Author: Jesse

Friday’s lunchtime crowd at Brigham Young University’s iconic Creamery did a few double-takes when they spotted an unlikely guest sporting a Ute crimson red polo and enjoying a cone.

University of Utah President Taylor Randall took a quick break from a busy, three-day Southern Utah tour to indulge in his favorite BYU Creamery flavor: In-Shanely Chocolate — named, aptly, for his friend/rival/counterpart, BYU President C. Shane Reese.

But there was nothing cloak-and-dagger about Randall’s lunch-hour reconnaissance deep inside Utah County.

Call it “Ice Cream Diplomacy.”

The University of Utah leader and several members of his team were on campus Friday at the invitation of BYU leadership to enjoy burgers and sample the sugary Creamery goods.

But it also offered leaders from the two Utah schools — one private, one public — a few moments to fortify friendships and academic cooperation at a volatile moment for higher education.

“We have a lot of collaborations that go on between our two institutions — both formal and informal,” Randall told the Deseret News.

The two schools’ respective claims, he added, are actually quite similar. “There’s probably more research collaborations going on between these two schools than you would even imagine, right at the professorial level.”

It’s essential that those collaborations are accessible and maintained.

Both the University of Utah and BYU, Randall added, are entrusted with educating students in Utah. “We share common concerns about how to increase individuals coming into the overall higher education system. So it’s good to talk through what each other is seeing.”

Additionally, the two higher education institutions are working to solve basic societal problems.

“With BYU opening up a new medical school, and us expanding our medical school, one of our shared objectives is to solve access to healthcare issues in the Intermountain West — but also in the state of Utah, which ranks very, very low.”

Much of the University of Utah leadership’s three-day Southern Utah tour focused on meeting with fellow educators and health care professionals to seek ways of improving medical care in rural communities.

BYU Administration Vice President and CFO Steve Hafen said he and his blue-clad associates were eager to host Randall and his team at a popular campus hang-out.

“It’s an opportunity to sit down in a casual environment and get to know them a little bit better,” said Hafen. “There’s so much that they experience that we can relate that to — and so that collaboration and discussion is great.”

Hafen added his school continues to seek opportunities to strengthen relationships with Utah’s flagship public university. “The University of Utah is an outstanding educational institution with good leadership, and we want to learn from them. And I think they want to learn from us.”

“They’re public. We’re private. But there are a lot of synergies and a lot of things that we can collaborate on.”

Randall will return to the BYU campus on Oct. 18 to watch the Utes play the Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

And Hafen assured that the University of Utah leader will have his choice of Creamery flavors on that fast-approaching football Saturday. “We’ll leave the ice cream open all day long.”

Touring the Camp Williams building project

Randall and his team Friday also toured the U.S. Army Reserves headquarters building project that’s well underway at Camp Williams in Bluffdale.

Last August, the University of Utah and the U.S. Army Reserve announced a historic land transfer and relocation agreement.

Using more than $100 million appropriated by the Utah Legislature, the University of Utah is building a headquarters for the Army Reserve at Camp Williams, clearing the way for the military to vacate the remaining 50.9 acres it occupies just east of the university campus.

Following the relocation of the Army Reserve, the historic Fort Douglas property will be transferred to the University of Utah for future campus development.

The Utah Legislature appropriated a total of $117 million for a land purchase and to relocate the Utah Army National Guard 76th Operational Response Command’s personnel and operations to Camp Williams.

Officials said Utah is the only state to fund such a military relocation.

The state of Utah will reportedly own the building and will lease it to the Army Reserve. Construction of the facility started in April of last year

Fort Douglas and the University of Utah have a shared history spanning more than 150 years.

According to a university press release, at one point, the fort stretched over 10,500 acres, from 900 South to 6th Avenue, and from 1300 East to the mouth of Emigration Canyon. Presently, the university surrounds the remaining 50 acres of fort property.

The new two-story, 215,000-square-foot Army Readiness Building at Camp Williams — which includes administrative offices, storage and a separate vehicle maintenance shop — is slated to open and begin operating in 2026.

The 50-acre Douglas Armed Forces Reserve Center at Fort Douglas has been constrained by outdated infrastructure, according to a university release.

The new site, contiguous to Camp Williams, will offer a modern, secure location with room for future expansion. It will support all current and future Army Reserve operations, providing a more efficient and accessible training environment.

The university had reportedly been working on the exchange for 14 years, annually submitting the proposal to the respective university presidents over that time as an institutional goal.

