48.84), Ramy Ayoub (600m – 1:18.37) and Nontokozo Ncube (600m – 1:30.55).
The ‘U’ will head out to Lincoln, Neb., for the Graduate Classic, the first road meet of 2026, from January 16-17. Minnesota will not return home until January 30, at the Jack Johnson Classic.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota cross country and track and field team on X.com (Twitter) and Instagram (@GopherCCTF) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the season.
MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men’s volleyball team (1-0) plays the second match of the weekend in Firestone Fieldhouse against the Daemen Wildcats (0-1) Sunday afternoon.
LAST TIME OUT
•Pepperdine opened the 2026 campaign with a three-set sweep over St. Thomas Aquinas Friday night in Malibu.
• The Waves are coming off an incredible season with the farthest run in the NCAA tournament since 2019, losing to eventual National Champion Long Beach State in the semi-finals.
• Pepperdine finished 4th in the MPSF, making a run in the conference tournament hosted in Malibu, beating higher-seeded USC and UCLA to win the whole thing.
GAME NOTES
• This season marks the 56th and final season with Firestone Fieldhouse as the home for Pepperdine Men’s Volleyball
• Pepperdine will move into the Mountain at Mullin Park for the 2026-27 season.
• The Mountain is a new 3,600-seat arena that will give Pepperdine a state-of-the-art competition venue, complete with a 360-degree high-definition scoreboard, VIP and hospitality spaces, and custom team locker rooms.
• Owning 5 NCAA titles and 18 MPSF titles, with the most recent being earned last year, the Waves are no stranger to what it takes to put together a championship-level team.
• With one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA, Pepperdine is setting the season up for success with a NCAA quarterfinal rematch against Loyola Chicago, a semifinal rematch with Long Beach State and a trip to the islands, taking on No. 2 Hawai’i in March.
• Opening No. 4 in the AVCA preseason poll, the Waves are only behind LBSU, Hawai’i, and conference-foe UCLA.
• Ryan Barnett, James Eadie, Cole Hartke, and Jacob Reilly all return as All-Americans for the Waves.
• Barnett, Hartke, and Reilly all played on some level of the national team this summer.
• Ryan Barnett earned a silver medal with the U23 team at the Pan American Cup while also playing on the senior USA team with Jacob Reilly in the Pan American Cup.
• Cole Hartke earned a bronze in the FIVB World Championship with the U21 team, the farthest the USA has ever gotten in the tournament.
• Redshirting last season, Grant Lamoureux is a player to keep an eye out for on this star-studded roster.
• Named the Junior Male Indoor Athlete of the Year this past year, the redshirt freshman brings plenty of experience regardless of never logging collegiate minutes.
• This summer, Lamoureux was a captain of the U19 World Championship squad with team USA where he led the team in kills nearly every time out.
• Redshirt Ford Harman transferred into Pepperdine from national-champion Long Beach State.
• This summer, Harman earned a Silver medal at the 2025 Men’s Beach Collegiate Challenge for team USA.
• Harman is originally from Santa Barbara, playing at Santa Barbara HS before college.
• Outside of the United States, the Waves represent three other countries in Cuba, Serbia, and Switzerland.
• Andrej Polomac, a transfer from Purdue Fort-Wayne, is the sole Serbian on the squad, brings elite experience as a setter with an average of just under 9 aces per set last season.
• The Waves add even more international experience next year with two of the three commits coming from overseas, bringing another Serbian to Malibu as well as a middle blocker from the Czech Republic.
• In his fourth year at the helm, Winder is coming off his most successful season last year with a run to the final four in the NCAA tournament.
• Last season, Winder led the Waves to an MPSF title, the program’s first since 2019.
• As the ninth coach at the helm, Winder is an alum of the program himself, earning a National Title with Pepperdine in 2005.
SERIES HISTORY WITH DAEMEN
• In two matches against the Wildcats, Pepperdine holds the 2-0 advantage.
• Two seasons ago, in the most recent meeting between the squads, Pepperdine took the 3-0 victory in Firestone Fieldhouse.
• The only other matchup came in 2020 on the road, where the Waves swept them 3-0.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
• Daemen dropped the opening match of the 2026 season against No. 10 UC Irvine 3-1.
• Last season, the Wildcats went 15-13, including 4-4 in conference play.
• The Wildcats are back-to-back Northeast Conference champions, winning their tournament as the three seed last season.
• Daemen has four All-conference players returning in Maverick O’Neill, Billy Wieberg, Kyle Zelasko, and Jariel Giraud
First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. The game can be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required) with live stats available on pepperdinewaves.com
ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine men’s volleyball boasts one of the richest histories in collegiate volleyball, with five NCAA National Championships. Four of those championships came under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Marv Dunphy who totaled 612 victories in 34 seasons at the helm. With 19 NCAA Appearances and 63 All-Americans, the program has consistently been a destination for top talent across the country. Under current head coach Jonathan Winder, the Waves reached the NCAA Final Four in his third season at the helm in 2025.
TICKETS
For more information and to purchase tickets to upcoming home events, visit here.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women’s soccer news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineMVB_ .
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