The Calico Steppers of Vanda Maunder Dance Studio brought a little bit of Newfoundland to Cowtown during a recent showcase and parade prelude performances for the Calgary Stampede.

The original plan back in 2020 was to perform at the Grand Ol’ Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Sadly, due to the pandemic, this trip never took place. Later, when the idea of a trip was suggested again, some parents expressed their discomfort with the idea of sending their children to the United States given the country’s current political climate.

“We decided we’d go to Calgary because it’s still the country feel and the Stampede was there. So we went to work figuring out how we were going to do that,” said Vanda Maunder, who said 17 of the 30 Stepper members traveled to Calgary. “And it was more than I ever dreamed of. I knew we would have fun. I knew it would be. And I liked for them to have a cultural experience.”

The Steppers first performed in what is called the Downtown Showcase, which took place the day before the Calgary Stampede. For this event, the downtown streets are closed and groups perform at different locations along the route. The Steppers danced in front of an old theatre, performing their routine every 15 minutes for two hours. Because of this, they had a new audience for each performance as people made their way along the route.

“After they performed, lots of times people would come up and say ‘Oh, I’m from Newfoundland! I’ve been living here 20 years! Welcome!’” said Maunder.

The next day, the Calico Steppers performed in the Calgary Stampede’s parade prelude. Groups need to apply to perform in the prelude, and the Steppers were one of those approved.

“I had a funny feeling we’d get accepted because we were the only ones from Newfoundland or from out of their province actually,” said Maunder. She says they were very proud to represent Newfoundland and believes that further motivated the Calico Steppers to do their best.

Maunder says the prelude performers warmed up the crowd along the parade route. The prelude would perform at intersections along the route and, after each performance, proceed to the next intersection to perform again.

“I was so proud of the girls because their routine is high-energy,” said Maunder. The dance routine, which they shortened a bit for the prelude, took about seven minutes each time. “When they finished dancing at an intersection, they had to walk, out of breath, walk to the next intersection, dance right away.”

Neither Maunder nor the Steppers knew how many times they would end up performing the routine during the parade prelude. Maunder believes it was somewhere between seven and nine times.

“I don’t know how, physically, they did it,” said Maunder. “I think they surprised themselves.”

The Steppers are a step dance group that Maunder has been teaching for years. Their first out-of-province trip was to Vermont in the 1990s. They stayed there for 10 days, performing at a different school every day. They have performed in Florida twice, and in both P.E.I. and Ottawa, Ontario on Canada Day.

Maunder has been dancing since she was around five years old and opened her Brigus dance studio around 1972. The studio offers various programs, from Dance Start for preschool-aged children to the 45+ group Heart and Sole.

Maunder teaches ballet, jazz, tap, step dance, and occasionally ballroom dance. However, her studio does not participate in competitions.

“It’s just not me,” said Maunder. “I want to teach for the love of it, and have my students not worry.” She said dance competitions are lovely and exciting, but not what she wants her students to focus on. “I want them to learn to dance for our audience, dance for the joy of it, not to be graded.”

Maunder has taught generations of dancers. One of her current Calico Steppers, Beth Norman, is the daughter of Calico Steppers alumnus Angela Norman. In fact, Angela was part of the group that went on the first trip to Vermont three decades ago. Angela travelled with the group to Calgary, serving as Maunder’s music person while her daughter danced in the events—two generations of Calico Steppers doing their parts.

“From when I first came and started teaching till now, yes, children have changed, the world has changed that they live in. However, the love of dance has not changed,” said Maunder. “The camaraderie we have here, that has not changed. It’s a safe place. We all love music, we all love to dance.”

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The Town of Bay Roberts has honoured the legacy of a well-known athlete by installing a storyboard at the Community Gardens dedicated to Ward Gosse, who passed away suddenly at the beginning of 2025.

Gosse grew up in Bay Roberts, and excelled at hockey and softball, among other sports. In senior hockey he won five Memorial Herder Trophies with various teams. But he was arguably best known for his softball career, in which he excelled at the provincial, national, and international levels.

