Varsity Letters Podcast

Howard Tsumura

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

  1. 03/10/2021

    Episode 37: March 10, 2021

    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.

    42 min

  2. 03/03/2021

    Episode 36: March 3, 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.

    53 min

  3. 02/24/2021

    Episode 35: February 24, 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.

    56 min

  4. 02/17/2021

    Episode 34: February 17, 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.

    47 min

  5. 01/27/2021

    Episode 33: January 27, 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.

    47 min

  6. 01/20/2021

    Episode 32: January 20, 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.

    41 min

  7. 01/13/2021

    Episode 31: January 13, 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.

    35 min

  8. 12/17/2020

    Episode 30: December 17, 2020

    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.

    49 min
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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Howard Tsumura
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2021
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © @2019 | VarsityLetters.ca
  • Show Website
    Varsity Letters Podcast