Sports Briefs

Nationals to be held in Alberta
There could be as many as 80 teams taking part in this year's Canadian Native Fastball Championships.
The national tournament, which will be held in Whitecourt, Alta., will begin on July 31 and continue until Aug. 2. Organizers are confident they will reach their maximum of 32 clubs in the senior men's division, which will offer $10,000 to the winning squad. An additional 32 squads can be accommodated in the senior women's category.
Tournament officials are also hoping to attract eight entries in the men's masters' and women's masters' categories. Both of the masters divisions are for those aged 40 and over.
The Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation is the tournament host. This marks the second time it has hosted the nationals. It hosted the 2005 tournament. The hosts are again expected to be well-represented in the tournament. The Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation had 14 teams take part in the '05 nationals.
Besides Alberta, this year's event will also feature entrants from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
It's possible other provinces will also be represented. That's because if space is available registration entries will be accepted until July 15.
The majority of the tournament games will be held at Graham Acres, a facility that has six diamonds.

Memorial golf tournament
Participants are being sought for a charity golf tournament with proceeds going to First Nations students and cancer research.
The second annual Darryl "Penasi" Fox Memorial Golf Classic is scheduled for July 30 at the Whitewater Golf Club in Thunder Bay, Ont. Ontario's Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure George Smitherman will be among those taking part. The tournament is named in honor of the late Darryl Fox from Bearskin Lake First Nation.
He died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 24 while he was studying engineering at university.
Proceeds from the tournament will go towards bursary scholarships for First Nation students enrolled in engineering programs, as well as cancer research.
Half of the proceeds will go to the Northern Cancer Research Fund. Funds will be used in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario to provide research and care for patients in the area.
The tournament can accommodate a maximum of 36 foursomes. Both individual and team entries are being accepted, preferably before July 15.
More information is available by contacting Lyle Fox at (807) 622-8008 or by email at lylefox83@hotmail.com.

Quebec athletes in Games
More than 300 athletes participated in the second annual Inter-School Games featuring participants from First Nations schools in Quebec.
The Games, which were run by the First Nations Education Council (FNEC), were held in Shawingan from June 4 to 7.
Competitors ranged in age from 10 to 17. They participated in volleyball, basketball, floor hockey and track and field events.
"The Interschool Games are a source of motivation for the children, and sport can become an important and determining leverage for school success," said FNEC's director general Lise Bastien. "Furthermore, the FNEC firmly believes that the Games will have a beneficial and mobilizing impact on the students and the communities."

Reid wins AHL title
It's not the Stanley Cup. But it's pretty much the next best thing.
Darren Reid (Metis) was a member of this year's Hershey Bears that captured the Calder Cup, annually awarded to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL).
The AHL is regarded as the top minor pro-hockey league in North America and is just one step below the National Hockey League. Hershey captured the Calder Cup on June 12, the same night the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup.
The Bears defeated the Manitoba Moose 4-2 in their best-of-seven AHL championship final series. For Reid, a 26-year-old who is from Lac La Biche, Alta., this marked his first season playing in Hershey. The Bears are the top affiliate for the NHL's Washington Capitals.
Reid, who just completed his fifth season as a pro, had been selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the eighth round, 256th over-all, at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
Reid ended up playing just seven games with the Lightning, during the 2005-06 season. Reid's only other NHL stint was during the '06-07 campaign, playing 14 games with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Besides Hershey, Reid has toiled in the AHL with the Springfield Falcons and Philadelphia Phantoms.