Sport notes: Aylmer man now Calgary Flames voice; Kaura Coles a world champ

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A collection of news and notes from across the Southwestern Ontario sports scene

FLAMES VOICE: Aylmer native Jon Abbott has been named the new play-by-play voice of the Calgary Flames on Sportsnet.

The veteran broadcaster, who previously called Ottawa Senators games and was a radio staple during the world juniors, will join former NHL goaltenders Kelly Hrudey and Greg Millen in the booth.

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“The hockey world is a small one and often provides full-circle moments,” Abbott said. “Growing up in Aylmer, my minor hockey team was named the Flames because of funding provided by a former owner of the Calgary Flames, the late Harley Hotchkiss (of Tillsonburg). Just as the Flames ownership continues to do today, he always supported his community through the love for the game.

“It’s an honour to join both the Sportsnet and Flames families over 30 years later and I look forward to many years of great hockey memories in Calgary.”

Besides Ottawa, Abbott also worked NHL stops in Toronto and Vancouver and spent several years with Rogers TV in the OHL ranks, including London.

“Jon Abbott is a fantastic addition to the Flames on Sportsnet broadcast booth, especially as we begin our new 11-year regional broadcast partnership with Calgary,” Rob Corte, vice-president of Sportsnet and NHL production, said. “His passion for hockey and this industry is infectious.”

MAT CHAMP: London resident Kaura Coles became Canada’s first under-17 wrestling world champion with a gold medal performance at the global meet in Amman, Jordan, this past week.

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The London-Western wrestling club member beat Japan’s Nana Kozuka in a see-saw final by converting a headlock takedown into a pin to end the match.

“For many years, I have focused on becoming a great coach for the little warriors around me,” said Coles, who is Metis and was referring to her younger siblings and work with Indigenous youth. “Along the way, coach (Dave) Spinney and coach Madi (Parks) helped me become a world champion. I truly believe that if you focus on helping others around you, you will summit mountain tops and (today) is proof of that.”

Coles started the tournament with a 9-2 win by fall over Kazakhstan’s Madkhiya Usmanova, beat South Africa’s Chloe Brewis 6-0 by fall, won 12-3 over Muskan Muskan of India and toppled American Isabelle Gonzales 8-3 before facing Kozuka.

WORLD CUP BOUND: St. Thomas native Sadie Waite is part of the 21-player roster that will represent Canada at the FIFA U-20 women’s World Cup of soccer starting this week in Colombia.

The 20-year-old Nebraska University midfielder took part in a preparation camp at Bogota the past week and is travelling to Medellin ahead of Canada’s first match Saturday against France. The group stage also includes games against Fiji (Sept. 3) and Brazil (Sept. 6) with the top two teams advancing to the round of 16, along with the four best third-placed teams.

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Canada will make its ninth appearance at the competition with its best result being a silver medal at home at the inaugural event in 2002. Waite earned a roster spot after a strong NCAA sophomore season with the Huskers, where she started all 24 games while scoring four goals and five assists.

She helped Nebraska to a program-best third trip to the Elite Eight and a Big Ten regular season title.

LOCAL PARALYMPIANS: Charlotte Bolton, Emma Reinke and Priscilla Gagne are three area athletes taking part in the Paralympic Games starting Wednesday in Paris, France.

Bolton, a 21-year-old thrower from Tillsonburg, finished sixth in both the shot put and discus events at the Tokyo Games three years ago. She holds all three Canadian records in the F41 throwing events, including shot put, javelin and discus.

Reinke, a 26-year-old goalball standout from St. Thomas, also will take part in her second Paralympics on the heels of a gold medal at the Parapan American Games last year in Santiago, Chile.

She scored a team-leading 25 goals, including a hat trick in a 4-3 win over the United States, to secure Canada’s Paralympic berth. In Tokyo, she scored eight times in four games, including four goals in a 5-1 win over Israel.

Gagne, a 38-year-old Sarnia native who trains in Montreal, was the first Canadian woman to win a medal (bronze) at Para judo at the world championships in 2018. She won gold at the Pan Am Para judo championships in both 2018 and 2020, then a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, where she served as Team Canada’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony.

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