Welcome back to Varsity Letters-The Podcast! This week, as the Langley Events Centre re-plays classic B.C. boys basketball championship finals, we have a guest who has coached in one of the most finishes ever. Before he assumed the head role with SFU men's basketball in 2016-17, Steve Hanson was the co-coach of the Terry Fox Ravens, and in 2012 the Fraser Valley No. 4 seeds staged an epic run through the bracket at the LEC, setting up a classic clash for the title with Langley's Walnut Grove Gators. Hanson re-lives that championship season and that title game, one which will be streamed at 8 p.m. Saturday as the capper to the Langley Events Centre's four straight days of classic re-plays. You can watch all of the games by clicking here! Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Varsity Letters Podcast

Episode 37: March 10, 2021

Welcome to the Varsity Letters podcast. This week, in honour of the B.C. senior girls basketball championships, we catch up with former Centennial head coach Steve Pettifer, who in the last 1980s, led the Centaurs to five straight provincial Final Fours, including a pair of titles. Pettifer, brought to Centennial by the legendary Rich Chambers, later coached the school’s boys team into the provincial final. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 36: March 3, 2021

Welcome to the latest edition of the Varsity Letters podcast. Today we chat with longtime basketball referee Karn Dhillon. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 35: February 24, 2021

Varsity Letters is back this week with one of B.C.'s most enduring basketball coaches and personalities: Larry Street. The former Burnaby South grad, who played collegiately at Simon Fraser and has, for the past generation, coached the senior boys varsity at Courtenay's G.P. Vanier Secondary, Street joins host Howard Tsumura to chat about his lifelong love affair with the sport. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 34: February 17, 2021

The UBC football nation, just like all of the other tight-knit, tradition-laden programs across Canada, mourned the loss of 2020 university football season. Thunderbirds’ head coach Blake Nill, however, is excited and hopeful for the prospects of a 2021 campaign… that much is obvious as the three-time Vanier Cup national championship-winning coach joins host Howard Tsumura on this week’s Varsity Letters’ podcast. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 33: January 27, 2021

From a college football career at Brigham Young University to an NFL coaching internship under Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy with the Kansas City Chiefs, Mike Rigell has travelled a varied and valued road on his journey to becoming the head coach of Simon Fraser University football. Today, Coach Rigell joins the Varsity Letters podcast ready to speak to all facets of his football life, from putting on the pads as a young grade schooler, to helping guide Simon Fraser football through the past 10 months of the coronavirus pandemic. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 32: January 20, 2021

Happy New Year. Our first podcast of 2021 features Chris Kennedy, Superintendent of Schools for West Vancouver, and a lifelong B.C. high school basketball coach. Kennedy's popular blog Culture of Yes is now in its 11th year, and today the Richmond native stops by to engage our provincial audience with everything that the word Optimism means in his eyes as an administrator, educator and coach. Share with us not only his hope for the post-pandemic world and for the role our youth will play in it, but the example our young people are setting in real time for older generations with their spirit of resiliency in the face of adversity. Varsity Letters, Canada's only podcast dedicated solely to the realms of provincial high school and university sports, is available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have a chance through Apple Music, we'd love the opportunity to receive your highest rating, as it helps others discover our work in a crowded landscape. The podcast is produced by Gabriel Lynn, with original theme music courtesy of Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles Marching Band of Abbotsford.

Episode 31: January 13, 2021

He was the leading man on a high school basketball dynasty which ushered in a new era of mainstream popularity for B.C. boys high school basketball. Former Richmond Colts star Ron Putzi stops by to join host Howard Tsumura on this week’s Varsity Letters’ podcast. Tsumura covered Putzi’s high school exploits just as his own career as a journalist was beginning and the two have kept in touch over the years. In this week’s episode, the pair have a delightful time dissecting Putzi’s rather unique multi-sport background, and also discuss the five seasons he spent stateside with the NCAA Div. 1 New Mexico State Aggies. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 30: December 17, 2020

The Varsity Letters time machine spins the knobs and dials and heads back to the year 1971 to celebrate (a wee bit early) a very special 50th anniversary BC high school moment! Our guest? Basketball B.C. president Stu Graham has worn so many hats, and he brings the entire wrack to the for as he chats hoops and life with host (and fellow North Delta Huskies grad) Howard Tsumura. Over the course of 50 minutes, we talk about Stan Stewardson, the Silver Moon Store, hairstyle of the 70s and so much more. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. We hope you're a subscriber, and if you've got time, we'd love to get a review! If you please, don't hold back on those stars! It will help others more easily find us each week!  Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 29: December 10, 2020

TSN’s Farhan Lalji, a 31-year high school football coach in the province of B.C., stops by to chat with host Howard Tsumura about a whole host of topics. This coming Saturday at B.C. Place Stadium would have been the 2020 Subway Bowl provincial championship finals, so we chat about everything in and around the high school and university football scene, and how COVID-19 has cut a swath straight through its heart. In an episode taped just as Wednesday’s Pittsburgh-Baltimore game was set to kick off, Lalji and Tsumura also talk about the silver lining in a tough season: The mergence of Abbotsford Panthers grad Chase Claypool over his rookie season with the Steeler. The pair also examine the re-emergence of the ‘big’ receiver in the NFL through a discussion of the impact both Claypool and Seattle’s DK Metclaf are having despite being drafted outside of the opening round the past two drafts. Lalji also reflects on his time at Simon Fraser University in the early 1990s when he served as the school’s sports information director. He also talks about three special mentors in Alex Reid, Allison McNeill and Wally Buono. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you’re listening to us on Apple Music, please take the time time to give us a rating. The more stars (five) the better, and it helps potential listeners find our weekly podcast! It would be hugely appreciated! Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 28: December 3, 2020

