Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair smiles during a media availability in Vancouver, B.C. on Feb. 11, 2020.
JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
Through a variety of circumstances, Christine Sinclair finds herself in Florida these days. But as she weathers the COVID-19 lockdown, her heart remains in Canada.
And the global pandemic strikes close to home for the native of Burnaby, B.C. Her mother, who has multiple sclerosis, lives in a care facility in suburban Vancouver.
“There are no known cases where she is at, so that’s positive,” said Sinclair.
The Canada soccer captain is particularly grateful for all those on the frontline during the pandemic. But she knows that everyone can do their part.
“For a lot of people, that means actually doing something pretty simple – staying at home.” she said. “Even as difficult as that is at times. I know for me why I do it and my family does it is for people like my mom. Those are the vulnerable people in society right now.”
“It’s about saving lives,” she added.
The world’s leading international goal-scorer is showing her support and appreciation through the Canadian Olympic Committee’s “We Are All Team Canada” campaign.
“My family and I are thankful for the heroes who are risking it all to keep us safe. Now more than ever,” Sinclair tweeted alongside a photo of a homemade Maple Leaf sign and those of her two nieces.
“They’re all about art and helping out,” Sinclair said proudly. “They thought it was pretty special.”
Sinclair joins the likes of hockey icon Hayley Wickenheiser, basketball star Kia Nurse, former news anchor Peter Mansbridge, trampoline gymnast Rosie MacLennan and music’s Arkells in posting motivational messages to flatten the curve and show appreciation.
“It’s time for us to unite and work together even though we are apart,” the COC says in explaining the campaign. “It’s time for us to show our support for Canada and all those who are making sacrifices to make a difference.”
The COC calls Sinclair “the perfect ambassador for this campaign given her selfless nature and the enduring qualities she’s exhibited on the soccer field.”
The 36-year-old Sinclair ended up in Florida via Charlie, her Pomeranian dog which she had entrusted to a friend while on international duty with Canada.
After playing in the Tournoi de France March 4-10 in Calais, she flew back to Florida to reunite with Charlie and spend a few days in the sun before returning home to Portland, Ore., where she captains the NWSL Thorns.
Because France was a COVID-19 hot spot, she had to go into 14-day self-isolation upon landing in North America. Then the pandemic descended.
“I didn’t want to have to travel until I had to. I’m in a pretty good place here,” said Sinclair. “And you could just see that the NWSL (pre-season) training was going to stop and (the season) was going to get postponed.”
She hadn’t been home in Portland since December due to the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship in Texas and California and the tournament in France.
“So I’m in Florida,” she said. “Which isn’t a bad place to be, with the weather. It’s actually helped a lot … It’s definitely nice to be running in 35-degree (Celsius) weather.”
The Thorns were due to open the season last Saturday against Utah Royals FC with a game this weekend in Chicago against the Red Stars.
Adding to her record goals haul is on hold for the moment. Sinclair has 186 career goals, surpassing retired American striker Abby Wambach’s world record of 184 on Jan. 29 at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament.
Having led Canada to back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics, Sinclair still has her eye on Tokyo despite the games being pushed back to 2021. When news of the postponement came, her immediate thought was “OK, we’ve got another year to get better.”
“Because there’s some gaps in our team right now compared to the best teams in the world,” Sinclair said of her eighth-ranked squad. “It just gives us a chance to get better.”
She was quick to connect with her Canadian teammates via their chat group.
“Ideally we didn’t want to be preparing for the Olympics in apartments or trying to find random grass patches in cities. It just wasn’t ideal,” she said.
“Yes, I was very proud of the COC for kicking the sands as they did. And I’m also glad the Olympics actually got postponed because it’s the only thing that made sense.”
In the meantime, Sinclair is training in the Sunshine State until the NWSL gives the green light for the pre-season to start.
“It’s been a weird opportunity to probably get fitter,” she said. “I’m probably more of a runner now after the past six weeks, which isn’t the most fun but I’ve definitely put in the work.”
And three times a week she takes part in video workouts with the national team under the guidance of strength and conditioning coach Cesar Meylan.
