My acheivements in these sports included:

Most improved at Little Athletics, Bankstown Hockey Club Coaches Award, Division 5 and 7 Winner of Bankstown Tennis Competitions

As an individual I received the CCHS Senior Boys Basketball Award 2004.

I was also a team representative in the C.S.S.A Secondary State 2002 Open Cricket Division B winning side.

Nova Scotia Synchronized Swim Team

Halifax, February 26, 2011 – The 2011 Canada Games synchronized swimming events have only just come to an end, but in Nova Scotia, thoughts are already focused on the Games’ legacy for the sport in Nova Scotia..

There is of course the physical legacy, which includes the construction of a new pool and the purchase of a new sound system. But there is also the potential to develop a future Olympic medallist.

“From a promotional point of view, our sport was presented in front a full crowd every day”, said provincial head coach Colleen Aird. “We did a good job promoting the event among the general population and our hope is now that the young people who watched the events will come forward and contact clubs.”

Aside from engaging new athletes, there is also the challenge of retaining those who have been involved in the sport for a long time and those who are just getting started, according to Synchro Nova Scotia’s Executive Director, Pam Kidney. “This week, they saw athletes that can inspire them”.

“The Canada Games are a great opportunity for our athletes, parents and officials to witness a high-level competition, here in Nova Scotia”, added Colleen Aird. “It’s something that you don’t often have a chance to see in the Maritimes.”

“The goal now is that our athletes who participated in the Canada Games continue to compete. They had the opportunity to talk to other athletes about training hours, objectives, etc. It was very inspiring for them. We hope that these athletes, who were only in their second year of training at the national level, will be more comfortable in future national competitions and will continue to progress no longer for a one-time event, but on the long term.”

For team manager Kim Masson and her family, badminton was an unknown sport prior to moving to Nunavut, as volleyball, was the family’s passion until 5 years ago.  The Masson family then moved to Iqaluit to take advantage of a teaching opportunity.  Fast forward a few years, and Kim Masson along with two, Chantal 19 and Britney 16, of her 3 daughters are at the 2011 Canada Winter Games representing the Territory of Nunavut and playing one of the world’s most popular sports.

Chantelle stated that it was very nice for her to have her sister and mother present to lean on, and as these were her second Canada Winter Games, she explained how these games were a better experience for her, crediting team chemistry.

Talking to Britney, she explained that she has only been playing badminton for 3 years and that she will have the opportunity to play for Nunavut at the 2015 games, due to her age.  As per Britney: “I am so glad I came”.  

When asked how Kim felt living such an experience with her daughters she replied: “I am very fortunate, not many mothers can experience these games with their daughters”.  The Masson sisters played Women’s Doubles together and as Britney indicated, when things do not go well, we know to just walk away and give each other space on the court.

All three credit Calvin Holoboff for Nunavut’s performance at these games and the team chemistry that has developed.

Both semi-finals started with an Ontario – British Columbia match.  In the end, teammates from Ontario will play for the Gold and teammates from British Columbia will compete for the Bronze medal.

In the first match, British Columbia’s Adrian Lee played Yen-Chun Lu, the top seed from Ontario.  The first game was played at a fast and furious pace.  Adrian was leading 4-2 and 6-4 before Yen-Chen won the next 7 points to win 11-7.  In the second game, Lu continued his strong play to take a 10-5 lead.  Lee then won 3 points in a row to make the score 10-8.  Ontario used a strategic time out to slow pace.  It worked as Lu won the next point to win the game 11-8.  The third game was tied at 5 until Lu won 4 points in a row to take a 9-5 lead.  Lu was then able to close out the match by winning the third game 11-7.

In the second semi-final, Jeremy Lau from British Columbia played the second seed from Ontario, Zexuan Wang.  In the first game, Wang took control early going up 5-0.  Lau was not able to match Wang for the rest of game and lost 11-3.  Again, in the second game, Wang got out to an early lead 7-3 and won the game 11-7.  In the third game, Lau and Wang were tied at 6 but Wang was able to close out the game and the match by winning the last 5 points with a 11-6 score.