Following Friday’s tour, Randall said the building projects’ design and progress exceeds his “wildest expectations.”

“It’s exciting that two organizations could find and plot an exciting, joint future together,” he said. “I give particular credit to state leaders for their vision in crafting a really unique interchange of property and buildings so that both of these great institutions could move forward.”

Even while touring the Camp Williams building project, Randall was considering the future of the Fort Douglas property on the university campus.

“We will start early-scenario planning over the next year of how we’ll use that property,” he said. “We already know the broad uses. Some of it will be for healthcare. The other piece will be for actually expanding our ‘College Town Magic’ to create a remarkable place for students to thrive.”

Ski Utah has released its visitation numbers for the 2024/25 ski season to the public. 

As of June 11, 2025, the state’s 15 ski resorts recorded a combined 6,503,635 visits throughout the winter 2024/25 ski season. This number comes in 3.6% lower than the previous season, but still sits as the third-highest number of skier visits in the state’s history. It’s also a 3.3% increase over Utah’s five-year average. 

The 2022/23 season still holds the record for Utah skier visits at 7.1 million. Alta Ski Area recorded 903 inches of snow that year.

Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.

In a press release, Ski Utah noted that despite a year of ‘more variable’ weather patterns, ranking in third for yearly skier visits demonstrates the, “continued strength and resiliency of Utah’s ski industry.” Notably, Utah’s winter season was also plagued by the fallout of a two-week strike by Park City Mountain Resort’s ski patrol.

Low snowfall coupled with a lack of mountain ops personnel during the strike meant that PCMR only had 18% of its terrain open in the week between Christmas and New Years, a peak point in the season for ski areas. 

Despite a lackluster beginning of the season, Utah ski areas were able to bring it back with ski areas like Alta seeing a multitude of mid and late season storms. Notably, an April 1 storm brought a whopping 22.5 inches of snow to the Wasatch, bringing Alta’s season-to-date snowpack past 500″, before another 13″ fell just days layer to help close out the season.

“To hit our third-best season ever and generate $2.51 billion for Utah’s economy is a major win,” said Nathan Rafferty, President and CEO of Ski Utah. “The ski industry in Utah supports approximately 25,000 jobs, and with the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games on the horizon, the eyes of the world will be on us once again. We’re excited about the opportunities ahead and grateful to all who helped make this season a success.”

Utah resorts currently have several major infrastructure projects in the works, such as the massive terrain expansion at Deer Valley and the Sunrise Gondola replacement at Park City. In the next two years, a total of thirteen new lifts are slated to open across Utah’s ski resorts. Utah also has the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games on the schedule, adding to the docket of exciting moments in the coming years for Utah’s ski community.

Related: What’s Going on at Alta Ski Area This Summer?

Skier Visits Decreased in Utah Last Season first appeared on Powder on Jun 13, 2025

Each year, Utah recruits dozens of teachers from countries like Portugal, Germany and Brazil to help students learn new languages through immersion. But after the U.S. Department of State temporarily paused exchange visitor visa appointments late last month, state officials said they worry they won’t have enough teachers in classrooms when school starts this fall.

“This delay directly threatens Utah’s nationally recognized Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program by preventing Exchange Visitor Program educators from getting their visa appointments with the U.S. Embassy,” Utah State Board of Education officials wrote in an email to the Utah Congressional delegation on June 4, urging them to call on the State Department to resume visa interviews for K-12 teachers.

The pause comes as the Trump Administration decides whether to require all foreign students applying to study in the United States to undergo social media vetting, Politico reported.

In the meantime, the administration directed all U.S. embassies and consular sections to halt scheduling interviews for student and exchange visitor visas — known as J visas — which are issued to individuals approved to participate in exchange programs in the United States.

“Without timely visa appointments, newly hired teachers cannot move forward with travel, training, or start dates for the coming school year,” USBE officials wrote in the June 4 email. “Delays now could leave students and schools without the qualified teachers they are counting on.”

Robert Austin, who oversees the Exchange Visitor Program for the USBE, said of the roughly 40 international teachers hired for the 2025-26 school year, about five remain without embassy appointments, leaving their fall teaching positions uncertain.

If they are unable to obtain their visas in time, Austin said, some districts may be left scrambling to fill the positions. It’s currently unclear which districts will be affected.

“These are teachers who are willing to take the risk of coming here, uprooting everything they know, and embarking on this new adventure in Utah,” Austin said. “And suddenly we’ve put a pause on that so they can’t move forward with buying an airline ticket.”