The Community Gardens where the storyboard is located used to be Bay Roberts’ old ballfield, where Gosse played softball in his youth. The storyboard is located where home plate used to be, and a replica home plate sits at the base of the board. The storyboard was unveiled during a ceremony at the gardens on August 1.

Mayor Geoff Seymour remarked that although Gosse eventually settled in Torbay, he remained connected to Bay Roberts through his family and his sports roots.

“Heroes get remembered, but legends never die,” said the mayor, quoting a line from the film Sandlot. “Ward was a hero to the people who loved him, and on the softball field he became a legend.”

Gosse served as a councillor in Torbay from 2021 until his death. After his passing, a road near the arena in Torbay was named Ward Gosse Way in his memory. Ward’s wife, Karen Gosse, now serves on the Torbay council.

“The one thing that I know about him was his dedication to things. And he couldn’t have had the success that he did unless he was dedicated and committed to doing them,” said Torbay Mayor Craig Scott.

Speakers at the ceremony emphasized that Gosse was much more than his athletic accomplishments. They all described him as a kind person and devoted family man.

“Ward’s greatest achievements weren’t measured by championship or trophies,” said Neil Benson, a former teammate, coach, and friend. “They were measured by the love that he had for his family and his friends.”

Benson said Gosse had looked out for his son, who struggled with mental health in his youth.

“So, whether serving as a councillor in the Town of Torbay or coaching young athletes or even at his job, I think Ward understood that success meant very little unless you help others along the way,” said Benson.

Benson said he hopes every young athlete who visits the Community Gardens will read the storyboard and learn that greatness is not only measured in championships, but in qualities such as kindness and love.

Addressing Gosse’s parents, Lewis and Janet Gosse, Benson said, “I hope it brings you comfort to know that Ward made this world a better place. He will never be forgotten, and he will always be one of Bay Roberts’ finest men.”

Glenn Littlejohn, another former teammate, coach, and friend, said Gosse transformed and grew as a person after the birth of his eldest daughter, Cassidy, who he loved to bring to the ballfield. Littlejohn noted Gosse played sports well into his middle age, and would probably still be playing if he were alive today.

“Winning followed Ward,” said Littlejohn. “If you were on a team with Ward Gosse, you had a chance to win because Ward always loved the big moment. And he would get you that big hit, he would get you that big strikeout. But most of all, Ward Gosse was a great man. He loved his family.”

Gosse’s father-in-law, Dennis Brown, used to chair the Bay Roberts’ recreation commission. It was through this role that he first met Ward when they hired him as a coach. One of the tasks Gosse was given was to gather a girls softball team to compete in a tournament in PEI. The centerfielder was Brown’s daughter, Karen, who would go on to marry the coach.

Brown shared that, following Gosse’s passing, the International Softball Congress renamed its Legends division MVP award, which Ward had won twice, the Ward Gosse Memorial MVP Award. Karen was invited to Minnesota last summer to present the award to the winner.

Karen recalled the first time she had seen Gosse, as a child, was in the park that is now known as the Community Gardens. He was on the swing set singing the theme song of Greatest American Hero.

“And I thought to myself, ‘My God, that boy has confidence.’ And I have thought that to myself for the 30 years that I spent with Ward,” said Karen.

She commended the Town for locating the storyboard at the field’s former home plate. “For me, and for anybody who played ball, we know that home plate is where every journey begins,” she said. “It’s where hope lives. It’s where one single swing of the bat can change the entire game. And it’s where everybody who’s in your corner is waiting for you with high fives and open arms to bring you home. So, this could not be more perfect. Thank you.”

The storyboard was unveiled by Gosse’s son, Samuel, and youngest daughter, Makay. Beside the board is a bench where visitors can sit and appreciate the memorial.

Mayor Seymour said the Town has renamed its Hall of Fame Award in Gosse’s honour. It will be presented under his name for the first time at the town’s athletic awards in September.

