“When I was 12 years old, my uncle took me to the race track and I fell in love with the ambience and the environment right off the bat… the odds board, the horse's hooves, the excitement, I fell in love with it ever since… then I started going back on my own … there is a reason why it is called the Sport of Kings,” - Frank Fontana

A true aficionado of the horse racing world and hailing from Edmonton Alberta, Frank Fontana's passion for the sport began at the age of 12 when his Uncle treated him to a day at Northlands Park. Fontana’s knowledge in the sport ranges from thoroughbred to harness racing, and he has also become a trusted source of insight through his longstanding column known as ‘Frank’s Favourites’ featured in the Edmonton Sun. With nearly 15 years of experience in the saddle, Frank has inherited the mantle from the legendary Gary Cooper, guiding racegoers with his selections. In this episode, Navin is joined by Frank to discuss all things horse racing, including a beginner’s guide to the sport, the Kentucky Derby, the Canadian Derby, the Triple Crown and much more on this episode. 

At the beginning of the episode, Navin and Frank discuss horse racing at Northlands and how big of a sport horse racing really is (2:28), how Frank would introduce and explain Horse Racing to someone new to the sport (3:12), everything about the Kentucky Derby (4:53), what viewers of the derby should look for when placing bets on horses at the derby (6:09), the significance of winning the triple crown (10:57), whether rain effects the race and what his top picks are for the derby (13:51). Next, Frank reveals his secret Hollywood career (15:51), his picks in the Kentucky Derby (16:32), the Canadian derby (23:11), what Frank believes in the “ultimate” race within the calendar year (25:38), which country is breeding the best horses (26:17), and finally, what characteristic Frank would choose in building the ultimate horse (28:13). 

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On this episode of TURN Sports, Navin and Russell give a rundown of the playoff games that occurred over the weekend in the NHL and the NBA, a breakdown and preview of the Timberwolves and Nuggets, Oilers and Canucks, and the other second-round matchups occurring in the playoffs. Navin and Russell also discuss Victor Wembanyama winning rookie of the year, if he is on the trajectory of being an all-time great, and what would need to occur for Victor to reach his potential. Finally, Navin gives an update on the Premier League title race, what’s going on in the UFC and much more in this episode! 
 

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On this episode of TURN Sports, Navin and Russell recap how the playoffs are going so far in the NHL and the NBA, the possible second-round matchups that could happen in both leagues, the Shohel Ohtani scandal, what’s going on in the PWHL,  and the rise of Scottie Scheffler in the golf scene. Later, Nav is joined by Ambrose University Lead Assistant Coach Aphia Ward to talk about her basketball career, coming back to play at NAIT, the WNBA, women in sports and much more in this episode! 

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“A lot of times I would walk into a space and I would think am I meant to be here, am I good enough to be here… are they gonna listen and actually hear what I have to say? But the trick to that and what I’ve learned from the women that I have worked with is that you have to walk in with confidence.” - Aphia Ward

Aphia Ward played basketball and completed her sports business degree at the University of  Waterloo. For her 5th and final year, Aphia returned to Edmonton to play at the CCAA level to play for the NAIT Ooks and went on to win a CCAA National Championship after entering the tournament as a wildcard. Aphia was named to the ACAC Second-Team All-Star, and CCAA First-Team All-Star, and was the player of the game at the National Championship Game. Aphia went on to become an assistant coach for the NAIT Ooks Basketball Team and has recently been named the lead assistant coach for the Ambrose University Women’s Basketball Team. In this episode TURN Sports host Navin Ramharak had the opportunity to sit down with Aphia to chat about her career as a basketball player, what it was like winning a championship with NAIT, the WNBA, women in sports and much more in this episode. 

At the beginning of their discussion, Nav and Aphia talk about her career as a basketball player and the championship run with NAIT (3:00), which WNBA player and/or team she looks up to (9:52), her thoughts on Caitlyn Clark and her impact on the game of basketball (11:14), what player other than Caitlyn Clark did Aphia enjoy watching during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament (15:20), the story behind NAIT stealing Lakeland’s videographer (17:34), and Aphia’s experience being a female working in the Sports Industry (18:51). Next Nav and Aphia discuss what she thinks can change for the WNBA and it’s players for the league to better provide as a whole (21:30), what she envisions for the future of women’s basketball (24:55), and finally what advice Aphia has for the next generation of athletes (27:46).

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Welcome to the debut of TURN Sports! In this inaugural episode, host Navin Ramharak is joined by The Universal Radio Network CEO and founder Sapreet Buttar to discuss the significance of TURN, what it entails, what it means for the South Asian community, and also talk about all things Cricket including who their favourite Cricket players are and the upcoming World Cup that will be taking place in North America. Navin also touches base on all things sports, including an overview of what’s going on in the NHL and NBA playoffs, his opinion on each ongoing series, and live updates as the Edmonton Oilers square off against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5. Navin also gives his opinion of what went down in the NFL Draft, updates on the Premier League and much more in this episode of TURN Sports! 

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On this episode, Sapreet Buttar gives a recap of the South Asian Heritage Night Celebration that was held in Calgary in collaboration with the Calgary Flames featuring multiple interview segments and an overview of the successes of the special event. 

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“Apna Hockey is here for the longevity and health of hockey, we’re here to diversify the game and we’re here because we love the game… it’s a game that all Canadians can love, and it’s a game that South Asians are attracted to when they come to Canada.” - Lali Toor 

Apna Hockey is a South Asian organization and hockey network that looks to grow the game of hockey and make it inclusive to everyone not only nationally, but globally as well. The Universal Radio Network’s very own Sapreet had the opportunity to sit down with several members of Apna Hockey including co-founders Lali and Dampy as well as content creator Tanroop to discuss Apna Hockey’s vision, the South Asian Heritage Nights hosted in both Edmonton and Calgary and much more in this interview. 