He said that many of these teachers have children and spouses, who have already given leave notice to their employers in anticipation of coming to Utah.

“These sorts of decisions have incredibly damaging implications for good people,” Austin said.

One teacher from Spain raised concerns in a message to USBE officials, which was shared with Utah’s congressional delegation in USBE’s June 4 email.

The teacher wrote: “Given the exceptional preparation this project entails for my family and me, I hope you will understand my concern. We have been working toward this exchange for over a year with deep personal and professional commitment. It is a shared family project: we would need to temporarily close our home in Spain, make the necessary arrangements to enroll our two daughters (ages 12 and 16) in school in Utah, and my husband — a Registered Nurse — has formally requested a voluntary leave of absence from his job to be able to accompany and support us during our stay.”

There are 344 dual language immersion classes taught across dozens of Utah schools, according to USBE officials. About half of the state’s 41 school districts offer a dual language immersion program.

Like other students, those enrolled in the program follow a typical school schedule — but half of their day is taught in a different language, like Chinese or French.

“The great thing is there are two teachers who have two classrooms of students,” Austin said. “They switch those students every day, and that allows for … an incredibly effective way to teach language to students as they’re learning the content area, which is why it’s immersion, because you’re immersed in both the language and the learning of mathematics or science or other subjects.”

International teachers typically stay in Utah for about three years, Austin said, which is the duration of the visa.

And those who are here currently have been advised to stay in the United States until after the pause is lifted, particularly those who need to renew their visas, Austin said.

“If you are planning on going to your home country and can delay travel until these appointments have resumed, that would be advisable,” USBE officials wrote in an email to international exchange teachers June 2. “If you have already made plans to leave, and can reschedule to go home at a later date, that would be best.”

“Because I’m alive and I like people,” exclaimed 94-year-old JoAnn Nielsen cheerfully, when asked why she is so happy.

Twice a week, Nielsen participates in a ceramics class at the Murray Senior Recreation Center; as she spoke about her own happiness, she was busy painting a figurine of an owl.

On Thursday, she was joined by a group of 10 women who worked on different ceramics projects while being supervised by their instructor, Cindy Mangone.

The members of the class were working on a variety of projects, including salt shakers, Nativity sets, fairy and leprechaun figurines, and pitchers in the shape of Santa, all painted with a number of fun colors.

Each of the women chatted and laughed with each other throughout the class while sharing updates on families and friends, as well as complimenting each other’s work.

“I enjoy every minute I get to come here,” said Joleen Wayman.

The cheerful room of women is a great example of what Caring.com shared this week when it ranked Utah as the happiest state for seniors.

Friendship and support leads to increased happiness

According to the Senior Happiness Index from Caring.com, a senior care resource, Utah is the happiest place for seniors to live, with a score of 7.69 out of 10, “thanks to its supportive environment for senior living.”

One of the reasons Utah ranked so high is because it has the third-lowest percentage of people ages 65 and older living alone, reducing their risk of social isolation.

The group of women participating in the center’s ceramics class is a great example of older adults avoiding social isolation and finding community support.

“Lots of different things, probably being around these ladies and painting and being associated with one another,” said Paulene Fawcett, another member of the class, when asked what makes her happy.

Each of the women talked about how coming to groups such as the ceramics class helps them stay happy as they’re able to be with friends, socialize and get out of the house.

One of the women, Carla McIntire, shared that while at physical therapy on Wednesday, she was asked if she had any plans for the week, and she happily shared that she was excited to go to her ceramics class. Not only does she enjoy attending the class herself, but over the years, she has gotten multiple friends to start attending with her.

Utah isn’t just the happiest state for seniors, but WalletHub ranked Utah as one of the top five happiest states in general. This ranking factored in qualities such as careers, physical health and childhoods.

How volunteering contributes to the happiness of seniors

Another piece of Utah’s happiness comes from the number of seniors who volunteer in the state. According to Caring.com, over two-fifths (44%) of seniors in Utah volunteer, more than any other state in the U.S.

Volunteering can help seniors combat boredom and the need to be more social.

“This not only means Utah’s aging population is staying connected and involved with their community, but volunteering also contributes significantly to Utah seniors’ well-being and happiness,” per Caring.com.

When asked why she thinks people in Utah are happier than other states, Nielsen said, “We know how to love better.”

While they aren’t volunteering in a formal sense during the ceramics class, the projects they work on there have a positive influence on the lives of others.