“May his name continue to be spoken,” said Seymour. “May his story continue to be told. May the memories continue to make us smile. And may every kid who comes through this garden know that a great softball pitcher once stood right here. A local boy who took a game he loved and made something truly special of it.”

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The trails and ponds of Paradise make for a perfect triathlon course, according to organizers of the Paradise Trailside Triathlon.

The event, which organizers say is the province’s lone trail triathlon, is a revival of sorts of a triathlon that used to run around Octagon Pond and through the industrial park, with the second annual race held on July 26.

“Paradise has beautiful trails,” said Andrea Duguid. “It has that trail bed, and Peter Barry Duff Park, and the beach and the woods. So, we decided that we were going to revamp the course and make it a qualifier. There’s so much beauty in Paradise and our team felt like we were missing it by running the road in the industrial area. So, we put this together last year and got it approved by Tri NL and rolled with it. And people love it.”

Participants swam 500 metres in Octagon Pond, biked 18 kilometres along the T’railway towards Spruce Hill Road intersection in CBS, and then ran five kilometres along Topsail Pond and Peter Barry Duff Park.

William Duggan was declared the winner with a time of 1:04:39. Karen Martin was the quickest female with a time of 1:16:03.

Ninety-one people competed – nearly double the figure who competed in 2025 – but despite the increase, Duguid said the idea of a triathlon can be intimidating. It’s the swim portion more than anything else that deters some from registering, she allowed. To that end, folks can opt out of the swimming segment altogether and substitute extra running.

Organizers do their best to make the event welcoming for beginners – the swim portion is shorter than other triathlons, and the bike course follows a walking trail rather than a roadway to avoid oncoming traffic.

“We also do a lot of practice routes,” added Duguid. “People can come and try the course, because some people will need to know they can do it before doing it.”

But the course is not without it’s challenges, both in the preparation and execution.

“You’re dabbling in three disciplines,” said Duguid. “You have to do a bit of swimming, a bit of biking, and a bit of running, so you have to plan your weeks and make sure you’re hitting all three disciplines.”

Those interested in running the triathlon next year, or any other triathlon held throughout the province, can contact Triathlon NL, TriAvalon, or ROCK Racing Triathlon Club.

“We’re all willing to help because people helped us,” said Duguid. “I couldn’t swim 25 metres 15 years ago but I managed to do a full Iron Man. So, if I can do it, anyone can. At the end of the day there’s all these great coaches and people wanting to help.”

The Paradise race is also a trail triathlon world qualifying event.

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The Town of Paradise and the O’Neil Nissan Growlers will host the 2027 U18 Atlantic Hockey Championship.
The five-day tournament will run from March 31- April 4, 2027. Four championship teams, along with the host team, will battle it out for the chance to represent Atlantic Canada at the 2027 U18 Telus Cup National Championship scheduled to take place April 18-24, 2027, at a location yet to be decided.
The games will be livestreamed, and special community events will also be planned for the week.
The 2026 tournament was hosted in Quispamsis, New Brunswick.
The Halifax McDonald’s captured the 2026 championship title after defeating the Fredericton Caps 2-0 on the championship game.