At the beginning of their sit down, Lali, Dampy, Tanroop and Sapreet talk about the vision of Apna Hockey and the idea behind growing the game (0:31), whether the success of Apna Hockey also means if platforms such as Apna will cease to exist in the future (2:19), whether the first South Asian Night for the Calgary Flames comes at a time where it’s too early or too late (3:25), and what would define a successful South Asian Night (4:57). Next Tanroop gives his perspective on how he would like to see Apna Hockey evolve in the digital world (7:33), what Tanroop and Lali, and Dampy look forward to seeing the most on South Asian Night in Calgary (9:20), and final game predictions against the Los Angeles Kings (13:03). 

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“The one thing you want to escape, if you want to make money, is being a commodity… you want to try to put yourself in a category of one… and that’s the key, because if I see you as the expert, and I don’t want to work with anyone else, and you make me a great offer, then I’m going to trust you and stick with you.” - Zane Warren 

Zane Warren is a U of A Business alumni, a former college basketball player, and a marketing professional who specializes in client acquisition systems within the medical niche. The Universal Radio Network’s own Qashus had the opportunity to sit down with Zane to discuss all things marketing including marketing tools, strategies and much more in this episode. 

At the beginning of their discussion, Zane shares what has caught his attention in particular in the marketing space (1:14), marketing tools that have caught their interest (4:15), whether A.I tools will make specific jobs obsolete (5:10), if companies in today’s day and age need digital tools to be successful (7:25), what in his experience has been successful in terms of digital initiatives (10:25), his thoughts on what brands need to be more authentic (15:23), and then Zane shares his opinions and thoughts on the Bud Light advertisement controversy (19:04). Next, Qashus and Zane talk about how much should different brands and companies feel obligated to bring on influencers and individuals to represent them (25:08), what advice Zane would give to businesses looking to advertise on social media (27:38), if the approach of having a cohesive marketing strategy and being on all platforms is necessary to get the most return on investment (30:00), and finally, what advice he would give to younger individuals interested in marketing (33:08).  

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Sophia Qaderi is a junior policy analyst for Public Safety Canada in Ottawa for the federal government of Canada. The Universal Radio Network’s very own Qashus had the opportunity to sit down with Sophia to discuss her experience working in government, her choice of career path, the political landscape today and much more in this episode. 

“Aside from politics I think one of our most pressing issues is climate change… so in my masters, I did take a sustainability specialization to learn about the ropes and the ins and outs about how I can as a young leader in politics make some sort of change… of course, it is not very easy and it is an uphill battle but it is something that I will continue to work on and continue to inspire others to follow me in this pursuit of really influencing our leaders in climate change.” - Sophia Qaderi 

At the beginning of the interview, Sophia and Qashus talk about the Grammy Awards and how it went (4:35), how and why Sophia chose to be a Junior Policy Analyst (9:09), how the experience has been working for the government (11:18), if her career choice so far has been everything she has expected (12:04), what made her want to specialize in sustainability (12:49), and other experiences in government that she has had so far (14:23). Next Sophia talks about why youth today aren’t too engaged and informed about politics today (16:04), if there are any issues in politics today that Qashus’ is particularly passionate about (17:04), whether Sophia influenced or brought the politic side out of Qashus that wasn’t there before (19:43), why youth involvement is so important in the political landscape (20:53), what are some things youth can today to get involved into politics (21:49), why it’s important to women involved in political discussions  (23:20), and why climate change effects women differently from men (25:10). Next Sophia talks about how she feels about the political climate today (27:35), her thoughts on the current political leaders (29:00), and some points of optimism that people can look towards in politics today (30:47). Nearing the end of their discussion, Sophia asks Qashus whether their discussion has changed his mind on the importance of politics (33:40), if Qashus is concerned about his future given the current landscape (35:20), his thoughts on Vivek Ramaswamy and the direction the US would of taken if he continued his campaign (40:30). 

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“So many people don’t take vacations and are so committed to their life, their job, and their career, and their identity… and sometimes escapism is the only way you can put physical distance in between these things that we are obsessed with,” - Jarret Kamm 

Jarret Kamm is a radio host, who is currently in pursuit of doing his Radio and Television Program at NAIT. Jarret also has worked at the University of Alberta’s radio as a host and interviewer, notably interviewing Edmonton’s very own and Edmonton Stinger’s head coach, Jordan Baker. The Universal Radio Network’s Qashus had the chance to talk to Jarret about men’s mental health, dealing with the winter blues, the concept of escapism, and much more in this episode. 

At the beginning of their discussion, Jarret and Qashus discuss the idea and concept of ‘Blue Monday’ (2:04), how Jarret takes care of his mental health during the winter season (4:38), the benefits of travelling and how it can help with our mental health (8:22), and the concept of escapism (10:15). Next Jarret and Qashus talk about why Qashus chooses the topics he does for his live show (14:47), the importance of looking for different career paths and building different opportunities (24:24), Qashus’ favourite interview he has done so far (29:21), and if he found a deeper sense of camaraderie with the Doctor he met during an Afghan Men’s Mental Health Conference (32:45). Finally, Jarret shares what his highlight of 2023 was (37:27), the importance of seeking outside help when it comes to mental health (42:10), and piece of advice that Jarret would like to share with listeners (46:45). 

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