Almost all of the women in the class on Thursday were making projects to give to other people, whether it was friends, children, neighbors or grandchildren. Heidi Robinson shared a purple jewelry box that she had recently made for her granddaughter’s birthday.

They shared that they enjoy the process of painting, and then they are able to give away their creations to their loved ones. Robinson added that if she kept everything for herself, there just wouldn’t be enough space for everything.

Morrena Harris has spent a lot of time painting Nativity sets for each of her children, and Jackie Beebe was working on egg platters and salt shakers for her sisters-in-law.

One thing the women repeated multiple times about why Utahns are so happy was that everyone in the state is so nice.

Happiness is all about your attitude

While each woman shared a variety of reasons as to why they are happy — family, friends, health and being outdoors — in the end, the answer was truly simple: They choose to be.

“Don’t you think happiness is a choice?” Harris said.

Nielsen shared that being happy is really about having the right attitude.

“I don’t have bad days, because I don’t want them,” Nielsen said.

Beebe shared that she is happy because she appreciates being healthy, and every day she is able to get up and get out of the house, she is grateful.

“I don’t have any reason not to be,” said Cynthia Gray about her happiness.

Gray added that she has had no problem staying happy as she gets older: “Every decade has been better than the one before.

Utah is also the healthiest state for seniors

According to Caring.com, Utah is also the healthiest state in the U.S. for older adults.

This is partially due to the low rate of risky health behaviors among seniors, as well as low rates of smoking and excessive drinking. Utah also has some of the best health care services for seniors.

The top 10 happiest states for seniors

Here is a look at Caring.com’s ranking of the 10 happiest states for seniors:

1. Utah
2. Idaho
3. Connecticut
4. Delaware
5. Nebraska
6. Hawaii
7. New Hampshire
8. Minnesota
9. New Jersey
10. Vermont

In second place, Idaho has less than 21.93% of seniors living alone, reinforcing strong community and social engagement, like Utah. Idaho earned a happiness score of 7.38 out of 10.

With a happiness score of 7.01 out of 10, Connecticut is ranked third. The state has the third-highest average life expectancy compared to all states, at 79.2 years old.

Western Clash Reloaded: Utah Warriors And Seattle Seawolves Set For Playoff Decider originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

With the series tied and both teams hungry for victory, the stage is set for an electrifying showdown between the Utah Warriors and Seattle Seawolves. Who will rise to the occasion and claim their spot in the quest for the Shield?

Advertisement

The top-seeded Utah Warriors will host the fourth-seeded Seattle Seawolves at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 14, at Zions Bank Stadium in a fierce MLR Conference Semifinal. The series is tied 1–1 in 2025, setting up the perfect rubber match to determine who advances in the Quest for the Shield.

Seattle clinched its playoff ticket with a 42–17 bonus-point win over Miami in Week 17, leapfrogging San Diego for the final Western spot. But they’ll be without Divan Rossouw, who received a red card in that game.

Duncan Matthews remains the X-factor for the Seawolves, having scored six tries this season, along with 1,085 carry meters and 33 tackles.

Utah enters the semifinals riding momentum after a convincing 48–33 win over RFCLA. They’ve won 7 of their last 10 and finished the regular season as the league leader in points scored (529), tries (77), and tackles (2,620). Flanker Dylan Nel anchors the Warriors’ defense, contributing 199 tackles and 196 ruck entries across 14 games.

Advertisement

Their regular-season meetings were tense. Utah edged Seattle 30–27 in March before Seattle evened the score with a dramatic 79th-minute try for a 28–24 win in May.

The semifinal promises flair. With history evenly split and both teams in form, this one could go down to the final play. Watch it live on ESPN+.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.

If there’s anything you can count on, it’s someone from Utah being on “American Ninja Warrior.”

A few years ago, one of the show’s announcers declared that “Utah is becoming a hotbed for ‘American Ninja Warrior.’” That appears to remain the case for Season 17: During the most recent episode, which aired on Monday, six teenagers from Utah ended up advancing to the semifinals after navigating a tricky obstacle course that puts balance and upper body strength to the test.

Advertisement

One of those teens ended up having the fastest time of the night.

Here’s a look at the six Utahns (so far) who are making a splash on the show this season.

6 Utah teens dominate on ‘American Ninja Warrior’

Colton Skuster

As Colton Skuster got ready to compete on his third season of “ANW” Monday night, the show’s hosts Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila noted how he had a “breakout season” last year, making it all the way to Stage 2 of the national finals.

