Local Sports

Ironman competitor John Clubb knows what it takes to outrun cancer. “The whole race is just about the individual – like cancer,” the elite athlete said last week. “You’re going through it with people’s support, but ultimately, it’s your fight.

Four Cochrane Lions will travel to Shouldice Athletic Park next month to try out for a coveted spot on the Calgary Bantam Football Association Selects team. “It’s such a legacy of football,” said a proud coach Paul Vaillancourt.

Firefighter Chris Chyka still loves the good ol’ hockey game as much as he did when he was a kid. “I’m 40 years old – I still get just as excited to go to the rink, play hockey, the camaraderie, the teasing …,” he said this week.

The Cochrane Cobras were decked out in their finest fuchsia last weekend – but their message goes a lot further than just pretty in pink. Each year, the football team dresses up and raises money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

It’s Big Cat versus Brutal next weekend, as mixed martial artist Jesse Arnett headlines the main card against a former UFC fighter – aiming to extend his winning streak to nine and claim the Z Promotions vacant bantamweight belt.

Elke Nowicki saw daughter Sophia’s life flash before her eyes last weekend as the celebrated St. Timothy senior ran her last high school race through the scenic fields of Cochrane.

There are no free passes heading into football playoffs – even with a perfect record, says the head coach of the winning Cochrane High School Cobras.

Triathlete Stefan Daniel was two-thirds of the way through his first dash for Olympic glory in Rio de Janeiro last month when he realized he might not make the podium.

NHL prospect Justin Dowling has been moved off the Dallas Stars roster – but he’s hopeful it won’t be long until he’s back in action with the team. Dowling – who grew up in Cochrane – has been at the Stars’ training camp since September.

Teenager Kayla Kruger knows what it’s like to be famous. “I had a little girl … point and go, ‘Oh my God. That girl plays on the Chaos,’” said Kruger of a recent encounter in a restaurant. “It kind of made my heart melt a little bit.