Head to the Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa to cheer Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the Bear Mountain Fan Zone Aug. 5 to 21.
The opening ceremonies take place Friday, Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. and coverage of the Olympics will continue through the Games. For a full line-up of events on tap, go to bearmountain.ca/rioready.
Get ready for lacrosse playoffs with the Victoria Shamrocks’ final regular season home game tonight (Friday, Aug. 5) when the ‘Rocks host the Nanaimo Timbermen at The Q Centre at 7:45 p.m.
The fan appreciation celebration includes a tailgate barbecue with prizes, and the first 300 fans will receive White Spot burgers by donation.
The Shamrocks then finish their regular season on the road Saturday, visiting the Coquitlam Adanacs. With the Shamrocks clinching a playoff spot in the quest to defend their Mann Cup, tickets are now on sale for the semi-final round. Home games take place on Tuesday, Aug. 9 and on Friday, Aug. 12. Fans interested in becoming new season ticket holders next year can hold their seat in the playoffs with a $75 deposit towards their 2017 season tickets. Contact the team store at 250-478-7625 or visit victoriashamrocks.com for details.
Soccer players from throughout the region visit Juan de Fuca Sports Fields this Friday, Aug. 5 to Sunday, Aug. 7 for the Turf Burn soccer tournament. Featuring recreational co-ed, open co-ed and men’s over 30 divisions, proceeds support Saanich Fusion Football Club and the Victoria Firefighters Charitable Foundation. For details visit westcoastrec.ca.
Racing fans can enjoy the Seawings Express fan appreciation night Saturday, Aug. 6, featuring free admission at Western Speedway, where the Stock Cars, Mini Stocks, Dwarf Cars, Old Timer’s Racing Association, Bombers, Claimers and Hornet cars will hit the oval.
Return Wednesday, Aug. 10 for the Marlin Motors Hornet Series. For more information visit westernspeedway.net.
After a week of competition at Windsor and Beacon Hill parks, local cricket associations host playoffs for the Victoria International Six‑a‑Side Cricket Festival this weekend.
Beginning Friday, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Beacon Hill Park hosts playoff-round cricket before Saturday, Aug. 6 brings the semi-finals and finals of Trophy, Plate and Spoon competitions 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to local teams Sticky Wicket and Colts International, the tourney has welcomed British Caledonian from West Sussex, England; Dapto Cricket Club, from Wollongong, Australia; Dallas County Cricket Club from Dallas, Texas; Islanders, from Canada and Australia; Wanderers, International; Pigeon Mountain Black and Pigeon Mountain Blue, from Auckland, New Zealand; and Valley Vikings, from Adelaide, Australia. For more information visit vdca.ca.
After finishing fourth in the Bantam AAA season, the regional Victoria Bantam Black Eagles baseball team competes in provincial championships this weekend in Nanaimo. For fans wanting to head over the Malahat to cheer on the team, the Black Eagles follow their opening game against Vancouver Minor by facing Tri Cities at 2:30 p.m. today (Friday, Aug. 5) and Abbotsford tomorrow at noon. Both games are at Nanaimo’s Serauxmen field. Playoffs begin at 10 a.m. Sunday. For a full schedule of game times, visit bcminorbaseball.org.
After a roadtrip, the Victoria Harbourcats return home Friday, Aug. 5 to start the weekend’s three-game series against the Yakima Valley Pippins.
The ‘Cats hit the Royal Athletic Park turf at 6:35 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 6, before Sunday’s afternoon game, when the first pitch goes at 1 p.m.
The Harbourcats then start their playoff run on the road on Tuesday, Aug. 9, returning home for Game 2 at Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 6:35 p.m. at Royal Athletic Park. If needed, Game 3 will take place at Royal Athletic Park on Wednesday, Aug. 11.
Colin Gall is a local athlete and Grade 12 student at Mt. Douglas Secondary. Send your coming sports events to jocktalk@telus.net.