Mark your calendars for February 13: Manitoba’s larg-est outdoor bike race will be traveling through Niverville. Actif Epica is an outdoor bike and running/walking race that uses the Crow Wing Trail segment of the Trans-Canada Trail from St. Malo to Winnipeg, a distance of 125 kilometres. For those wanting more of a challenge, this year is offering a longer trek of 160 kilometres, starting in St. Malo and heading south to the Senkiw suspension bridge.

These days, it is a novelty to watch a hockey game played in the great outdoors. The National Hockey League holds an annual Winter Classic, around New Year’s Day, in which a regular season game takes place outside, a throwback to days past. This year, the good people of Ste. Agathe held their very own Winter Classic. Speaking for myself, I spent New Year’s Day at a friend’s home in the country; their yard is large enough for their very own outdoor rink, and yes, a friendly game broke out.

The Red River Rage ringette program is thriving in our community. 60 players are registered in the local program this year. While most communities are worried about not having enough players to form a team, Niverville’s biggest challenge is making sure the players get enough ice time.

It is finally starting to look like hockey season outside. Inside the rink, Clipper Ice Sports (CIS) is continuing to see some great success.

The Jets play a pretty rough brand of hockey. They are big, they are physical, and for the most part this is a good thing. The problem comes when they go beyond the acceptable level of physical play and start taking penalties. Not all penalties are bad, but the undisciplined and overaggressive plays make coaches want to pull their hair out.

If someone were to ask me for an example of global warming, they would need to look no further than the past starting dates at the Niverville Curling Club. 25 years ago, it was not uncommon for us to start curling by December 1. Last year, we threw our first rock on January 6.