Vancouver athletes dominate figure skating

FERNIE – Vancouver skaters dominated the figure skating Winter Games held last weekend at Fernie Memorial Arena. Five out of twelve medalists were from Vancouver and most of the other medalists were also coming from nearby areas such as Burnaby or Richmond.

The competition hosted some of the most talented skaters in British Columbia in both the pre-novice and juvenile categories.

Kai-Jing Leong, winner of the most competitive category, the women pre-novice, said she was quite happy about her last performance as pre-novice at the Winter Games.

“Finishing and feeling good about it” is how she described her experience on the ice.

Kai-Jing, now 14, said she is ready to move on and looks forward to competing in the novice category next year.

The gold medalist for the women pre-novice is Kai-Jing Leong from Burnaby, followed by silver medalist Tianna Brammer from Richmond and bronze medalist Julie Gordon from Vancouver.

In the men pre-novice, Shane Firus from North Vancouver won gold, Gordon Graeme from Osoyoos won silver and Troy Shindle from Burnaby won bronze.

In the juvenile women category, Melissa Nguyen from Vancouver won gold, Belvina Mao from Richmond won silver and Cacien Dalmer from Burnaby won Bronze.

In the juvenile men category, Mitchell Gordon from Vancouver won gold, Jordan Ju from Maple Ridge won silver and Adonis Wond from Vancouver won bronze.

Caroline Faucher: BC Games News Service

Medals Awarded To Table Tennis Competitors

by Alexa Laing-Moore

The Mount Baker School gym was filled with smiling faces on Sunday February 24^th as athletes were presented with bronze, silver and gold medals for Table Tennis. There were seven categories to which medals were awarded: male team, female team, mixed doubles, male doubles, female doubles, male singles and female singles.

Collin Johnston, Director for the Kimberly-Cranbrook 2008 Winter Games, presented the bronze medal. Laurie Reed, another director, gave out the silver medal. The honour of presenting the gold medal went to Bruce Mollison, Councillor for the City of Cranbrook and director of the games.

Athletes from the Fraser Valley and Caribou were awarded bronze medals for the male team. Silver went to a group of boys from the Fraser Valley Delta. The winners of the gold medal were from Squamish. Medals were the given to the female teams. In third place were athletes from the Fraser Valley and Caribou. The girls from Squamish were awarded silver, with gold going to the Fraser River Delta teammates.

Next in line were the mixed doubles. Liang, So, So and Tang walked away with bronze, while Jaeckle and Steinbach were presented with silver. Gold was then given to Wu and Fu.

The winners of the bronze medal for male doubles were Chan, Liu, Liang and Shou. The silver medal went to Wu and Ng. Gold went to Tang and Liang. Ming, Lam, Wang and Fu received the bronze medals for female doubles. Fu and Lee won silver and So and So were presented with gold.

For female singles, Tiffany So and Leanne Lee were awarded bronze medals. Koryn Steinbach won silver and Shirley Fu walked away with the gold medal. Yuan Ping Liang and Chao Liang came in at third place in male singles, while Kevin Tang took the silver. Lastly, Teddy Wu was presented with the gold medal.

Closing Ceremonies Say Goodbye to 1,500+ Athletes

The athletes, parents, coaches, volunteers, dignitaries and fans joined together for one final party at the Rec Plex in Cranbrook, to close out the Kimberley-Cranbrook 2008 BC Winter Games.

The athletes enjoyed a twenty minute photo display of their team mates performing over the weekend. President of Kimberley-Cranbrook BC Winter Games, Rob McIntyre, called it “the cast of a thousand faces” and added, “The games are over, but the memories start from here.”

Rob McIntyre then gave the “Top 10 Reasons why the BC Winter Games was a success:”

10. Weather
9. Media
8. Friends of the Games Funding
7. City of Kimberley, City of Cranbrook, School District 5 and 6
6. Corporate Sponsors
5. BC Government
4. Organizing Committee
3. Volunteers
2. Athletes
1. Province of BC.

Final words from Rob McIntyre “from all reports the 2008 Kimberley-Cranbrook BC Winter Games was a huge success!” and adds “The province of BC is the Best Place on Earth!”

The BC Winter Games flag was then handed off to the director of protocol for The City of Kelowna for the BC Summer Games, July 24 – 27th , 2008.

Nancy Silzer: BC Winter Games News Service

Squash Medal Highlights

Lindsey Seginson from Victoria won the Gold Medal in Girls Squash at the BC Winter Games in Cranbrook this morning. Winning the Gold after what she said was not too hard of a match, but still a good game.

Lindsey who has played for about 4 years said that being a left handed player definitely gave her an advantage in the matches this weekend! Training 3-4 times a week and playing in lots of tournaments was also helpful and will be helpful to get to the nationals.

Lindsey said playing new people and being ready for anything “along with the Gold Medal" is what she is taking away from the BC Winter Games. All the fun she has had has overshadowed the memory of how cold it was waiting outsidefor the opening ceremonies!

