Life is now a beach for St. Albert volleyball player Krista Zubick.
The St. Albert Catholic High School alumna and Jaki Ellis won the recent selection tournament for Volleyball Canada’s beach female team at the FISU 2014 World University Championships, July 23 to 27 in Porto, Portugal.
The former University of Alberta Pandas’ teammates beat Charlotte Sider of the University of Toronto and Ali Woolley of the University of Calgary in the final 21-16, 21-13 at the national beach training centre in Toronto.
Zubick and Ellis competed for the national indoor team at the 2011 FISU Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China.
Zubick also made Canada’s B team in 2010 and 2011 and the A team in 2013.
The six-foot left-side power was a Canada West second team all-star in 2012/13 in her fifth and final season with the Pandas after she finished tied for the team lead in kills per set and points per set.
The multi academic All-Canadian also won a Canada West championship and received a pair of CIS silver medals with the Pandas.
Zubick joined the Pandas after three years as a dominating middle with the St. Albert Skyhawks and was the senior team’s MVP all three years.
She also played a major role in the Skyhawks winning bronze at the 3A provincial basketball championship in Grade 12 as the team’s tallest player.
Abby McEwen of St. Albert finished the Nor-Am Cup Ski Cross circuit as the top Canadian female for second place overall.
The Paul Kane High School student achieved five podiums this year, capped off by a win at the Nor-Am event at Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon.
McEwen, 17, also competed at the World Juniors Ski Cross in Valmalenco, Italy and placed 15th after her 22nd place showing last year.
The Sunridge Ski Club member closed out the season with an eighth-place result at nationals at Sunshine Village in early April.
Three teams and Brady Tate in bantam boys’ singles will represent the St. Albert Bowling & Rec Centre at the 50th annual Youth Bowling Canada national championships next weekend in Winnipeg.
The fivepin bowlers qualified for nationals at the recent YBC 4 Steps to Stardom provincials in Sherwood Park.
The following teams are going for gold at nationals:
Bantam U10 girls: Jillian Collins, Morgan Dumouchel, Danielle Hahn, Megan Lalonde and coach Bob Gagnon.
Bantam U10 boys: Isaac Finlayson, David Kociuba, Matthew Kociuba, Kory Larabie and coach Jerry Orobko.
Junior U14 girls: Kayle Mak, Teagan Makar, Sarah Schnepf, Laura Welling and coach Ernie McLellan.
Tate, a bowler from Onoway, will also challenge for gold. His coach is Denise Howie.
Tate, 10, averaged 201 in five games at provincials while posting a pinfall total of 1,005. His highest score was 229 in game four.
In second place was Dakota Ekelund of Camrose with a 163.8 average and 819 pinfall total. His best result was 200 in game two.
The bantam girls’ team recorded a 2,247 pinfall total and 140.44 average at provincials to beat out Okotoks (2,219 and 138.69 average) for top spot.
Gagnon is going back to Winnipeg where he coached a St. Albert junior girls’ team to a bronze medal at the 2007 nationals.
The bantam boys’ team racked up a 2,718 pinfall total and 169.88 average to finish ahead of the Bonnie Doon Lanes of Edmonton (2,299 and 143.69 average).
The junior girls’ team registered a 3,018 pinfall total and 188.63 average. The runner-up was the hometown Sherwood Bowl (2,780 and 173.75 average).
The three teams and one singles’ player ties the St. Albert Bowling Centre record for provincial champions at nationals, set in 2007 in Winnipeg when teams consisted of five bowlers per team instead of four.
