Local Sports

It’s out of their hands. Despite splitting a pair of weekend games, the Cochrane Generals need to win both of their remaining two regular-season games while getting help from other teams.

Big Country came up big at the Alberta Winter Games in Canmore/Banff this past weekend. The Zone 2 (Big Country) team hauled in the most medals at the Feb. 6-9 competition, with Big Country athletes earning 40 gold, 31 silver and 37 bronze.

Cochrane’s Trinity Taekwan-Do club is taking part in a Calgary tournament later this month to raise funds for The Calgary Police Foundation, with an emphasis on at-risk youth and anti-bullying.

With all the preparations done, it’s time to lay it down in Sochi. Cochrane doubles luger Tristan Walker and sliding partner Justin Snith of Calgary are at the Russian resort town preparing for their second attempt at an Olympic medal for Canada.

Time for the Big Show. Brad Spence is raring to go for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The Bearspaw skier who now calls Calgary home was named to Canada’s Olympic alpine ski team Jan. 22 in Calgary.

Cochrane resident Murray Cluff is now in Sochi, preparing his Chinese freestyle moguls skier for that nation?s first Olympic appearance in the discipline.

The Cochrane Generals forgot to put out the welcome mat for Brydon Beston when he showed up in an Airdrie Lightning sweater. Quite the opposite, actually.

Not everyone with an Olympic dream is punching their ticket for Sochi. For the 221 athletes representing Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics, there are many more being left behind.

There’s a fairly large hole in the Cochrane Generals lineup right now. At 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, it’s hard to miss. So when leading scorer Andrew Bergmann was a no show for Cochrane’s 3-1 loss to the visiting Airdrie Thunder on Feb.

Making the jump from high school to college basketball has its challenges. For Cochrane’s Chace Nielson, the challenge is in impressing head coach Craig Price enough to grant him more game minutes.