This week, the Varsity Letters podcast welcomes a giant in Canadian basketball circles. Allison McNeill has touched the stars at every level at which she has played and coached, and today we cover some of the facets of her basketball life that don’t get as much attention! But first, we will talk with Coach McNeill about the struggles the B.C. basketball community is going through as a new high school season, set to dawn across the province next week, remains shuttered. High school, university, NCAA Div. 1, international competition including the Olympics! Allison McNeill has been a part of it all over her life in basketball. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 27: November 25, 2020

It’s Wednesday and time to wrap up our two-part series of Shrum Bowl memories by chatting with Simon Fraser University running back Bo Palmer. A man of many talents, Palmer not only left his mark on the NCAA-era of football at SFU, he enjoyed a little-known career as a child actor. Originally a quarterback, it took him more than a few seasons before he eventually morphed into a running back, and once his feet hit the ground in that new position, he was off and running. Today, Palmer takes us on an incredible football and life journey, looking back on a career filled with SFU records and looking ahead to the unifying force a post-pandemic Shrum Bowl celebration could mean for B.C.’s tight-knit football community. Varsity Letters is Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to the exclusive community of provincial high school and university sports. We’re produced by Gabriel Lynn and you can find us right here each week, or at Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you listen to podcasts. Varsity Letters-The Podcast marches to the beat of its exclusive theme music ‘Generation Next’, written and performed by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles Marching Band.

Episode 26: November 18, 2020

Welcome back to Varsity Letters - The Podcast. Earlier this week, we let you — our loyal listening audience — know all about our themed, two-part discussion with a pair of past B.C. football greats, who each happened to have played in the last contested Shrum Bowl… way back in 2010! My, how a decade flies by! Today, we start the mini-series by inviting former UBC Thunderbirds’ quarterback Billy Greene to the VL-Pod. Yes, we talk plenty of Shrum Bowl memories, but we also talk about the quarterback’s high school career, his 2011 award-winning campaign with the ‘Birds. There’s also time to talk about his new career and the mentors who have played such a huge role in his life. On Wednesday, we’ll be right back, this time with Simon Fraser University running back Bo Palmer. Varsity Letters is Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to the exclusive community of provincial high school and university sports. We’re produced by Gabriel Lynn and you can find us right here each week, or at Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you listen to podcasts. Varsity Letters-The Podcast marches to the beat of its exclusive theme music ‘Generation Next’, written and performed by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles Marching Band.

Episode 25: November 16, 2020

What were the days of B.C. boys high school basketball like in the late 1980s and early 1990s, especially outside of the largest tier of competition? Terry Fox Ravens’ senior boys basketball co-coach Mark Prinster joins host Howard Tsumura on this week’s Varsity Letters podcast to reflect on what now looks like a golden age! Prinster and Tsumura were each 23 years old when they met during the 1986-87 season, Prinster as the head coach of Burnaby’s Cariboo Hill Chargers, and Tsumura less than a year into his tenure as the sports editor at The Burnaby NOW newspaper. The pair chat about the Chargers’ B.C. Single-A championship behind Grade 11 MVP Brian Clements, who later played under Jay Triano at Simon Fraser, then reference such players as Derek Christiansen, Spencer McKay, Chris Brinnen, Brendan Graves, Eric Hinrichsen and Randy Nohr. Prinster also talks about life these days at Terry Fox with all manner of programs shuttered due to the pandemic, and Tsumura finds out which teachers played an influential role in Prinster's development as a father, coach and educator. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial university and high school sports coverage, is produced by Gabriel Lynn, and available at Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Our theme music, Generation Next, is written and performed exclusively for Varsity Letters by Chad Joiner and the MEI Screaming Eagles marching band.

Episode 24: November 4, 2020

Welcome to the Varsity Letters podcast for Wednesday, Oct. 28. Our guest this week might be the only person to have led a B.C. senior boys basketball team to a provincial title as a head coach, while also having played in a B.C. senior boys hoops varsity final, a CCAA national final, and a U Sports Final 8 national final. All that said, St. Thomas More Knights head coach Aaron Mitchell, a proud Terry Fox, Capilano, Langara and Brandon alum, is also a fine broadcaster in his own right, launching A Hoops Journey this past May, a podcast which gets inside the basketball lives of so many who have left an imprint on the game in B.C. Mitchell joins host Howard Tsumura to chat about all things basketball, education and life. Varsity Letters, Canada’s only podcast dedicated solely to provincial high school and university sports, is back on the air. You can find us at Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Episode 23: October 28, 2020

Canada's only podcast dedicated solely to BC High School and University sports.

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Varsity Letters Podcast

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