“He looks stronger than he did last year,” they said, also calling Skuster “America’s fastest frat boy.”

The 19-year-old college student from Salt Lake City — whose “ANW” persona is centered in part on being a member of the fraternity Beta Theta Pi — didn’t disappoint.

He cruised effortlessly through the obstacle course — “He is flying!” the announcers exclaimed at one point.

Advertisement

Skuster went on to hit the buzzer and earn the fastest time of the night, completing the course in 52 seconds.

According to bio information “ANW” shared with the Deseret News, a big part of Skuster’s motivation on the show is his mother, who has been diagnosed with May-Thurner Syndrome, a condition that causes blood clots in the arteries and veins that circulate blood to the legs.

“His mom’s resilience in dealing with her condition is a huge motivation for Colton to keep pushing,” reads the bio from the show.

Ashton and Paxton Myler

Ashton and Paxton Myler make up one-half of the Ninja Kidz, a YouTube sensation out of Draper, Utah, that has billions of views and more than 40 million subscribers across all of their channels.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The Myler siblings formed the Ninja Kidz several years ago when their dad, who is a fight coordinator, filmed a martial arts scene with them that ended up getting more than 100 million views in the first year.

“That’s the reason we started, we want to see people grow, and get off the couch and do something awesome,” Ashton Myler said during the “ANW” episode.

The Ninja Kidz have a robust touring schedule — which included a recent show at the Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City — where they show off their blend of action sports and physical challenges. But despite the name, they’ve never competed on “American Ninja Warrior.”

Until now.

This season, all four siblings are competing on “ANW,” the show noted Monday night.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Ashton Myler, 18, was the first to navigate the course. As he breezed through the obstacles, the hosts praised his “tremendous athleticism.”

In his “ANW” debut, Myler completed the course in 1 minute and 11 seconds.

“Oh, I’m so happy,” he said after hitting the buzzer.

Paxton Myler, 16, also made it through, though the show didn’t air his entire run. Myler ended up hitting the buzzer in 2 minutes and 37 seconds, joining his brother in the semifinals.

Violet Kepo’o

Violet Kepo’o made her “ANW” debut when she was 15, with a run that had her visibly emotional as she cleared each obstacle.

In her second season, the teen from Pleasant Grove made it all the way to Stage 1 of the national finals.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Now, at 17, Kepo’o has even more confidence in her abilities.

On Monday night, the announcers noted that Kepo’o has never cleared the fifth obstacle of the show’s qualifying round. That changed this season, as the teen successfully navigated the Ferris Wheel obstacle, which challenges the competitors to work their way up and across two large wheels — separated by a few feet — using swinging handles.

Kepo’o made it past the fifth obstacle, but wasn’t able to make it up the 14.5-foot Warped Wall to hit the buzzer and officially complete the course.

Making it past the Ferris Wheel, though, guaranteed her spot in the semifinals (the show takes the top five female competitors from each episode).

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Baylee Beckstrand

Sixteen-year-old Baylee Beckstrand is the fifth member of her family to make a splash on “American Ninja Warrior.”

The Beckstrands, who are from St. George, operate and train at two “ANW”-themed gyms in the area called The Grip.

And the years of preparation have paid off.

Baylee Beckstrand’s dad, Brian, hit the family’s first buzzer on “ANW” back in Season 7. Her mom, Holly, made her “ANW” debut three years later. Her older brother, Kai, made his debut in Season 13 and quickly became a formidable competitor. Her brother, Luke, also made a strong impression last year.

“I’ve been watching my family from the sidelines for about 10 years,” she said on “ANW.” “And I finally get my chance.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

“My brothers set a pretty high bar, so I feel a lot of pressure because I just know I wanted to be just as good as them,” she continued.

As Baylee Beckstrand — who was 15 at the time of her run but is now 16 — prepared to run her first “ANW” course, the announcers noted that “‘Ninja’ runs in the Beckstrand blood.”

And Baylee Beckstrand proved she could compete right alongside her brothers.

She almost fell on the third obstacle, called the Log Runner, which tasks competitors with running across a series of logs that are separated by 4 1/2 feet. She was able to save herself at the end, pulling herself up on the landing platform instead of splashing down into the water.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

“She fought with fire right there,” the announcers said.

Beckstrand came close to hitting the buzzer but lost her grip near the end. Her run qualified her for a spot in the semifinals, though.

Later on in the episode, Beckstrand’s mom, Holly, also competed but ended up splashing down on the Log Runner.