Teammates Yen-Chun Lu and Zexuan Wang from Ontario will play for the Gold medal while British Columbia’s Jeremy Lau and Adrian Lee will play for the Bronze.  The Gold and Bronze medal matches will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 26th at Citadel High School.

To watch the live feed of table tennis at the 2011 Halifax Canada Games, go to http://canadagames.bellaliant.net/live.php?y=2011&m=02&d=24

The girls’ semi-finals saw 4 different provinces represented – Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec and Alberta.  In the end, Quebec’s Annie Coulombe and Shirley Fu from British Columbia will play off for the Gold medal.

In the first semi-final, Ontario’s Jiawei Liu was up against the top seed from British Columbia, Shirley Fu.  In the first game, Liu went up 4-2 early but Fu rallied to win 7 points in a row to go up 9-4.  Fu then closed out the match 11-7.  Fu got off to a fast start, 5-0, in the second game.  Liu tried to rally a comeback but fell short 11-9.  In the third game, Fu won 11-6 to win the match 3-0 and place British Columbia in the Gold medal final.

In the second semi-final, 14 year old Annie Coulombe from Quebec was looking for her second straight upset in a row as she played the third seed, Roxana Pao from Alberta.  Annie got off to a quick start to go up 4-0 in the first game.  Roxana then won 7 of the next 8 points to take the lead 7-5.  Annie showed lots of fight to tie it up at 8 and then won the next 3 points to win 11-8.  The second game had a number of great rallies.  At 10-8, Annie got a little lucky and after a long rally, her last shot hit the net and trickled over to win the game 11-8.  The third game saw both Pao and Coulombe trade points back and forth until at 9-8 for Coulombe.  At that point, Annie won the last 2 points to win the game 11-8 and the match at 3 games to zero.

Annie Coulombe now has beaten the second seed and the third to make the finals.  In the Gold medal match, Annie Coulombe from Quebec will now play the top seed, Shirley Fu from British Columbia.

The Gold medal match between Annie Coulombe (QC) and Shirley Fu (BC) will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 26th as will as the Bronze medal match between Jiawei Liu (ON) and Roxana Pao (AB).

To watch the live feed of table tennis at the 2011 Halifax Canada Games, go to http://canadagames.bellaliant.net/live.php?y=2011&m=02&d=24

In the waning moments of the 2011 Canada Games, the mood has struck to attempt to put the week in perspective.

Having been at the Archery Event all of Week Two, this final day brings many thoughts and emotions.

When all is said and done, the event, the archers, the volunteers, the officials, all are tired and probably glad to be able to soon return to our normal everday lives.  That is, even though this week has been in a word; FABULOUS.

However,  it is not without some sadness that we now return to our families and jobs, or schools across this great country.

And what a country this is. 

For the last week, the youth of the nation, in this case the archers have come together in what is truly a celebration of our sport and this country./

We’ve watched as young people and their coaches and chaperones have shared, cried, and laughed together.

We have seen performances that shattered records and fallen short of expectations.  We have been together on the field of play and in the cafterias.  Made friends and aquaintences that we will not forget, even though we may never see each other again.

What a country this is.

To Young men and women compete against each other, giving no quarter on the field, but being able to embrace each other, to congratulate and console each other when it is over.  The young man from Quebec, so dsiappointed in his own performance, yet able to sit with his friend from Ontario, so shortly after and revel in the firend’s success.

To see the coach of the Quebec Team step up on the podium during a break in the medal presentations and entertain the crowd, jigging to `Barret`s Privateers”,  with everyone singing along and breaking into loud applause when he was done.

What a country this is.

As Canadians, we share many things in common, as well as having our differences in language, culture, dialects, and customs.  But it is the joy of the similarities that bind us.

We have fun.  We have fun together.  Far removed from the politics and politicians, ….we dance.  We sing.  We celebrate together. We play, we challenge each other to step up and be better.

What a country this is.

The Canada Games are one of the things that make this country great.

The late Peter Gzowski had a contest on his radio show ‘Morningside.’  The purpose was to complete the phrase ‘As Canadian as possible……’   The winning submission, in typical Canadian self-deprecation was ‘As Canadian as possible, under the circumstances.’ 