“And then in terms of soccer I have been kicked off fields here in Tampa along with Tom Brady,” she said with a laugh, referencing the Tampa Bay star quarterback who was asked to leave a closed park while doing an off-season workout.
“But I have found a couple little grass patches that seem OK, so I’ve been able to take balls out and stuff like that. Just trying to make the most of it.”
While not working out, Sinclair has done some binge-watching – like everyone else.
“I am embarrassed to admit that I watched ‘Tiger King,“’ she said.
Sinclair also made her way through “Manhunt,” finishing the second season in one night.
That’s impressive, she was told. “That’s pathetic,” she replied with a laugh.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
CALGARY – Mired in their first four-game losing skid in 20 years, the Calgary Stampeders are going back to Jake Maier at quarterback on Saturday after he was benched for a game.
It won’t be an easy assignment.
Visiting McMahon Stadium are the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Alouettes (10-2) who own the CFL’s best record. The Stampeders (4-8) have fallen to last in the Western Conference.
“Six games is plenty of time, but also it is just six games,” said Maier. “We’ve got to be able to get on the right track.”
Calgary is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
“I do still believe in this team,” said Stampeders’ head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “I want to see improvement, though. I want to see guys on a weekly basis elevating their game, and we haven’t been doing that.”
Maier is one of the guys under the microscope. Two weeks ago, the second-year starter threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Edmonton Elks.
After his replacement, rookie Logan Bonner, threw five picks in last week’s 37-16 loss to the Elks in Edmonton, the football is back in Maier’s hands.
“Any time you fail or something doesn’t go your way in life, does it stink in the moment? Yeah. But then the days go on and you learn things about yourself and you learn how to prepare a little bit better,” said Maier. “It makes you mentally tougher.”
Dickenson wants to see his quarterback making better decisions with the football.
“Things are going to happen, interceptions will happen, but try to take calculated risks, rather than just putting the ball up there and hoping that we catch it,” said Dickenson.
A former quarterback himself, he knows the importance of that vital position.
“You cannot win without good quarterback play,” Dickenson said. “You’ve got to be able to make some plays — off-schedule plays, move-around plays, plays that break down, plays that aren’t designed perfectly, but somehow you found the right guy, and then those big throws where you’re taking that hit.”
But it’s going to take a team effort, and that includes the club’s receiving corp.
“We always have to band together because we need everything to go right for our receivers to get the ball,” said Nik Lewis, the Stampeders’ receivers coach. “The running back has to pick up the blitz, the o-line has to block, the quarterback has to make the right reads, and then give us a catchable ball.”
Lewis brings a unique perspective to this season’s frustrations as he was a 22-year-old rookie in Calgary in 2004 when the Stamps went 4-14 under coach Matt Dunigan. They turned it around the next season and haven’t missed the playoffs since.”
“Thinking back and just looking at it, there’s just got to be an ultimate belief that you can get it done. Look at Montreal, they were 6-7 last year and they’ve gone 18-2 since then,” said Lewis.
Montreal is also looking to rebound from a 37-23 loss to the B.C. Lions last week. But for head coach Jason Maas, he says his team’s mindset doesn’t change, regardless of what happened the previous week.
“Last year when we went through a four-game losing streak, you couldn’t tell if we were on a four-game winning streak or a four-game losing streak by the way the guys were in the building, the way we prepared, the type of work ethic we have,” said Maas. “All our standards are set, so that’s all we focus on.”
While they may have already clinched a playoff spot, Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo says this closing stretch remains critical because they want to finish the season strong, just like last year when they won their final five regular-season games before ultimately winning the Grey Cup.
“It doesn’t matter about what you do at the beginning of the year,” said Fajardo. “All that matters is how you end the year and how well you’re playing going into the playoffs so that’s what these games are about.”
The Alouettes’ are kicking off a three-game road stretch, one Fajardo looks forward to.
“You understand what kind of team you have when you play on the road because it’s us versus the world mentality and you can feel everybody against you,” said Fajardo. “Plus, I always tend to find more joy in silencing thousands of people than bringing thousands of people to their feet.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