Kai and Luke Beckstrand will both compete in a few weeks, the show noted, calling Kai “one of the favorites to win it all.”

Anna McArthur

Anna McArthur frequently trains for “ANW” with the Beckstrands and “ANW” veteran Mady Howard at The Grip in St. George.

This season marks McArthur’s third run on the show.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The 18-year-old, who is a student at Utah Tech University, made it to Stage 1 of the national finals last season before getting eliminated.

Now, the 5-foot ninja is seeking to go even farther, and she had a huge cheering squad on the sidelines.

McArthur was visibly shocked after she survived the Log Runner, her mouth wide open as she hit the landing platform.

The show’s hosts noted that she had never made it past the fifth obstacle before. McArthur wasn’t able to clear it this time around, either, but her run was enough to secure a spot in the semifinals.

“You’ve got to love her joy on the course,” the show’s hosts said.

McArthur has been watching “ANW” since she was 7, and used to be a gymnast and violinist but gave up both to focus on training for the show at the age of 11, the Deseret News previously reported.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

In her spare time, McArthur works at her family’s business, McArthur’s Temple View RV Resort in St. George, where guests now recognize her from “ANW.”

The campground has been in the family since her grandfather bought it in 1984, and she hopes to run it herself one day.

McArthur balances college, coaching, training and managing events at the campground. To prepare for her third run on “ANW,” she has been watching and analyzing her runs from the last two seasons and listening to podcasts that dive into the mindset of elite athletes, according to bio information the show shared with the Deseret News.

Alex Jensen’s first Big 12 schedule as Utah’s basketball coach is set — at least with who they’ll play.

Game times will come later.

The Big 12 released its scheduling matrix for the 2025-26 men’s basketball conference schedule on Thursday for all 16 schools.

With the Big 12 going back to an 18-game conference schedule after employing a 20-game league schedule last season, the Runnin’ Utes will face just three teams both home and away: Arizona State, BYU and Colorado.

Here’s a look at how Utah’s 2025-26 league schedule will be spread out. Game times and dates will be released closer to the start of the season.

• Home and away: Arizona State, BYU, Colorado
• Home only: Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, TCU, UCF
• Away only: Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, West Virginia

Highlights from Utah’s 2025-26 Big 12 men’s basketball schedule

The BYU-Utah rivalry is one of three home-and-away opponents on the Utes’ schedule. The Cougars, with top recruit AJ Dybantsa, are projected to be among the nation’s best teams this season. Last year, Utah and BYU split a pair of regular-season games in a season where the Cougars made the Sweet 16.

The Utes get two former Pac-12 rivals for their other two teams, Arizona State and Colorado, that they’ll play both home and away.

Utah will get its first taste of the legendary Phog Allen Fieldhouse when the Utes travel to play Kansas. Utah upset the Jayhawks when they visited the Huntsman Center last season.

Utah will also be making its first trip to Bramlage Coliseum (Kansas State) and United Supermarkets Arena (Texas Tech) as a member of the Big 12.

The Utes will host Houston, which made the national championship game during the 2024-25 season. The Cougars lost to Florida in the title game and are led by head coach Kelvin Sampson.

Iowa State and Arizona, two other teams expected to be among the nation’s top 25 teams in the upcoming season, will visit the Huntsman Center. The Utes lost road games against both programs last season.

The post Mammoth rumors: Utah preparing for ‘serious’ Sam Bennett push appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Utah Mammoth, formerly the Utah Hockey Club, had a feisty squad in their inaugural season in 2024-25, but it wasn’t enough to truly contend and make a run at the playoffs. While the talent is lacking in some areas, the Mammoth have an incredible fanbase and in-arena atmosphere already, and now it’s time to give those fans a team to cheer for.

Advertisement

The Mammoth will certainly be big players in free agency this offseason, and there’s no question that they will be trying hard to land a big fish. Insert Florida Panthers star Sam Bennett, who is making his agent very happy with an excellent postseason run for the defending champs.

If Bennett hits the open market this summer, the Mammoth could be one of the suitors for the forward’s services according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic.

“Utah is looking to take a big swing. It’s listening on the No. 4 pick, but you just don’t see top-five picks traded very often, and while I think GM Bill Armstrong is genuinely fielding calls on it, I don’t think that pick moves,” LeBrun wrote. “But Utah absolutely wants to be aggressive in upgrading, and I believe it would be among the more serious suitors for Sam Bennett if he goes to market.”