Well,  Mr. Gzowski, under the circumstances, the Canada Games allows us to be as Canadian as possible. 

Young people are the future, but they are also the present.  They have shown us dignity in defeat and grace in victory.  They have shown us the drive to excel, the will to win and the ability to rise above the differneces.

There are many in Canada who would do well to take a lesson from them.

Jerry Zhang had his sights set on competing at the 2011 Canada Games.

The 17-year old Badminton player from Fredericton, NB was ranked in the top-5 for men’s doubles in Canada and top-10 singles for under-16 in 2010.

Zhang was vying for a spot on Team New Brunswick for the Canada Games, but was diagnosed with cancer a week before selection camp began on December 27th, 2010.

After a successful year competing in the under-16 category, he moved up to under-19 this past year and competed in a Junior Elite tournament in Toronto in November. He looked strong at the tournament, competing in men’s singles and making it the quarter finals in doubles, with his partner from British Columbia.

But after competing in a tournament in New Brunswick on the weekend of December 18th, Zhang was diagnosed with a Gem Cell Tumor and started chemo therapy December 20th at the IWK in Halifax.

Zhang has been in Halifax ever since, receiving multiple chemo therapy treatments on his way to recovery.

Zhang is here at the Canada Games Centre to cheer on his New Brunswick teammates as the team competition got under way. His presence alone is an inspiration to his teammates.

A local group of volunteers will manage the club.  The Halifax Mainland Common Table Tennis Club (HMCTTC) will start on Monday, March 14th and will be open from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. every Monday after that until June 27th. 

Clayton Park, where the Halifax Mainland Commons is located, is a diverse community so the club is hoping to attract many new members.  In addition, this gives the Nova Scotia Table Tennis Association elite training opportunities for able body and paralympic athletes and host national and international events.

Table Tennis is receiving tremendous exposure at these games.  Every day, media outlets such as TSN, Global, CBC, Globe and Mail and APTN have been doing stories on table tennis.  This has provided for an increased interest in the sport from Halifax residences.

Peter McDonald, one of the local organizers for the HMCTTC has said “we have received 8-9 emails already of people that watched the table tennis event looking for more information or wanted to come to the club.”  Initially, most members will come from the Halifax Table Tennis Club, located at the Saint Theresa’s Church on North and Dublin.  This club will continue to stay open.  Peter says “we will keep it open and focus on starting a junior program there.”  The times and days of the week are still to be determined.

For more information regarding the Halifax Mainland Commons Table Tennis Club, contact Vincent Pothier at vop@ns.sympatico.ca or Ali Beg at iftikhar.beg@gmail.com

For more information about the Nova Scotia Table Tennis Association, go to http://www.freewebs.com/nstta/

To watch the live feed of table tennis at the 2011 Halifax Canada Games, go to http://canadagames.bellaliant.net/live.php?y=2011&m=02&d=24

Although Gabriel Denis was ineligible to win a medal in his first two races, this young athlete has shown outstanding Sportsmanship throughout these games and life in general.

Gabriel Denis is 17 years old from Matheson Ontario, a small town outside of Timmins.  Denis started cross country skiing three years ago and has improved dramatically during that time. Born with cerebral palsy, Gabriel’s balance and speech are affected.  Since Balance is such a crucial component of cross country ski technique, it makes his efforts so much more remarkable.

Denis is competing in the Paranordic Standing competition.  Unfortunately, he only has two other competitors and both are double his age. Because there are less than four in his category, when finishing in third place, he is ineligible to receive a medal.  Gabriel Denis has finished 3rd in both races he has competed in here at the Canada Winter Games.  In Tuesday’s Sprint Qualification round, he did have the 2nd fastest time, but finished 3rd in the final head to head competition.

Not to down play the efforts of his two competitors, as their efforts are equally remarkable with each of them with a story of their own. However, Gabriel has not allowed the Canada Games technicality to get him down. You can always find him with a smile, a joke to share and a positive comment.  He is a positive role model for the whole Ontario Cross Country contingent and is respected by his coaches and peers for his outstanding “sunny” attitude.  When at home in Matheson, Gabriel volunteers with his community Volunteer Fire Department along with jumping in to help his community in other ways as well.

