It’s that time of year again, when Canada’s finest young athletes gather to ski, skate and karate chop their way to victory.
From Feb. 18 to March 5, North Shore competitors and coaches will head east for the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island.
Here are the 18 athletes and four coaches from North Van and West Van joining Team BC.
North Vancouver:
- Mia Rodger, athlete, biathlon
- William Veroni, athlete, boxing
- Ryan Goodwin, athlete, cross country skiing
- Aidan Hay, athlete, cross country skiing
- Veronica Scherk , athlete, fencing
- Samson Boldizar, athlete, gymnastics
- Chloe Primerano, athlete, hockey (F)
- Shea Busch, athlete, hockey (M)
- Ty Coupland, athlete, hockey (M)
- Nia Haftlang, athlete, karate
- Anastasia Kimovska, athlete, ringette
- Talia Harasym, athlete, ringette
- Dave Brett, coach, boxing
- Jessica Heyes, coach, cross country skiing
- Dani Brassington, coach, ringette
- Nicole Garrido, coach, speed skating
West Vancouver:
- Marek Novak, athlete, alpine skiing
- Ivan Lu, athlete, fencing
- Vienna Rubin, athlete, hockey (F)
- Lena Andres, athlete, karate
- Julian Hassan, athlete, karate
- Roman Luke Bicknell, athlete, squash
The games include two weeks of sporting events. In week one: biathlon, curling (F), freestyle ski, gymnastics – artistic, gymnastics – trampoline, hockey (M), karate, ringette, speed skating – long, speed skating – short, squash, table tennis and wheelchair basketball.
In week two: alpine ski, archery, badminton, boxing, cross country ski, curling (M), curling (mixed), fencing, figure skating, hockey (F), judo and snowboard.
Team BC will be led into the opening ceremony by Vancouver’s 17-year-old flag-bearer Oonah Gamboa from karate, which will be making its debut at the P.E.I. Games. Gamboa enters the Games ranked fourth in the world and first in Canada in junior kata.
Team BC finished fourth with 87 medals and a record-setting 30 gold medals at the last Canada Winter Games in Red Deer in 2019. According to the BC Games Society, the provincial squad is expected to be near the top of the medal standings again this year.
You will be able to livestream events from the Canada Games website.
