Week recap: Tyler Turner crowned overall Para snowboard World Cup champion

Paralympic Games champion Tyler Turner of Campbell River, B.C. earned four victories in six races this season on the World Cup Para snowboard circuit and received the FIS’s Crystal Globe as the season’s overall champion.

He is the second Canadian this winter to receive the Crystal Globe. Mark Arendz of Hartsville, PEI was crowned the Para biathlon overall World Cup champion last month.

Turner, who lost both legs below the knee because of a skydiving accident in 2017, won both snowboard cross races in Pyha, Finland last month and swept gold again last week at Big White, B.C.

‘’What a crazy end to a crazy season,’’ Turner posted on his Instagram account. ‘’Was able to come away with the Crystal Globe to finish off the 2023/24 season after some wild racing!!’’

Humboldt crash survivor Jacob Wasserman earns Paralympic spot for Canada in Para rowing

Jacob Wassermann of Saskatoon, one of 13 survivors in a 2018 bus crash carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team, made national and international headlines last week when he secured a qualification spot for Canada for the 2024 Paralympic Games in the men’s PR1 men’s singles sculls.

The 24-year-old former Broncos goaltender won a silver medal at a continental qualifier in Rio. Only the top finisher secured a spot for their country at the Games, however following quota reallocation Canada received a quota spot.

The PR1 single sculls race is one of five rowing events at the Paralympics since the sport made its debut at the Games in 2008. Canada’s Para rowing team will be confirmed closer to the Games. 

In 2019, Wassermann competed for Canada at the world championships in adaptive water skiing and in 2021 he was named Water ski and Wakeboard Canada’s Adaptive Athlete of the Year. He turned to rowing in October 2022 and in 2023 was crowned national champion in his event. He has also tried Para ice hockey.

‘’He’s only been rowing for a year and a half and to finish second at an international competition is extremely impressive,” said his wife Maddy on Instagram. “I have seen Jacob put in countless hours training and working hard for this moment. I can’t even begin to describe how proud I am of him!!! He truly is a remarkable individual.’’

Saskatchewan repeats as Canadian wheelchair curling champions

he second year in a row, Saskatchewan has won the 2024 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship.

Playing in front of a packed hometown crowd at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre, Team Saskatchewan #1 of Gil Dash, Paralympian Marie Wright, Moose Gibson, and Sheryl Pederson defeated Team Newfoundland and Labrador, skipped by Douglas Dean, 7-6 in a thrilling extra-end final.

“The team played great today. They played great all week,” said Dash, who also won a silver medal this year as second on Team Canada at the 2024 World Wheelchair Curling Championship. “Each game out here this week wasn’t easy and that’s how this sport is. It was a pretty level playing field across the provinces. You gotta just keep fighting and have resilience and get through it.”

For Saskatchewan’s Dash, Wright, and Arguin, this was a championship record fifth gold medal. B.C. won the bronze.

World championship tune-up series for Team Canada

Canada’s Para ice hockey team faces the U.S. in a three-game series world championship tune-up April 3-6 at the WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park. The two superpowers will face off on April 3, 5, and 6 at the venue which will host the worlds May 4-12.

“We are anticipating great competition as this series will bring two of the strongest Para hockey programs in the world to Calgary,” said Team Canada’s head coach Russ Herrington.

“We are looking forward to continue our team development towards becoming the Team Canada we need to be while giving fans an exciting preview of what to expect during the World Para Hockey Championship in May.”

The Americans are the three-time defending world champions, beating Canada each time in the final.