Gabriel Denis dreams of qualifying for a future Paralympics after finishing college.  I have no doubt that if positive attitude and a great work ethic are the recipe to success, then this young man will achieve his goals.

If the Canada Games gives out Sportsmanship awards, this young man should be first in line.

That enthusiastic greeting from Dave Strickland set the tone for what turned out to be a fabulous four days at the Archery Venue of the 2011 Canada Games.

Dave is a teacher at Sackville High, and the Venue Lead for the two weeks of the Games.  During Week Two, Archery took over where Pistol and Air Rifle left off from Week One.

Dave is clearly and justifiably proud of his School, the 22 year veteran teacher is `walking the talk` as a role model. 

“ Part of what I see, in the program that I teach, is that alot of young people, students, have had experience in the workforce. Many of them already have part-time have jobs, but we learn how to do resumes.  What I noticed, though, is that verry few of them do any volunteering.  So when the opportunity came up to volunteer for the Games, I wanted to use it to not only show them, but encourage them to get involved, too.` said Dave.

Part of the reason that he got involved was, as with any Games,there is the opportunity to realize a legacy, in terms of equipment, improvements to faciities, etc.

Sackville High has been able to obtain a new sound system for the gymnasium, new paint on the gym walls and some improved lighting.  All of these improvements have been to benefit the athletes, but ultimately, the students and th community will see a pay-off for their `sacrifice`of a two week break from school.

`Some of our younger staff with younger families went south, or skiing, and that`s great.  e have assembled a terrific team, and many of us will remain friends afterward,`he explained.  Not all of Venue Team is from within the school, but we wanted to amke sure they felt welcom and at home, ”Dave continued. 

Clearly, everyone who has come into Sackville High School has expressed a sense of feeling welcome, even the team of officials.  When Dave and his Venue team found out that meals weren`t provided for the officials on the first two days leading up to competition, they went ahead and made sure that everyone had something to tide them over till dinner time.

The venue has met all of the expectations of the competitors and their coaches, even the temperature of the rooms which was a little dicey in the first week.  Ìt was chilly,`said Dave. “But it’s corrected now.`

There is no doubt that Dave Strickland and his team are prepared to go the extra mile for the visiting teams and volunteers from outside Nova Scotia.  During Week One, one of the volunteers was hoping to get some sand from the Bay of Fundy.  By the next day, one of the Venue Team had obtained , and presented a small cache of sand to the astonished visitor.

`We`ll do whatever we can to make the stay here a good one,`laughs Dave.

Indeed.

Yukon 0 – New Brunswick 17

Halifax, N.S. – Maya Oakley (Haines Junction,  Y.T.) may have only seen three minutes of ice time, and Yukon may have lost its third game with another whopping 17-0 score Tuesday afternoon at the Metro Centre, but the 12-year-old goaltender is happy just to have the chance to be in Halifax, N.S., for the 2011 Canada Winter Games.

Standing at just five feet tall and weighing at most 100 pounds, Oakley is the youngest player on her team, and at the entire women’s hockey tournament.

“It’s hard to get that I’m the youngest player,” Maya said, explaining she didn’t know coming into the Games that she would be the only 12-year-old girl here. “But looking around, most teams have 17- and 18-year-olds, and our team is 12 all the way up to 17 (years old).”

Maya’s big sister, 13-year-old Sierra Oakley, is also on the Yukon team and plays forward. Maya originally tried out to play defence on the team, but head coach Louis Bouchard thought “I might have enough skill to play nets, so I tried it a couple of times,” she said. Maya made the squad as back-up to 15-year-old Jocelyn Wynnyk of Marsh Lake, Y.T.

At first, right when my coach said start stretching and get warmed up, I got really tense and nervous, but right when I got on the ice I felt alright,” Maya said after her very first game representing her province, her oversized jersey falling to her knees. “I think I did pretty good; I tried my best.”

Maya’s favourite hockey team is the Vancouver Canucks, her favourite player is Roberto Luongo and she likes playing hockey because “it’s really fun.”