Bennett has become a household name during this postseason and is a contender for the Conn Smythe with the Panthers just two wins away from winning another Stanley Cup. During this postseason, Bennett has 14 goals and six assists to lead Florida in scoring and has made his mark in each and every series so far.

Advertisement

Bennett is a great playoff player as someone who can muck it up in the crease and create some of those greasy goals. With scoring so hard to come by in the postseason, someone like Bennett would be a perfect addition to the Mammoth.

Utah will have to shell out a hefty bag of cash to get its hands on the 28-year old, but they have the space to do just that. Bringing in someone who can produce on offense at the rate that Bennett can could be just what the Mammoth need to take the leap into playoff contention in the Western Conference next season.

Related: Mammoth rumors: Why Utah is a team to watch in NHL free agency

For more than a third of her life, Tina Hunt has made a tradition of visiting the Southwest for her birthday. When the 59-year-old started daydreaming about this year’s 10-day trip last fall, she felt called to return to St. George, Utah, where she and her husband enjoy mountain biking, hiking and sightseeing.

Yet when the Vancouver, Canada, residents boarded the plane in April, it was bound for Costa Rica. And at no point would they touch down on United States soil. Hunt made sure of that.

“Just with the things going on, we thought, ‘Nope,’” Hunt said. “We’re just part of those Canadians who are ‘Nope. Not until things change.’”

Canadians, who have a reputation for being some of the most polite people in the world, have been putting their foot down this year when it comes to traveling to the United States. Infuriated by President Donald Trump’s threats to make the U.S.’ northern neighbor its 51st state, concerned about the effects of tariffs on their economy and shaken by border detainments and airplane crashes, they have been changing or canceling trips in droves.

And perhaps nowhere is their absence felt more keenly than in Utah, where Canadians account for nearly half of the state’s foreign tourists. The Salt Lake Tribune explored data and spoke with tourism officials and small business owners to find out how declining numbers of tourists from Canada are impacting Utah.

“The trend seems to be that they’re going away, right?” said McKay Edwards, working partner at Moab Springs Ranch, a collection of bungalows near Arches National Park. “They’re canceling instead of coming.”

‘Canada is a critical market’

Perhaps unsurprisingly given their proximity, similar mountain terrain and propensity for adventure travel, Canadians generally like visiting Utah. In 2023, 40% of Utah’s foreign tourists — more than 270,000 people — hailed from Canada, according to the Utah Office of Tourism. The French are the next most likely to visit the state, accounting for 7.3% of its foreign travelers, followed by Germans at 6%.

Relative to the nearly 10 million Americans who visit the state annually, the number of Canadians coming in is small. But their spending power is mighty.

Edwards said they tend to stay longer and spend more per visit than Americans. They are also conscientious visitors, he said, who tend to respect the surrounding environment and his ranch’s rules.

The Canadian market is of such importance that the Utah Office of Tourism has market representatives in the country to help promote the state. Last year, the tourism agency extended its contract with a consulting firm to spearhead strategies to draw even more visitors from the north.

“Clearly,” said Natalie Randall, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism, ”Canada is a critical market to us in Utah.”

From the day Trump reentered the White House, however, luring in Canadian visitors became exponentially more difficult.

On his first day in office, Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. In February, he made the first of numerous suggestions that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state, prompting calls for boycotts within the northern country. By early March, according to a study released by the not-for-profit research institute Angus Reid, 58% of Canadians planned to cancel or delay travel to the U.S. That movement only gained momentum earlier this month when Trump told newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, “Never say never” after Carney remarked that Canada is not for sale.

Amidst those already roiled waters, stories about Canadians being detained by U.S. immigration officials — including actor Jasmine Mooney — make people like Hunt, who lives just 20 minutes from the border, think twice about crossing over.

“Just the disrespect, you know?” Hunt said. “We’re a sovereign country. We have our ways of being and doing, and just the repeated threats of annexing us? Honestly, most are saying ‘No effing way.’”

Randall said her office is aware of the downturn in Canadian tourism nationwide. Ticket sales for summer flights from Canada to the U.S. are down 21% when compared with the same time in 2024, the biggest drop from any country, according to an analysis of Airlines Reporting Corporation data by The New York Times. Statistics Canada reported car travel from Canada dropped 35% in April compared to April 2024, marking the fourth straight month of year-over-year decreases.

That visitation void is seeping down into the Rocky Mountain states, including Utah.

Each of the past four weeks, bookings and revenue from Canadian tourists at U.S. mountain destination towns have fallen precipitously when compared with the same week the previous year, according to Inntopia, which tracks lodging. A month ago, reservations for arrivals between May 1 and Dec. 31 of this year were down 40.1%. As of last week, they were down 46.6%.

