sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

Pacific FC’s closest rivals in the Canadian Premier League — FC Edmonton and Cavalry FC of Calgary — are across the Rockies. So it makes sense that Island-based PFC would welcome a natural sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

Whether an illusion or not, all seemed relatively right with the world on this October weekend. While other jurisdictions report upticks and red zones amid the pandemic, sport continues to re-awaken on the Island.

While it’s too late to begin the identification process to join the 75 or more Island-based athletes expected to compete next summer in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2024 Paris and 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games beckon if you have what it takes

University of Victoria Vikes men’s basketball coach Craig Beaucamp used Kelly Olynyk of Kamloops, NBA finalist this season with Miami, as an example to his players of how to use this down season to their advantage.

Western Hockey League commissioner Ron Robison did not sound optimistic the league’s request for spectator attendance, of up to 50 percent of arena capacity, will be approved by health authorities across four provinces and two U.S. states.

Blake Wood earned the nickname Little Luongo when he started playing goal as a five-year-old in the Nanaimo minor hockey system. Now at six-foot-three, he is simply Big Blake.

The Western Hockey League will remain dark for the rest of 2020. The 2020-21 season has become simply the 2021 season as the WHL pushed back the start date to Jan. 8. This is the third time the season start has been altered.

The burgeoning trend of new sports training spaces coming on-stream on the South Island continues. Speed Mechanics on Vanalman Drive and PISE’s expanded outdoor training area both opened this month.

A couple of Island defencemen made moves this week during the NHL free-agent signing period. Tyson Barrie is headed across the Rockies to the Alberta capital and Matt Irwin to within the spray envelope of Niagara Falls with the Buffalo Sabres.

The streets of the capital today would have normally been filled with a Lycra-clad demographic of thousands of runners, walkers and rollers that any city would covet.