Latest news with #KenNelson
CTV News
5 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
International water ski event will see young rising stars compete in Edmonton
The Junior Canadian Water Ski Open will take place at Shalom Ski Park in Edmonton this weekend. Athletes can be seen practicing ahead of the competition on July 18, 2025. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton) Young athletes from around the world are putting on their skis and hitting the water for an international competition in Edmonton this weekend. The Junior Canadian Water Ski Open returns for its fourth year, which sees rising talent in the sport compete in three skiing events – slalom, trick and jump – from Friday to Sunday. Shalom Ski Park, which has a man-made lake nestled near the North Saskatchewan River, is hosting the event that is open to competitors under 21 years old. 'When I built it, I didn't really expect it to achieve this kind of success but some of the top skiers in the world have considered it to be the best place to ever ski,' Shalom Ski Park owner Ken Nelson told CTV News Edmonton on Friday, as water skiers were training on the lake. International Water Ski event in Edmonton A water skier jumps over a ramp at Shalom Ski Park in Edmonton on July 18, 2025. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton) Nelson said the park is celebrating its 40th anniversary and he originally looked for a site for skiing under controlled elements. 'The size of the lake controls all elements, even on a windy day, (and) it's not very rough,' he added, saying the boats can go up to speeds of 35 miles per hour when skiers are jumping. Evan Kraus, a 20 year-old who has been water skiing since he was three, grew up in Calgary and now lives in Dallas. But he said he comes up every summer to ski in Edmonton. 'A lot of the athletes that are here today are going to be competing at worlds in a few weeks, so it's a really high level event and there's a lot of good skiing,' Kraus said, referencing the U-21 World Championships in Calgary at the end of July. Water skier training in Edmonton A water skier practices at Shalom Ski Park ahead of an international competition this weekend in Edmonton on July 18, 2025. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton) Sixteen-year-old Sophia Zhang from Edmonton started being interested in water sports three years ago and began competing in slalom for the last two years. She said seeing skiers from around the world compete in her hometown is inspiring. 'It's really cool that so many people from around the world are coming here and it's really interesting to watch how everyone skis,' Zhang told CTV News Edmonton. 'I really love the sport and I'll just see where it takes me.' Nelson said hosting young athletes from as far as Germany and Australia is the goal of the event. 'The wonderful thing about working with these young kids is that they develop skills that put them at the point where they can actually get scholarships to go to university.' The event is free to watch and attend. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sean McClune and Sasha Pietramala
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Enfield School District's removal of BLM flag strikes controversy
ENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The potential removal of a Black Lives Matter flag from a classroom has sparked controversy in the Enfield school district. Enfield Mayor Ken Nelson says he stands behind Superintendent Steven Moccio and the Board of Education in their recent decision to enforce policies that have been in place for many years. In a board meeting last week, Superintendent Moccio said that while the Connecticut and United States constitutions guarantee freedom of speech — there are limitations. He adds that while some materials are related to history, civics, and political science, they must be used sensitively and not attached to specific political organizations. Superintendent for Enfield Public Schools Steven Moccio told 22News, 'You have to allow the kids within their program of study to develop the skills, to examine the materials. Both sides, not just one site, to analyze it, to evaluate it, and then to eventually synthesize their being regarding it.' 'Our Public Schools are not a place where one's personal ideologies should be cast upon our students. This is not an issue on one particular flag, but rather about politically motivated materials in our Public classrooms.' Ken Nelson, Mayor of Enfield Those on the school board tell 22News that this undermines their work and that this is an attack not only on classroom flags but also on curricula like the Black and Latino Studies course. 'It's unfortunate that it came to this, and it is more unfortunate that a sitting town council member used their position of power and influence to air a personal grievance and personnel matter on camera at the Dias. It is an abuse of their power. Further, some of the previous and current elected republicans on both the town council and board of Ed in Enfield have been trying to dictate not only classroom flags but curriculum as well – singling out social emotional learning, classroom books, and high school course offerings like the Black and Latino Studies course. Thankfully, our current BOE has a much greater consensus. We have worked hard to promote the good of the students. This attack undermines our work.' Tina LeBlanc, Board Member WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
