Local sports fans will have plenty of Moose Jaw area athletes to cheer for during the upcoming Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island.
Seven athletes from in and around Canada’s Most Notorious City will compete in the event, which will feature 3,600 athletes across 20 different sports in the largest multi-sport winter event in Canada.
Bushell Park’s Kaycee Nord will be the first to see action, as she’ll take to the trails at Mark Arendz Provincial Ski Park in female biathlon.
Nord, 17, will first see action in the six-kilometre sprint on Monday, Feb. 20 before competing in the 7.5 km pursuit on Tuesday, Feb. 21 and wrapping up her Games appearance on Thursday, Feb, 23.
Nord is the lone local athlete in action during the first week, with the rest of the Moose Jaw crew competing after the changeover.
The Moose Jaw Koseikan Judo Club will see Avery Gibney take the mats in the under-52 kg female division, while Kolbi Fenrick will compete in the U57 kg division, Destiny Gibney will work as a coach and Koseikan sensei Jim Wiens will serve as judo team manager. Avonhurst Judo Club competitor Paxton Nelson will battle in the male U50kg division.
All three athletes will go for their respective medals on Friday, Mar. 3.
Moose Jaw’s Eric Swalm and Brownlee’s Rowan Gray will both take the ice in the Pre-Novice Male figure skating competition. The duo will be among 15 skaters competing for medals, with the short program on Tuesday, Feb. 28, followed by the long program on Thursday, Mar. 2.
Brooklyn Nimegeers will be a player to watch when Team Saskatchewan opens the female hockey tournament on Monday, Feb. 27. Nimegeers -- the top scoring defenceman in the Sask Female AAA Hockey League -- and Team Sask face B.C. in their opener on Feb. 27, followed by Quebec on Tuesday, Feb, 28 and New Brunswick on Wednesday, Mar. 1 to close out their round robin.
The quarter-finals take place on Friday, Mar. 3 followed by the semifinals on Saturday, Mar. 4 and medal games on Sunday, Mar. 5.
Longtime local coach Verna Kergan will join the speed skating team in that role, with races kicking off on Monday, Feb. 20.
You can check out all the results from the 2023 Canada Winter Games at www.2023canadagames.ca.