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By Craig Westcott

It was the fourth year for Sam’s Jam and if anyone doubted the massive ball hockey tournament held on the grounds of Admirals Academy in Kelligrews would eventually fizzle out, the 5,000 to 6,000 children, parents, grandparents and volunteers who showed up again July 4 -5 indicated otherwise.
The tournament was started in memory of six-year-old Sammy Porter, who drowned while swimming with friends in Seal Cove five years ago and is run by the Sammy’s Climb Higher Foundation, a charity started by his family to honour his memory by raising money to help children afford to participate in sports.
Sammy’s great uncle Paul Connors, a former town councillor and now the Liberal MP for Avalon, chairs the volunteer group that runs the foundation and organizes the tournament. Even he is a bit surprised at the life the tournament has taken on in memory of a child who loved to play sports and hang out with friends.
“What started out to be a memorial event to remember Sammy, a six-year-old boy, has become so much bigger. We could never have imagined it,” Connors said. “It’s a community event that brings everyone together through sports and friendship and kindness and compassion. People tell us that families actually plan their lives around Sam Jam and that it is probably their favourite weekend of the summer. That says so much.”
This year’s event saw 152 teams comprised of 1,500 youngsters from around the province play 336 round robin and play-off games in 16 steel mesh enclosed rinks on the front and back parking lots of the school. With free bouncy castles, chip trucks and other concessions, the crowded, festive atmosphere reminded some people of the St. John’s Regatta.
“People are coming and meeting up with friends they haven’t seen in years, yes, it’s a great event for bringing people together.” Connors agreed. “Our family is very honoured. Although it’s a tragic thing that happened, what’s after happening with Sam Jam has made the heartbreaking, life changing tragedy of losing Sam a little bit more bearable for his parents Angie and Steve and his brother Aiden. As Angie has said, it’s filled with everything that Sam loved in his short life – sports, friends… there’s fun, competition, and just people coming together. And it just continues to grow evermore.”
Sam Jam has become the largest event in the town’s annual Kelligrews Soiree summer festival.
With so many people converging on the school, which is located next to Mary Brown’s and The Dollar Store on the main road, the foundation uses a traffic control company, along with volunteers, to ensure everyone navigates the area safely and there are no disruptions to traffic.
Connors couldn’t even count how many people help out, everyone from the main planners to the people who help with parking, picking up garbage, selling 50/50 tickets, and helping players navigate their way to the right rink at the right time. Some 70 to 80 volunteers serve as referees and scorekeepers.
“People come in and they know something has got to be done, and they just go do it,” Connors said. “The whole thing is how the community comes together.”
Then there’s the business support.
“We have corporate sponsors who are very good to us,” Connors said. “We don’t expect anything for free, but they always help us out. We had this year 106 businesses that in some way helped out Sam Jam either through monetary donations, or through a combination of monetary and in-kind contributions. We have construction companies that send up workers (to erect the steel fencing around each rink). We can’t say enough about the businesses that come forward to help us out.”
As a result of the monies raised at Sam Jam, and the foundation’s other big fundraiser – Sam’s Superhero hockey game staged in conjunction with the CB Senior Blues hockey team every winter – some $127,000 has been donated over the past four years to more than 150 children and families across the province who have needed help with paying sports registration fees or buying equipment.
Interest in the ball hockey tournament is so high, the foundation has had to cap the number of teams at 152 in order to fit all the action on the grounds of Admiralty Academy, where Sammy went to school. But they make sure that all those who participate have a special experience. This year, a team of 11-year-olds from Bonavista got trapped for hours in a lineup on the TransCanada after the highway was closed because of a serious accident. They called in to say they were probably going to have to default their first game. Rather than see that happen, Connors and Sammy’s mom Angie rescheduled all their games for later that evening – not an easy task given the the number of teams and games on the schedule across age groups running from Kindergarten to high school.
“Nobody in their division wanted that team to default,” said Connors. “They never got here until 7 o’clock that night and they were willing to play their three games back-to-back to back in order to get their games in… And they were so appreciative. Myself and Angie said afterwards, that’s what Sam Jam is all about. It’s not about the competition; it’s about the love of the game.”
The tournament also has an inclusion division that enables children with physical and other challenges who might not otherwise get a chance to participate to play ball hockey and make memories.
“They have so much fun,” Connors said. “When you see the smiles and the excitement on their faces when their given a Sam’s jersey or a Climb Higher award or lift the championship trophy, it’s just unbelievable. That’s a huge part of it and that goes on throughout the day.”
The tournament’s showcase rink is called the Rink of Memories. Along the boards are the names of children who were taken too soon, either due to tragic accidents, or illnesses.
“It’s an opportunity to honour kids who never spent a whole lot of time here with us, but in some way changed the world, who gave us memories that will last a lifetime,” Connors said. “It’s our way of trying to remember them.”
Connors is confident Sam Jam will be around next year and for more years to come.
“As soon as you walk into the school parking lot you can feel it,” he said. “It’s definitely a different atmosphere. The ball hockey may bring people here, but once they arrive it quickly becomes secondary. It’s a sense of friendship, support and community. It’s almost impossible to put into words. Everybody feels it.”

