Huntsville loves to cheer on and cheer for its own. The most popular sports stories of 2016 featured local athletes of all ages who are at the top of their game or overcoming hurdles in pursuit of it.
Runner, Ben Forestell (pictured above), had a stellar year which only whet his appetite for more. ““I have improved 13 seconds in the last year and I need to knock off another nine seconds to qualify for FISU Universiade in 2019,” he said. “I want to run at the competitive level until the next Olympics.” Read about Ben here: Huntsville’s Ben Forestell hopes to run all the way to the 2020 Olympics
Last year, Huntsville High School student, Tommy Giblin, did something no other student in the school’s history has accomplished: he competed at the provincial level (OFSAA) in four different events. “It was pretty cool,” said Tommy humbly of his accomplishments. “It’s a neat experience to go to all of those championships, with the best players in the province, to see what calibre they are at and the amount of work they put in to be that good.” Read about Tommy here: Tommy Giblin reflects upon record-breaking season as top HHS athlete
Victoria MacDonald represented Eastern Canada at the CrossFit Games in a sport she came to later in life. “I have trouble putting my name and the word ‘athlete’ together,” said Victoria. “I didn’t do high school sports, I didn’t do university sports, this is just a later-in-life sort of thing that I wanted to try.” Read about Victoria here: Huntsville woman represented Canada among fittest athletes on Earth.
Jason Knox
Jason Knox, grandson of the late, great lacrosse star, Jack Bionda, is making a name for himself in the lacrosse world, too. “My grandfather has been a major influence on all aspects of my life,” said Jason. “People have always told me about his stick skills and his knowledge for the game so the way he inspires me in lacrosse is to always get better and remember that lacrosse is a team sport.” Read about Jason here: Jason Knox is keeping the Bionda lacrosse legacy alive.
Tyson Buttus is also a lacrosse player. The eight-year-old loves the game and was understandably upset when he was sidelined due to illness, but he overcame adversity to get back to his favourite sport. “They ask how I’m feeling,” said Tyson. “I think I’m over it. I’ve been hitting guys on the floor and it hasn’t bugged me.” Read about Tyson here: Tyson Buttus is back playing his beloved game of lacrosse.
Do you have a favourite sports story from 2016 not mentioned here? Let us know what it is in the comments!
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U14 Rep Huntsville Strikers Boys soccer went undefeated for the entire season and had the top league scorer as well as several other in the top 10 scorers. They won the Huronia District Simcoe championship. A huge feat for an up and coming sport in Muskoka.
Atheletes mentioned below in these two articles are student atheletes that are playing and continue to play at an elite level while obtaining their education from first class high school and universities.
Summer Rae shines at Women’s U18 National hockey championship
Huntsvillle Lacrosse players are taking advantage of educational opportunities