International baton competition twirls into Alberta
Some of the best young athletes in baton twirling will be in Alberta this weekend for the 2024 Pan Pacific Cup Baton Twirling Competition.
The event runs from Friday to Sunday at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex in the hamlet of Priddis, just outside of Calgary.
The competition will draw roughly 300 people from across Canada, Japan and the USA.
"It's so nice for all of these athletes to have the opportunity to compete and be together," said Sandi Wiemers, World Baton Twirling Federation president.
"It is pretty amazing and it's a discipline that takes a lot of practice."
Competitors ranging in age from nine to 25 will show off their skills in multiple disciplines to judges before champions are crowned on Sunday.
Events range from solo one-baton routines to team competitions with up to three batons.
"It's tricky, that's for sure," Hawaii contestant Jax Scott said.
"You have to put in a lot of time and practice and dedication."
"I like the way I get to challenge myself and try something new," Airdrie twirler Paige Boyd added.
"It takes a lot of work, but it's also really fun because you get to meet new friends and have amazing experiences all the time."
The Alberta Baton Twirling Association is hosting the event, which is the first of its kind since 2020.
It proceeds the sport's world championship this August.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.