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Harbour Grace’s Conception Bay Museum has officially opened its doors for the summer season.
Located on Water Street, the museum has rooms dedicated to various aspects of the area’s history, especially aviation and piracy. The museum is open free of charge to visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week until August 31.
Curator Nicholas Hamilton said July is the museum’s busiest month. Harbour Grace’s annual Pirates to Pilots Festival takes place from July 17 to 26, and the museum is promoted as part of it.
One of the festival’s most anticipated events, Amelia Earhart’s Birthday Party, will take place on the museum grounds from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on July 24. Food and drinks will be provided, and Amelia herself will make an appearance and answer questions from the audience. Hamilton said there will also likely be a temporary exhibit set up focusing on the Harbour Grace Airstrip.
Another important event is Aviation Day, which the museum will host July 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event celebrates Harbour Grace’s aviation history. A fly-by is usually organized to start from the airstrip and pass over the harbour.
Weekly concerts will be taking place on the museum grounds over the summer. Every Wednesday, two artists will perform an hour-long show each that people can attend for free. Seven shows are planned up to August 19.
The museum is also hoping to offer an interactive sports exhibit soon. It will incorporate recent Harbour Grace sports notables including Danny Cleary and Jamie Korab, as well as sports from the more distant past. Hamilton said the exhibit will highlight recreation in Harbour Grace years ago and tie it into forms of entertainment people have today.
“One thing that we have upstairs is a set of carpet balls,” said Hamilton. “They’re essentially like bowling balls that people would use on any carpeted surface where you could play a game. It’s very similar to bocce ball or lawn bowling that we’d do today.”
Hamilton said the idea is to introduce kids to historical pieces of sports equipment and show them how modern bocce balls compare. The kids will then be able to go play with bocce balls on the museum grounds.
Hamilton said the best way for people to support the Conception Bay Museum is to pay it a visit.
“It definitely helps us if we’re recording that we get a lot of traffic,” he said. “That looks good for funding. We don’t charge people to come in so it is free to come and have a look around. But if people are interested in donating, we do accept donations and we’re also selling souvenirs.”

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HockeyNL recognised some its most outstanding members at the 2025-2026 annual general meeting and award show in June, including many from the Avalon peninsula.

Mike O’Brien, who played a key role with Southern Shore Amateur Hockey, was awarded the Gerry Taylor Memorial Junior Council Meritorious Award. Even since the Southern Shore joined the St. John’s Junior Hockey League in 1998, he has remained a dedicated volunteer.

Colby Mitchell of the Paradise Minor Hockey Association was awarded the Brian Wakelin Executive of the Year Award. Mithcell has volunteered with the association for over a decade and currently serves as president.

Dean Whalen, who has officiated hundreds of games over the decades, including senior hockey and Herder games, and has served as Referee in Chief for Cee Bees Minor Hockey Association for the last 20 years, was awarded the Ray Bowe Award of Merit.

Nathan Bakogeorge with the Cee Bees Minor Hockey Association and Jayden Denty with the Glovertown & Area Minor Hockey Association were named the 2026 Minor Hockey Scholarship recipients. Lima Best of the Southern Shore Senior Breakers was named the recipient of the 2026 Jim Stirling / B.F. Lorenzetti Scholarship.

Brian Lambert with Goulds Minor was awarded the Ron Healey Memorial Award. Lambert has been a major part of Hockey NL’s officiating program since 2000. He has officiated both senior hockey and Herder games, and has also officiated at events such as the Telus Cup, Para Hockey World Tournament, Allan Cup, AHL, and ECHL.

