2024 Saskatchewan Baton Twirling Championships held in Regina
Baton twirlers from across the province are competing in Regina this weekend, trying to qualify for a spot to compete at the Canadian Championships in Oshawa Ont., in July.
The championships are taking place at the University of Regina gymnasiums on Saturday and Sunday.
Dozens of competitors took part, some as young as five-years-old.
Nancy Lightheart, competition director with the Saskatchewan Provincial Championships, said the competition really brings a sense of community among the athletes.
"It's just a really great opportunity to get together with athletes from across the province. They don't see each other very often but when they get together in these events, it's like seeing old friends all the time,” she said.
“The practice gym is just a really awesome environment. They are chatting and talking to each other but also competing against each other, so there is always a little bit of a rivalry."
Some of the athletes who competed who are already part of the national team will be competing at the World Championships in Sweden in August.
“There’s a handful of those athletes who are competing here today (Saturday), it’s kind of another warmup event for them for their big challenge, which is August, the World Championships,” Lightheart said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canadian border workers vote in favour of possible strike: union
Border workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate which could lead to 'significant disruptions' to the flow of goods, services and people through Canadian ports of entry, their union said Friday morning.
BREAKING Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
BREAKING Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
BREAKING World Court orders Israel to halt assault on Gaza's Rafah
Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling on South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Milk sold in Canadian stores tested for avian flu: Results of 303 samples
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
BREAKING Ontario to start expansion of alcohol sales in convenience and grocery stores this summer
Alcohol sales in Ontario will be enhanced in grocery stores and expanded to convenience stores this summer, a year-and-a-half sooner than expected, Ontario’s PC government announced Friday.
Ontario mother denied boarding flight with her family after ticket mistake
A dream vacation for an Ontario family quickly turned to frustration when a mother’s name on a ticket didn’t match the name on her passport, meaning she was left behind while her husband and two children flew to France.
Ontario patients visiting emergency rooms out of fear of being booted by family doctor
Ontario patients are now visiting emergency departments out of fear of being de-rostered from their doctor’s office – a loophole that results in hospitals dealing with non-urgent cases, and disrupts continuity of care paramount to family medicine, according to health-care experts.