Celebrating Our Athletes at ŠALFASS
5/22/2026 - A message from the President of Ausra Sports Club
What an absolutely incredible, soul-filling long weekend in Detroit! I am bursting with pride and immense gratitude as I look back on our recent trip, both as your club president and as a coach. Watching 20 of our phenomenal athletes give their absolute all across basketball, table tennis, and pickleball—competing beautifully against both youth and adult contenders—was a true joy. Milestones like this only happen when a community comes together, and we are so blessed to have such a vibrant one in Detroit and in the U.S.
Our athletes were shining, and we want to shower some well-deserved love on our incredible medalists and participants who represented Toronto with such heart:
Table Tennis: A spectacular round of applause to Ona Stanevičius for capturing #1 in both ladies' singles and mixed doubles! Kudos to Diane Kriksciunas for taking second in ladies' singles and mixed doubles (partnering with Eugenius), and a beautiful shoutout to our wonderful family duos—Dainius and his dukra, Gabi Šaudys for taking third in mixed doubles, and Linas and his son Ignas Šlyka for earning third in men's doubles! Today Ignas lives in New York City. We also extend a warm thank you to the Mississauga Anapilis team of which included Alvydas Grigutis, and Algis Niewulis for joining forces with us and beautifully strengthening our Canadian presence.
Pickleball: Huge congratulations to our Silver Medalist, Rasa Malinauskas! Big thanks to Asta Defina, Lydia Knorr, and Zita Nausediene for braving the courts. Pickleball is re-introduced this year as a sport offered at the Sporto Svente games.
Junior Basketball: Our youth girls absolutely electrified the tournament! A massive congratulations to the Ausra Girls Junior C Division for bringing home the Gold Medal, and to the Ausra Girls Junior A/B High School Division for capturing the Silver Medal! Really well done, mergaitės!
An event of this magnitude is a massive collaborative effort, and we thank the incredible Lithuanian sports clubs that helped host such an outstanding, spirited competition. Thank you to Detroit Kovas, Chicago Lituanica, New York Lithuanian Athletic Club, Cleveland Zaibas, and all the other organizations who participated in the 2026 Sporto Svente/Salfass. Thank you to Rimas Polteraitis and Kazys Adomkaitis of Detroit Kovas Sporto Klubas, as well as Stasys Kuliavas and Paulius Riskus of the SALFASS Organization.
Looking Ahead: Join Our Journey!
As we look forward to the upcoming season in 2026-27, we want to keep this beautiful momentum going! To continue offering these life-changing experiences for our youth and adult athletes, we need your hands and hearts.
We are looking for passionate individuals to join our Board of Directors starting this coming September. Share your vision and help shape the future of our club! Our basketball/volleyball/table tennis program is growing, and we are looking for dedicated volunteer coaches to guide, inspire, and mentor our junior athletes in the upcoming season.
If you love sports, community, and making a difference, please reach out to us on our Contact page.
LATEST NEWS
Ausra Summer Tennis Team
Get ready to serve up some fun this summer! We’re excited to announce our Ausra Summer Tennis Program at Pine Point Club, designed for adult players of all skill levels. Whether you're just starting out or looking to improve your game, our experienced coach, Larissa, is here to help.
Program details, including session dates, times, and registration information, can be found in the REGISTRATION tab on our website.
Sign up today and let’s make this summer unforgettable on the court!
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive Committee
President - Victoria Tatarskytė
Co-Vice Presidents, Sports -
Rasa Malinauskas
Saulius Malinauskas-McLean
Vice President, Fundraising - Mark Zander
Treasurer - Danielius Duz
Secretary - Melinda Stoncius
Other Board Members/MEMBERS AT LARGE
Eugenius Krikščiūnas
Gailė Baltakys
SPONSORS
ABOUT US
Aušra Sports Club was formed in 1955 as the sporting arm of the Resurrection Parish in Toronto.The Club was organized to bring the Lithuanian community together by providing a quality sport activity experience for children and adults. Athletes who have learned and played with Aušra have gone to university and college basketball and several have gone to play professionally in the NBA and Europe.
Based in Toronto's west end, Aušra competes in local house leagues and international tournaments hosted by similar organizations in the US and Europe.
The club also holds weekly training and recreational practices in basketball, table tennis and volleyball. Additional sports are considered upon demand. New members are always welcome to join the club - kids ages 5 to 17, adults, and veterans too!
APIE AUšRĄ
Sporto klubas "Aušra" buvo įkurtas 1955 metais kaip neatskiriama Prisikėlimo parapijos dalis skatinanti ir apjungianti sporto mėgėjus. Klubo tikslas – suteikti lietuvių kilmės jaunimui ir suaugusiems galimybę sportuoti, varžytis tarpusavyje ir su kitais sporto klubais, puoselėti lietuviškas tradicijas ir bendruomeniškumą. Daugelis sportininkų, besitreniravusių ir žaidusių "Aušroje", vėliau tęsė savo sportines karjeras universitetuose ir kolegijose, o kai kurie netgi profesionaliai žaidė NBA ir Europos krepšinio klubuose.
"Aušros" klubas yra įsikūręs Toronte, Kanadoje. Klubas siūlo įvairias sporto veiklas, tokias kaip krepšinis, stalo tenisas ir tinklinis. Treniruotės vyksta kiekvieną savaitę. Mes suteikiame galimybę tobulėti tiek pradedantiesiems, tiek pažengusiems sportininkams. Be to, klubas aktyviai dalyvauja vietiniuose ir tarptautiniuose krepšinio bei stalo teniso turnyruose (ŠALFASS turnyras, Pasaulio Lietuvių Sporto Žaidynės), kuriuos organizuoja sporto organizacijos Šiaurės Amerikoje ir Europoje. Mes skatiname dalyvavimą juose, o taip pat puoselėjame tarptautinį bendradarbiavimą ir sportinę draugystę.
"Aušra" yra atvira naujoms sporto šakoms ir visuomet mielai laukia naujų narių. Kviečiame prisijungti vaikus nuo 5 iki 17 metų, suaugusiuosius bei veteranus, norinčius tapti mūsų bendruomenės dalimi ir dalyvauti įvairiose sporto veiklose. Mūsų kvalifikuoti sporto treneriai padės ugdyti jūsų sporto įgūdžius ir jaustis lietuvių bendruomenės dalimi. Klubas ne tik skatina fizinį aktyvumą, bet ir ugdo komandinio darbo įgūdžius bei draugišką atmosferą, kuri padeda kurti stiprią ir vieningą lietuvių bendruomenę Toronte.