August 09, 2013
SHERBROOKE, QC – The first week of competition at the 2013 Canada Summer Games wrapped up today with BC’s baseball and softball teams earning gold.
Women’s softball had a great last day. After a significant rain delay, the team came out strong and defeated Team Quebec 2-1 putting them in the gold-medal match-up against Manitoba.
The final saw outstanding performances including solid hitting when it counted, allowing Team BC to take the lead early and leaving Team Manitoba with little opportunity to respond. In the end BC defeated Manitoba after five innings under the ‘mercy rule’, with a score of 9-1.
“I’m so proud of the girls for not giving up,” said coach Gord Collings. “They all demonstrated a great deal of tenacity throughout the tournament and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Success on the diamond continued into the evening with the baseball boys taking on Ontario for gold. Fellow Team BC athletes packed the stands and joined family and friends in cheering on the boys.
With strong pitching by Colton Wood (Victoria) and solid hitting, the team managed to edge out Ontario 5-0, earning Team BC its last gold medal of this first week of the Games. At 16 years old, Wood gave an outstanding performance with a total of ten strikes in the seven-inning match.
“It’s amazing any time you can come into a tournament like this, a national championship and go out with the title,” said coach and former Olympian Brooks McNiven. “The boys played hard all week and I think we were the best team in the tournament, and we were able to show that in the end. Our pitchers pitched really well all week and the offense was there, so we were able to put those two things together, and it led us to the gold medal.”
Wrestling
It was a late one yesterday for Team BC wrestlers who earned a total of 16 medals – five gold, five silver and six bronze. There were notable performances across the board, including that of 16-year old team captain Payten Smith (Maple Ridge) who went undefeated throughout the meet.
Team BC flagbearer Ashley Osachuk (Campbell River) lost her bout against Ontario’s Allison Julie Carrow, walking away with silver in her first Canada Games experience.
“I feel good. Silver’s better than nothing and I worked hard for it,” said Osachuk. “I wrestled tough competitors from all over Canada, so to be second in the country is amazing feeling. All in all it’s been a memorable experience; I got to carry the flag into the Opening Ceremonies, compete in a sport I love and make longlasting friendships.”
Basketball
Depsite men’s basketball losing their shot at a medal earlier in the tournament, the team ended their Games with the character, tenacity and sportsmanship they have demonstrated from the start.
Taking on Alberta in their final match today, BC played with intensity and developed a strong lead early on. Joseph Davis (Kamloops) and Denver Sparks-Guest (Coquitlam) both gave solid performances in the first half, helping the team build a 23-point advantage.
Refusing to go down without a fight, Alberta came back in the fourth quarter on the strength of their shooters, but it wasn’t enough to take down Team BC who won the game 76-51 in the end. Matthew Neufeld (Victoria) had a great performance in the paint, notching 9 rebounds and 15 points.
Open Water Swimming
Despite a rainy start to the day, BC swimmers took on Lac Magog in the last swimming event of the Games. After an exciting sprint finish, Jon McKay (Victoria), who was the first to win a medal for Team BC on Aug 3rd, took bronze in the men’s 5000 m event with a time of 59:13.40.
Overall, swimmers collected 35 medals over the course of the week, broke a number of meet records and swam tons of personal best times.
After one week of competition, Team BC has earned a total of 62 medals. For a complete list of results, please visit www.teambc.org. Week two promises to be eaqually exciting for Team BC as competition begins for Athletics, women’s Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Canoe –Kayak, Road Cycling, Diving, Fencing, Golf, Sailing, Men’s Soccer, Triathlon,
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About Team BC
Every four years the Province of British Columbia assembles a team of athletes, coaches, managers and mission staff to represent the province at Canada's premiere multi-sport events - the Canada Winter Games, the Canada Summer Games and the Western Canada Summer Games. Representing the best in BC, they are known as Team BC. The Team BC program is more than British Columbia's best; it is also about building excellence. For some athletes, the Canada Games are a goal along the way to what they hope will be success in sport at major multi-sport Games including Olympic and Paralympic Games.
About the Canada Games
The Canada Games are a national multi-sport competition with participation from every province and territory in Canada. The Games are held every two years, alternating between winter and summer. The 2013 Canada Summer Games will be held August 2 – 17, 2013 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, bringing together approximately 4,500 athletes who will be competing in 20 disciplines, along with coaches, managers and officials from coast to coast.
For more information on Team BC, including latest results, athlete profiles and calendar of upcoming events, visit www.teambc.org. High resolution images are available for download through flickr.com or directly on Team BC’s website.
Team BC Media Contact in Sherbrooke:
Tina Sarazin
Media Manager, Team BC
Mobile: 778-989-8462
tinasarazin@gmail.com