Despite the big losses for team Yukon, Maya said her team has had “a really good time here.”

“Just being here is great,” she said with a grin.

Badminton umpire Gérald Arseneault is a passionate Physical Education teacher in the St John New Brunswick area.  He inspires kids from kindergarden to 5th grade in two separate schools, Fairvale Elementary and K. Park Elementary.

The kids in both of these schools along with others in the St John district will be watching badminton today, with a keen eye on their favourite teacher working a Semi Final match via the live Bell/Aliant streaming of Badminton.  Other schools from the St John district will also be watching him in the big chair.

When asked why, he explained that he wants to instil the spirit of these games to the school kids and help them connect to the Canada Winter Games.  His hope is that having them watch him and connecting to the Games will inspire kids to stay active in order for them to maybe one day be an athlete at Canada Games or even the Olympics. 

Many schools in the St John district are having Canada Games days and even certain classes follow specific provinces every day at school as part of their curriculum. 

Gérald Arseneault has been a certified national umpire since 2003.  He became certified for the 2003 Bathurst/Campbellton Canada Winter Games.  He is presently a Pan American certified umpire, and will be attempting to get his Badminton World Federation accreditation in May as he will be travelling to Qingdoa, China  to be evaluated and gain valuable international experience.

Table Tennis at the Canada Winter Games is an under 18 event so it is fairly common to see athletes participating who are 14 or 15 years of age.  But some of the competitors at these games were a little shocked to look across the table and see a 10 year old named Eddie Guo.  Eddie plays for Alberta and is from Edmonton.  Alberta has a strong table tennis tradition and has developed many national champions in the past.  So for Eddie to make the Alberta team at such a young age is truly a great accomplishment.

Eddy was first introduced to table tennis by his father at the age of 5.  Two years later he picked up the sport and hasn’t looked back since.  Eddy plays almost every day for 2 hours.  He will not be 11 until October and is the top ranked athlete in the under 11 category in Canada.  At the past Canadian Junior Championships in Calgary, Guo won 1 gold and 2 silvers in the under 11 category.

Eddy is not a medal favourite here but is enjoying every minute at the games.  “The best thing about the games is meeting and making new friends.”  While he is very social, he has high expectations of himself “I want to represent Canada in international tournaments”.  Guo has the right attitude too.  “Never give up and develop strategies on how to play my opponents” when asked about tips on playing a match.

Outside of table tennis, Eddie Guo likes to hang out with his friends and play pick up soccer games.  He will be eligible to participant in 2 more Canada Winter Games so you may be hearing the name Eddie Guo more in the future.

“We started an Archery Club in my community, several years ago.  Tom Paukovic (Team Manitoba’s Head Coach) came up and did a clinic with us.  It kind of took off from there.”

Constant has been involved at differnt levels in Archery since becoming involed in the sport about eleven years ago.

“I went to the North American Indigenous Games as a support person, technical person, coach and as an athlete, when they held the event in Winnipeg in 2001″  he says.

After a successful exerience at those Games, Constant says he just got further involved in the sport as a means of doing something for his community.

Despite only having access to a facility where his club can shoot once a week, Constant has seen Archery have a positive impact in his community, as well as in the 5 other First Nations communities that are close by.  

“I’ve had parents come up to me and say ‘thank you’ for introducing their kid to archery, he said.  “We gotten kids away from alcohol and drugs, and we’ve also gotten them away from the video games and computers.  They come out and they socialize and don’t spend so much time ‘gaming’”

Constant was quick to acknowledge a number of people whom he described as mentors, including Paukovic, but also giving a special nod to Robert Legace of The Pas.  The former owner of an archery shop was described as “the guy who really got me started in archery” according to Constant.

He went on to say that he is enjoying the Aboriginal Apprectice Coaching Program.  Constant especially enjoys being able to meet coaches with different levels of experience and to share the knowledge they have. He also feels that his experience at the Canada Games is going to be of tremendous benefit when he returns home.

“I can take what i have learned here and seen how things are done and use that to help archers from the North if they want to try to qualify for the Games in the future.”