Alfie O’Quinn, president of the Archery Association of Nova Scotia, made his own longbow last year. He chopped down an ash tree, cut out a suitable piece of wood, sanded it down and braided a string for it. He says archery is a fine-dexterity sport that requires discipline. If you want to get involved, you […]
Hilary Beaumont
Posted inLifestyle
Artistic Gymnastics
Gymnastics improves your flexibility, muscle strength and even your ability to fall smoothly, which will go over equally well at the bar or the ski hill. Titans Gymnastics Club in Dartmouth offers coached evening classes Mondays and Thursdays from 9pm to 10:30pm. You get a free trial class if you just want to try it […]
Posted inLifestyle
Hockey
Hockey isn’t the expensive, ultra-competitive sport it’s made out to be—there’s a sledge version for people with special needs, and recreational leagues for any skill level. Start by calling your local rink. For example, SportsPlex has a drop-in recreational league for people of “decent ability” organized by Bob Dalling. The first 20 people in the […]
Posted inLifestyle
Judo
Judo is the martial art of using your opponent’s own strength against them, making it a great self-defence sport. You won’t learn how to strike or punch, but you will be able to throw your opponent to the ground and subdue them. The Halifax Judo Academy, which operates out of the King’s College Gym, offers […]
Posted inLifestyle
Ringette
Originally developed in the ’60s for women as a no-contact alternative to hockey, ringette remains popular with women today. It’s a low-injury sport that focuses on camaraderie, says Bruce Hennebury, a volunteer with Ringette Nova Scotia. There’s a ringette association for every geographical area of the HRM, just check out the Ringette Nova Scotia website […]
Posted inArts + Music
Rudd’s route
Xavier Rudd’s voice crackles over his cell from Chicago. Xav—as his press people know him—sounds slightly bored, monotone, not entirely unexpected now that he’s in the midst of a nine-week world tour. His schedule will take him on an erratic zig-zag through developed nations in this order: the US, Atlantic Canada (including Halifax), Australia, Portugal, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Musicians say Seaport Market fails them
Dammien Alexander sits on the grass outside the Seaport Market, his guitar beside him in its case. No one could hear him inside, he says, and a folk guitarist was being aggressive because he was straining to be heard over Alexander’s percussionist. “This market wasn’t built for musicians,” says Alexander. The old market’s winding corridors, […]
Posted inArts + Music
Pole of confusion
Eight staples per poster, four per side: that’s how you’ll recognize the work of Ian McRuer. He aligns the temporary signs one on top of another with a bit of space between, as if in an outdoor gallery. He picks up fallen, soaked and crumpled posters from the ground, though it isn’t his job, and […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Freaks and geeks: How to find your peeps
Skaters According to knowledgeable Pro Skateboards sales associate Nick Hanlon, skaters hang out at the skate park (the Halifax Common). It’s a concrete jungle gym for those who associate their feet with rolling and their elbows, knees and faces with bloody gashes. When casts and scabs call for some local anesthetic, suggest to your new […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
How to be Halifamous
Haliwood celebrities are your baristas by day, musicians by night. Due to an overwhelming urge to celebrate our community, Haligonians crown any talented about-town figure “Halifamous”, unnecessarily defined by Urban Dictionary as “a person who is considered famous within Halifax.” Plenty of the Halifamous aren’t even from here. If you’re creative but lack the posse, […]