Other winners included Deer Lake Red Wings Treasurer Paul Payne (CJ McCarthy Memorial Award), Gary Pardy of Exploits (Female Hockey Promotion Award), Hockey Canada Master Coach Developer Stephanie Delaney (Joe Byrne Development Award), Robert Williams with the Green Bay South Minor Hockey Association (Minor Council Meritorious Award – Central Region), Jodi Blackwood with the St. John’s Minor Hockey Association (Minor Council Meritorious Award – Eastern Region), Sherry Chubbs with the Lake Melville Xtreme Minor Hockey Association (Minor Council Meritorious Award – Northern Region), Dave Ingram with the Clarenville Area Minor Hockey Association (Minor Council Meritorious Award – Tri Pen Region), Stephen Peddle with the Deer Lake Minor Hockey Association (Minor Council Meritorious Award – Western Region), the Clarenville Area Minor Hockey Association (Minor Association/Community Club of the Year), and Tracey Hatcher (Gold Stick Pin).Meanwhile, Terry Hart, John Drover, Dale Sullivan, Nick Aylward, Janet Reddy, Chris Bartlett, Charlie Kearsey, and the late Bern Tobin were all inducted into the Hockey NL Hall of Fame.

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Nearly 200 runners from across the province – and some from even further – pushed themselves to the limit over the May 22 – 24 weekend at the Paradise Backyard Ultra (PBU).

Beginning Friday afternoon, runners completed a 6.7 kilometre loop around Octagon Pond every hour on the hour in an intense ‘last man standing’ competition that ran until 5 a.m. Sunday morning when Ryan Quinlan, 39, of Paradise was named the winner after completing 41 laps, equating to a staggering 275 kilometres, while enduring rain, wind, and cold.

“You go through sleep deprivation, you’re up for two days, you’re putting your body through something that it’s never gone through before,” said Quinlan.  “The amount of support I got from my family and friends was unbelievable.”

Quinlan has run each PBU since the inaugural event in 2024. That year, he completed 18 loops. Last year, he ran 25.

Heading into this year’s event, Quinlan said he didn’t have a particular goal in mind, only that he wanted to do better than last year.

“If I got to 26 hours, maybe I would have got to the next milestone, which would have been 30 hours, which would have got me over 200 kilometres,” said Quinlan. “After that I was just trying to hit small milestones. I had A, B, and C goals.”

Quinlan maintained an average pace of about 52:29 a loop, focusing more on endurance than speed so as not to exhaust himself. He had a lap-by-lap plan for how to spend the minutes between laps.

“You would either focus on rest, nutrition, or gear change,” said Quinlan. “I had my wife, my friends, my brother to help me out. They were my crewmates, so when I would get in, they were assisting me with those things. I would tell them, ‘I need a can of soda,’ or ‘I need some rice pudding,’ and ‘Can you have that ready for me, I’m going to lie down for five minutes, can you wake me up before the two-minute buzzer?’”

Funny enough, Quinlan lives about three kilometres from the start line, and the course took him in a homeward direction.

“The thought of continuing on to my house and just not finishing the race did cross my mind,” said Quinlan. “That was a frequent thought I had.”

Of the nearly 200 runners, only four reached the 30-loop milestone –Quinlan, Ryne King, Chris Nash, and Ian Royle.

Royle, of St. John’s, finished 31 laps, while Nash, of Mount Pearl, made it to 33.

King and Quinlan ran seven laps together before King, of St. John’s, finished at 40 laps (268 kilometres,) leaving just Quinlan to make a final lap and claim the title.

Quinlan said his previous experience running the PBU gave him a leg up over the competition in the final stretch.

“In my mind Ian was the front runner, but when he dropped out, then it was down to Chris Nash, Ryne King, and myself,” said Quinlan. “And those guys had never run the event. I think having experience in this event is crucial, just knowing how your body is going to feel after running for 24 hours, and the emotions that you’re going to go through, and having that experience really played to my advantage.”

He credits King with keeping him going during the final loops.

“You need an assist,” said Quinlan. “You need to have that person who was going to push me to 41, which was Ryne King. And I’m so happy that he showed up because my number would have been much lower if he wasn’t there.”

Quinlan played sports in his youth, but had little experience with long distance running. In 2015, while living in Goose Bay, he registered for the Trapline half marathon.