Meanwhile, European bookings are down 30% year over year, said Tom Foley, senior vice president for business intelligence at Inntopia.

When he first noticed the downward trend in Canadian bookings in January, Foley said it was unlike anything he and other market monitors had seen over the previous two years.

“But as those declines have steepened and the data have become more clear in the ensuing months — including supporting data from other researchers,” Foley said. “We’ve been able to directly attribute these steep declines to both trade and annexation events on the calendar.”

Randall, the Utah tourism director, said her office has only seen hints of that downturn. At Salt Lake City International Airport, for example, industry sources show bookings from Canada to the U.S. have begun to slow, according to an airport spokesperson. Still, last week the airport added service by WestJet, a Canadian carrier, offering direct flights to and from Edmonton, Alberta, in the summer.

“We’ve been able to hear a handful of sentiments from Canadians, and that handful isn’t positive. They’re either delaying or not coming,” Randall said. “But again, it’s a handful.”

Still, Randall acknowledged that even a handful of cancellations can add up, especially for Utah’s small-business owners.

“Those small mom-and-pop guides and outfitters or bed and breakfasts,” Randall said. “Any type of economic impact that happens always hits them first.”

It’s already bludgeoning Moab Springs Ranch, Edwards said. A big, red, maple-leaf flag flies outside the historic ranch house-turned-front desk. Pretty soon, he said, it will be the only sign of Canada on his property.

Drowning in cancellations

An oasis among the red rocks, Moab Springs Ranch sits where Moab’s first non-Native settler, Black frontiersman William Grandstaff, homesteaded in the late 1880s. Located just south of Arches National Park, it’s now a collection of 20 well-appointed bungalows and townhouses nestled among two springs. Edwards humblebrags that the ranch has been TripAdvisor’s No. 1 Traveler’s Choice hotel for Moab for the past five years.

“We’re independent. We’re not part of a national chain, or anything like that,” Edwards said. “So, I think we drive the big boys crazy because we’re sitting in that number one position all the time.”

Due to the ranch’s small size and the outsized number of American tourists who visit Utah, Edwards said foreign tourists make up a small fraction of his guests. In an average year, he said, international tourists comprise less than 10% of guests at the ranch. Canadians account for about 2% of his business.

Still, his profit margins also are not more than 8%. So, losing that clientele could be crippling. And Edwards said his booking numbers show that’s a real possibility.

Year to date, bookings are down $170,000, he said. Foreigners account for 44% of cancellations.

And in August, Edwards doesn’t show a single booking from Canada.

“If you‘re treading water and your nostrils are just above water, 5% can be a big deal,” Edwards said. “So those of us who operate on thin margins are hurting from that.”

National Park cuts pile on

The rub, he said, is that international bookings were just bouncing back from the post-COVID lag. Plus, as was the case in 2020, Americans are not making up the slack, especially when it comes to trips to National Parks. The U.S. Travel Association reported declines in National Park trips among Americans’ otherwise consistent travel patterns. With uncertainty over staffing at National Parks amid Department of Government Efficiency cuts, some visitors and park advocate groups have voiced concern that conditions at the parks will falter, in ways such as overflowing trash cans, bare toilet paper rolls and reduced programming.

“People don’t know if the park is going to be open, if toilets are going to be overflowing,” Edwards said. “The National Park Service is getting just hammered and people are rightfully concerned.”

When the parks faced a similar scenario in 2020 and during a government shutdown in 2023, Edwards said state leaders helped alleviate much of the uncertainty by guaranteeing they would keep the state’s Mighty 5 parks open and operating mostly as usual. Legislators have made no such promises to cover the gaps made by federal cuts.

“There’s been crickets. Nothing. And it’s because they don’t want to seem disloyal to the current administration,” Edwards said. “There’s a lack of understanding at our state level of how big an industry tourism is.”

Even if the state stepped up and provided some sureties, Hunt indicated the damage has already been done. She and her husband canceled a trip to New Mexico planned for later this year and will be going to Europe instead. And her next birthday trip? Maybe she’ll look at Guatemala instead of St. George.

She doesn’t know when, or if she will be back to the U.S. If it’s up to her husband, it won’t be in the next four years.

“What it comes down to is just kind of lost trust in the States at the moment,” she said. “And losing trust takes over twice as long to regain back.”

This story was produced by The Salt Lake Tribune and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.