Renfrew-Collingwood Community News

News stories from the Renfrew-Collingwood community in East Vancouver

Category Archives: Sports & Recreation


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Windermere students celebrate Earth Day

Windermere Earth Day parade April 22, 2017

Join Windermere students in their seventh annual Earth Day Parade and Celebration on Saturday, April 22. Photo courtesy of Windermere Leadership program

Join the Earth Day Parade and Celebration – April 22

BY CINDY CHEN

Every year, grade 11 students from Windermere Secondary’s Leadership program dedicate their time to organizing an event for Earth Day. This year will be our seventh annual Earth Day Parade and Celebration happening on Saturday, April 22, 2017.

The event aims to educate and engage youth on important environmental issues including climate change. This year the event will be looking at issues that directly affect our communities such as the recently approved Kinder Morgan pipeline as well as tankers on our coast.

We are driven to organize this event every year by our desire for a just and sustainable world and to empower those who attend to work towards a greener and more sustainable future.

The event will start off with a parade near Commercial-Broadway Skytrain Station at 1 pm and will proceed northwards on Commercial Drive to Grandview Park where there will be a variety of speakers, performers and activities.

We invite and encourage everyone to come out with signs, dress up, and walk with us on Saturday, April 22 at 1 pm!

Copyright (c) 2017 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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Windermere student-athlete to play for @SFUClan softball team

Kate Fergusson signs with SFU softball

Kate Fergusson has signed on to play for the SFU Clan softball team. Photo whiterockrenegades.com

Early 2017, the Simon Fraser University Clan softball team announced the signing of five recruits who will start playing in the 2018 season. Simon Fraser University (SFU) is Canada’s only NCAA softball team competing in the Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

All of these new SFU recruits currently play for the White Rock Renegades 99 team. Local residents might know one of these players: Kate Fergusson, a Grade 12 student at Windermere Secondary.

SFU softball coach Mike Renney first saw Kate Fergusson a few years ago. “I watched her continue to develop into the premier first baseman in her age category,” he said.

“As a lead-off batter of one of the top teams in Canada, she is a triple threat with the ability to slap, drag or hit for average.”

Kate Fergusson Trout Lake

Windermere student Kate Fergusson first learned the game playing baseball at Trout Lake Little League. Photo by Ken Shymka

Fergusson started playing baseball at age 6 with Trout Lake Little League in Vancouver, where she played on the all-star team three years in a row and won a bronze in the district championships. At age 10, she moved over to the Richmond Islanders to play girls softball. In 2012, playing for the Richmond Islanders 98 team, she won bronze at the Canadian National Championships. She moved to the White Rock Renegades for the 2013 season.

As part of White Rock Renegades 99, Fergusson was named a tournament all-star en route to winning a silver medal at the 2016 Canadian National softball championships held in Charlottetown, PEI. She was also named an all-star at the 2014 Nationals and was a key part of the team that won gold at the 2015 National and Provincial championships.

Aside from her softball accomplishments, the multi-sport star represented Windermere Secondary in cross country, basketball and volleyball. She also played soccer in the BC Soccer Premier League.

In addition to Fergusson, SFU signed her Renegades teammates Megan Smith, Alex Ogg, Maria Seminario and Hannah Boulanger.

“I am excited about the talent and winning attitude each of our new recruits will be bringing to our program,” said Renney.

Copyright (c) 2017 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News


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Why I love Renfrew-Collingwood: Livable, accessible, friendly

A spring day on a quiet street in Renfrew-Collingwood, with Grouse Mountain and Seymour Mountain in the background. Photos by Julie Cheng

A spring day on a quiet street in Renfrew-Collingwood, with Grouse Mountain and Seymour Mountain in the background. Photos by Julie Cheng

BY JULIE CHENG

Renfrew-Collingwood is a special place where its warm and friendly residents of diverse cultures—pioneers and newcomers, young and old—live together in harmony and feel like they belong. The locals come out in droves to two annual festivals to celebrate this diversity: Collingwood Days and the Renfrew Ravine Harvest Moon Festival.

Still Creek runs through Renfrew Ravine.

Still Creek runs through the heart of Renfrew Ravine.

This historic residential neighbourhood is tucked away on the eastern edge of Vancouver on the border of Burnaby, B.C. The neighbourhood is home to hidden gems, from unexpected sweeping mountain views and the Renfrew Ravine (an urban forest with a salmon-bearing creek running through it) to Carleton School (one of the oldest schoolhouses in Vancouver) to many authentic, ethnic restaurants including Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Filipino, Italian and Indian.

Residents travel by Skytrain and cycle paths alike in Renfrew-Collingwood.

Residents travel by Skytrain and cycle paths alike in Renfrew-Collingwood.

It’s always been an easy neighbourhood to get to. In the 1890s the interurban tram connected Renfrew-Collingwood to the rest of Vancouver. Today two Skytrain lines run through it, carrying residents to and from work in a matter of minutes, north to Port Moody (on the brand-new Evergreen line), east to Burnaby and Surrey and west to downtown Vancouver. Walking or cycling is a great way to discover the neighbourhood.

Why do you love Renfrew-Collingwood? Please let us know! Email rccnews-editorial@cnh.bc.ca.

Julie Cheng has loved living in Renfrew-Collingwood for 20 years. She is the editor of the Renfrew-Collingwood Community News.

Copyright (c) 2017 Renfrew-Collingwood Community News