“I considered myself very fit, but there were people much older than me passing me gracefully,” said Quinlan. “And I thought, ‘How is this possible?’ I’m a young, fit dude, and these guys are just cruising by me. And that planted the seed.”

He credits the first PBU with kicking his running career into full gear.

“I think it’s the concept that really captured it for me,” said Quinlan. “If you’re here to ask me, ‘Hey, do you want to go run a 100-kilometre race, I would say, ‘No, that’s ridiculous…’ but the question becomes, how many (6.7 kilometre loops) can you do before you have to stop. And that’s where it becomes very interesting. I like that mental aspect of it. Because it becomes a puzzle. But I think everybody has their endpoint, and in order to find it you have to take yourself there. And for me, having good preparation, having good family support, having a good crew, and having proper training, I wanted to see how far I could go with it. If it was one loop, so be it. If it was a lot of loops, perfect, at least I found my endpoint and I did something that was hard, and pushes me, and gives me some purpose.”

As the winner of this year’s event, Quinlan will have the opportunity to represent the province as a member of Team Canada at the Big Backyard Ultra World Championships in British Columbia in October.

Along with bragging rites and a spot on the Team Canada roster, Quinlan received $2,000 worth of prizes, including a silver Canadian dollar from East Coast Coins, Auctions, and Collectibles and ice cream cones for life from Eva’s Chimneys food truck.

When The Shoreline reached him on the Monday afternoon following the race, he had sufficiently recovered with plenty of bed rest and a giant stack of French toast.

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Brothers Randy and Rod Hennessey, left, and longtime baseball organizer David Coates, right, are the newest inductees into the CBS Sports Hall of Fame. Tyler Waugh photo

Rod and Randy Hennessey grew up in Conception Bay South in an era when youth sports were shifting from less structured play to more organized recreation.

The brothers were honoured, along with David Coates, with induction as builders into the CBS Sports Hall of Fame on May 25 held as part of the CBS Municipal Awards in a ceremony that celebrated the best of the town’s athletes, volunteers and artists.

The trio of builders were joined by the Queen Elizabeth Regional High School Pioneers Senior Girls Volleyball Team (1993 to 1996) and the 2000 CBS Girls Baseball Team, which were both inducted in the team category.

“It’s a life in sports. I came up as a young guy in the community and a lot of our sports were only starting to evolve back in those days,” Randy Hennessey said after the ceremony, adding participation in many sports was mostly unsupervised until he was 12 or so.

As an athlete, he competed at high levels in soccer, hockey, softball, ball hockey, and table tennis, earning multiple championships and individual honours.

Hennessey also coached at all levels of the Kiwanis Baseball programs and supported provincial athletes at national-level competitions across the country. He also played a significant role in developing community sports in CBS, serving as a coach and mentor across multiple programs and supporting the growth of organized youth and adult sport in the community over many years.

When asked about being inducted on the same night as his brother Rod, he grinned and glanced over at the former all-star hockey goaltender, who was adorned with a flamboyant red Montreal Canadiens blazer for the evening.

“It was great that we got in at the same time. We both got out of the sporting world a little while ago, so it was really nice,” Randy said.

Rod competed in hockey, soccer, ball hockey, and softball over several decades, achieving success at both the provincial and Atlantic levels. He won an Atlantic Junior Hockey Championship, a provincial Intermediate Hockey Championship, and multiple senior soccer league championships in CBS.

He also co-founded the CBS Ball Hockey League in the 1980s and established the CBS 19+ Men’s Slow Pitch League, which continues to operate today.

Rod also served with the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of Canada for nearly 25 years, including 12 years on the national executive and a term as president from 2017 to 2021. He also served as President of the Bowling Proprietors of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Randy said the brothers still golf together.

“We fudge the numbers a little, sometimes. We’re still brothers, so we compete,” Randy said with a small smile on his face.

Coates was credited with making a lasting contribution through decades of volunteer leadership in baseball, hockey, softball, and soccer.

