Victories on ice, on snow, and on tatami as Team BC earns a dozen medals
Team BC brought home another 12 medals on Thursday at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Podium finishes took place in figure skating, cross country skiing and in judo with one gold, three silver and eight bronze medals awarded.
The first medals of the day took place at the Otway Nordic Centre where para cross country skiers Emily Suchy, Revelstoke, and Emily Weekes, North Vancouver, each earned their third medals of the Games. Suchy won a third gold, this time in the sit-ski 5km race. Weekes won silver for a third time in the standing 5km.
The third medal awarded to B.C. at Otway came after a dramatic race in the men’s 10km mass start. The race did not begin well for Revelstoke’s David Palmer, who lost a pole early in the event. But the spirit of the Games was alive and well when Team Yukon offered Palmer a spare pole, which just happened to be the right size.
With two poles in hand, Palmer had to make up for lost time. He spent the first lap trying to get back into the front of the pack. By the second lap he was in the front and with a hard push to the finish, ended up in third place, capturing his first medal of the Games.
“It was pretty exciting here at Otway,” said Palmer. “It was the best cheering I have ever heard and gave me a ton of energy to get up the hills. I have never experienced a crowd like that.”
Over at the Kin Arena, five Team BC athletes won bronze medals in figure skating. McKenna Colthorp (13, Fort St. James) placed third in the novice women’s figure skating. Surrey’s Stephanie Divin, 15, earned a bronze in the Special Olympics Level 2 figure skating. In the dance competition Ashlynne Stairs (14, Burnaby) and Lee Royer (16, Burnaby) took bronze in novice dance and Brian Le (14, Delta) earned a bronze in the novice men’s competition.
Team BC rounded out the day with five medals at Judo. The tatami was swarming with B.C. athletes – they took home two silver and three bronze medals.
Earning silver were: Kelsey Painter (14, Campbell River) in the +78kg event and Tavis Jamieson (18, Delta) in the -100kg.
Bronze medals went to: Jeff Swadden (18, Abbotsford) in +100kg, Braxton Clark, 18, in the -90kg, and Megan Hanks (17, Kamloops) in the -78kg category.
Kelsey Painter’s silver medal in judo is a better result than she could have imagined. She made it into the finals as one of the youngest competitors. At just 14 years of age, Painter just earned her blue belt prior to the Games, which qualified her for the competition.
In the final she went up against a world champion bronze medalist and earned the right to take home the silver for B.C.
“I came into these Games with the intention of doing my best, I honestly did not think I would place,” she said. “I wanted to get out there and show that I have earned my title and my belt and prove that I am good enough to be there.”
Painter drew inspiration from her teammates’ competitions and strong results.
“I saw everyone else just fight their hardest and that’s what I wanted to do,” she said. “I had never fought my opponent before and she is just so strong and is a great fighter. I was so happy to have the experience and one of my goals was to be able to last with her and give her a good fight. I know I did that and even though I got the silver, it feels like a win for me.”
In curling Team BC defeated a challenging Team Saskatchewan by a score of 8-6 advancing to the semi final.
In men’s hockey, Team BC lost to Quebec by a score of 6-3.
Novak Family Legacy Wall
The 2015 Canada Winter Games are all about leaving your tracks, and one unique way you can leave your tracks on the community of Prince George is through the Novak Family Legacy Wall.
11,000 pieces of two by four lumber, donated by Dunkley Lumber (owned by the Novak Family), were used to construct the wall, which is now a permanent fixture in the Civic Center in Prince George right outside the athlete cafeteria.
The project is a fundraising initiative for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, with a goal of $250,000. If more than that is raised, the money will be put in a sport legacy fund and a legacy committee will decide how those funds are allocated.
Five plaques have been purchased by the BC Games Society and proudly bear the names of the Games current and past, that have left their tracks on Prince George. When visiting the wall, look for these plaques: Team BC, BC Games Society, 2015 Canada Games Team BC Mission Staff, BC Summer Games, BC Seniors Games. Team BC Mission staff member Brenda Chinn has also purchased a plaque and had her name engraved on the wall.
To purchase your own piece of the Novak Family Wall and leave your tracks on the community of Prince George, read more here.
It's all in your head
It’s been said that luck is where preparation and opportunity meet. Mental Performance is a key component of any high performance sport. There is nothing that can describe the pressure felt by athletes during a high stakes competition like Canada Winter Games. Team BC is fortunate to have a stellar mental performance coaching team in Dave Freeze and Carl Neinhuis – two respected experts in this field.
Straight from the source - Dave and Carl have provided us with some tips for athletes:
5 MENTAL PERFORMANCE TIPS
#1. If you are feeling the pressure and nervousness of a big game, ask for help.
#2. Stick to your routines and diet.
#3. Don’t try to cram for last minute success!
#4. Look after yourself.
#5. Keep yourself organized and ready for the final training and competitive opportunities.
Dave and Carl are with us for the entire Games, so please reach out to your Mission Staff to coordinate booking time with either of them.
For a description of each tip, read the full article.
Closing Ceremony Details
The Official Closing Ceremony, presented by TransCanada, is a free event for 2015 Games athletes, participants and volunteers at the University of Northern BC.
Produced by Patrick Roberge Productions, who produced the 2015 Games Opening Ceremony, the ceremony will highlight local talent and the pride of northern British Columbia.
The Closing Ceremony takes place Sunday March 1st and will be broadcast nationally on TSN/RDS starting at 4:00 PST and webcast at www.canadagamestv.ca. Read more...
Tomorrow's Schedule
09:00 Badminton Team Competition Quarter Final BC vs MB
09:00 Snowboard Slope Style Qualification
09:00 Table Tennis Singles Female Relegation and Placement
09:30 Synchronized Swimming Duet Female Finals - Finals B
11:00 Table Tennis Singles Male Relegation and Placement
11:45 Synchronized Swimming Duet Female Finals - Finals A
12:00 Curling Female BC vs NB
12:30 Hockey Male Placement - 33: L27 vs L28
12:30 Hockey Male Placement - 34: W27 vs W28
13:00 Snowboard Slope Style Female and Male Finals
14:00 Table Tennis Singles Female Semi Final
15:30 Table Tennis Singles Male Semi Final
15:30 Squash Team Competition Female Semi-final BC vs MB
16:00 Hockey Male Relegation - 25: 5th Seed vs 8th Seed
17:00 Badminton Team Competition Relegation or Semi Final
18:15 Synchronized Swimming Team Female Finals
18:30 Squash Team Competition Male Semi-final BC vs ON
19:00 Curling Semi Final NS vs TBD
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Unofficial results. Click here for official medal standings
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Select links for photos and updates on each sport.
Canada Games TV: TODAY
EPISODE 9 is now live.
Don’t forget to watch it live in Games Plaza Mondays-Fridays at 5pm PST.
Watch the shows here.
TSN Coverage
As the official broadcaster TSN is providing live coverage and behind the scenes stories from the Games. See the schedule and video clips here.
Global BC Coverage
Global BC and Jay Janower have been on site in Prince George throughout the Games. See their interviews and stories here.
CanadaGamesTV.ca Live streaming
Catch all the live streaming action from the 2015 Canada Winter Games at www.canadagamestv.ca
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