He supported sport at every level, from grassroots development to provincial and national programs, serving as a coach, administrator and leader while focused on athlete development and program growth.

Coates also represented Newfoundland and Labrador at the Canada Summer Games and Baseball Canada championships and has received multiple provincial and national honours for coaching and volunteer service. 

“Across all roles, David has been widely recognized for his commitment to building strong programs, supporting athletes, and strengthening community sport through decades of volunteer service,” read his nomination.

The Queen Elizabeth Regional High School Pioneers Senior Girls Volleyball Team (1993 to 1996) became one of the most successful high school volleyball teams in the province during their era, setting a standard of excellence over several seasons.

Their success included gold medal performances at the Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games, multiple provincial titles, and appearances at Eastern Canadian and National Championships. Beyond the results, their legacy is found in their lasting impact on the sport.

“The team helped elevate girls high school volleyball in Newfoundland and Labrador, and many of its members went on to contribute as athletes, coaches, and leaders in their communities,” read their nomination.

The 2000 CBS Girls Baseball Team was credited with making history, being established the same year that the provincial Summer Games introduced girls’ baseball. They went on to capture both the All-Newfoundland Championship and the gold medal at the Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games, helping to raise the profile of girls baseball at both the local and provincial levels.

“At a time when opportunities for female athletes in baseball were still developing, this team helped open doors, showing that girls could compete and succeed at the highest level,” read the nomination.

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Adrian Green, 21, of Carbonear has been named the top batter at a World Softball tournament in Colombia.

Green wasn’t in the line up for the first game at the 2026 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U23 Men’s Softball World Cup in Sincelejo, Colombia, and didn’t expect to be made a full-time player. But in Game 2 he was put in opposite of Jack Besgrove, the Australian softball star recognized as one of the best, if not the best, pitchers in the world.

“I was like, ‘I’ve got to put the ball in play here and not strike out,’” said Green – and that’s exactly what he did.

“I got a hit off Besgrove, and I guess the coach liked that, because it was history after that,” said Green. “I was put in every game.”

Green played in seven of the eight games, and finished the tournament with a .545 batting average. He was the only Canadian to receive a statistical award. Besgrove, meanwhile, would be named the tournament’s best pitcher with a 0.59 earned run average.

Green has come quite a long way from his days playing with the Carbonear Islanders minor softball program, and has travelled the world playing ball – in fact, this wasn’t his first time competing in Sincelejo, Colombia. He competed with the Canadian U18 Men’s National Team there in the 2023 Pan American Championships.

“We were in the exact same hotel, and, funny enough, I was in the exact same room, as last time,” said Green.

The tournament ran from April 25 till May 3 and saw 12 countries compete for gold. Japan finished in the top spot, while Australia and Mexico earned silver and bronze medals respectively. Canada ranked eighth place in the 12-team tournament.

The games, featuring some of the world’s best young ball players, brought in thousands of fans on a nightly basis.

“For our last game against Colombia, I think they said there were 9,000-plus fans,” said Green. “It was crazy, man. I felt like I was playing for the Blue Jays. It was unreal.”

Even with the tournament behind him, Green has no plans of putting away his bat any time soon. He recently signed with the Ontario-based Kingston Axemen and will compete in a number of tournaments this summer, including the 2026 International Softball Confederation World Tournament in Melbourne, Ontario in August. He’ll also compete in the junior national tournament in Saskatchewan, and with the Galway Hitman in the senior national championship.

Green has tried his hand at a number of sports over the years, including table tennis, ball hockey, ice hockey, and cross country, and has excelled in all of them, but said softball remains his favourite, largely due to the camaraderie among the players.

“Teammates are so close knit, it’s almost like a family,” said Green. “I have so many friends and close buddies now because of softball that I would have never met (otherwise). I know guys all around the world, from the USA to New Zealand, just from playing ball.”

His ultimate softball goal is to make the men’s national team.

When not on the ball field, Green is hitting the books. He recently completed a four-year kinesiology degree at Memorial University and will be studying podiatry at the Michener Institute of Education in Toronto this fall.

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