Sean Jackman from Campbell River won the Bronze medal in Boys Squash at the BC Winter Games in Cranbrook this morning. Jackman said the bronze game was a good one but the one he lost for gold was even better.

Sean said " I have been playing for 4 ½ year looking forward to morepractice and it is time to start working towards the Nationals in April"

The BC Winter Games have been lots of fun and he said he had a great time.

Archery competition a terrrific success

In the Sunday finals, two gold medalists from the cumulative events repeated as winners. Erin Liebich from Squamish capped her impressive gold medal showing from the two-day cumulative event in the recurve event with an another gold medal in the sighted recurve competition on Sunday.

Master of Ceremonies, Darren Brown, said that Liebich had achieved "an unbelievable score." Also repeating his gold medal performance was local archer Doug Terpsma, capping off a brilliant weekend with individual gold in Sunday's Male Compound category.

He was tested by close runner-up Edward Mackie from Prince George, who won silver. Spencer Gull from Prince George was the bronze winner. In the Female compound bow category, Shainne Buzuckievich from Maple Ridge won gold, with Shelby Reimer from South Okanagan winning silver and Cranbrook archer Shelby Reimer the bronze.

In the barebow recurve competition, Squamish archers, Nicholas Gulycz and Ethan Gaudry-Gardener won gold and silver respectively. Mathew Perks from Parksville won the bronze.

Eric Walker, Provincial Adviser for the British Columbia Archery Association, termed the Kimberley-Cranbrook BC Winter Games a "very well run event." He credited Elaine Johnson, the local archery chair from Cranbook, and her assistant chair, Vladimir Kopecky from Kimberley for the success of the three-day event.

The archery competition was staged at the Kimberley Tennis Club and was popular with spectators, many of whom wisely remembered to bring binoculars.

Don Rivers: BC Winter Games News Service

Alpine Skiing Medal Highlights

Fernie Ski Racer Wins Silver and Gold

With a time of 48.92, Hallie MacLachlan finished with a silver medal in the girls Kombi event after taking away the gold medal in the slalom race at this years BC Games in Kimberley.

Hallie and her coach, Rod Timm, have been training hard for the games. “I didn’t expect to do as well as I did,”she said.

Hallie’s next competition will be the Provincials at Grouse Mountain. From there, it will be off to the Whistler Cup where she will be competing against athletes from all over the world.

Grouse Beats Whistler at BC Games

Austin Llewellyn finished nearly a full second ahead of Brodie Seger andBryan Cadman in the boys Kombi event at this years downhill ski competition at the BC Games in Kimberley. Although Austin races for the Grouse Mountain Tyee team, he regularly practices with Brodie and Bryan who train with the Whistler team. The three boys are friendly rivals and are used to competing with each other.

“As I was coming down the last few gates, I thought ‘wow’ this is the est run of my life,” said Austin. He also said he was glad to see Brodie and Bryan up on the podium with him. The three of them have been practicing every weekend for this event. They’re all looking forward to competing again at the Provincials in March.

Finish for Annmore Local at BC Games

After a disappointing start, Bryan Cadman, 13, finished with a bronze medal in the Kombi event at this years downhill ski competition at the BC Games inKimberley. Bryan Cadman has had a string of 4th place finishes and was pleased to make it into the top three on Sunday.

Bryan is looking forward to competing in the Whistler Cup where he will be competing against athletes from all over the world. He thanks his coaches, Karen Brady and Paul McLeese, for their support and encouragement.

Fraser River Delta rings up Gold

Fraser River Delta squared up against their neighbours and rivals Fraser Valley in the final game of the BC Winter Games ringette tournament. A fiercely contested gold medal game where the lead bounced back and forth.

Fraser River Delta managed to edge out Frazer Valley and secure the gold medal 4-3. Fraser Valley were worthy silver medal winners. Both teams played exceptionally well in this fast exciting game which had the spectators on the edge of their seats.

No one could ask for more support than the parents who dressed up in orange garbage bags to support of the Fraser River Delta girls who were playing wearing their orange, zone 4 colours!

With Fraser River Delta trailing 2-3 they scored a goal to tie the game with justover four minutes left of the game. Both teams were fighting for the medal when, with only one minute and 34 seconds on the clock, Melissa Woodley from Fraser River Delta, fired the winning shot into the net.

Head coach, Harold Bakke from Delta was ecstatic over the win. He said "It was so sweet to win the gold. This was a once in a life time experience for the girls and they fought hard to win. Fraser Valley played a fantastic game and itis a tough loss for them but that makes it even sweeter for us!!"

The end of an exciting tournament where the girls played well and conducted themselves impeccably. Thank you to the officials and volunteers who made the tournament possible.

Cariboo North take Gold in Wheelchair Basketball

Vancouver Islanders played a great game against the undefeated Cariboo North team in the Wheelchair basketball today at the BC Winter Games. The score was 54 to 29 for the Cariboo team and thus taking home the gold medal.

At the end of the first quarter the game looked like it was going to be a blowout with a score of 20 to 2 for Cariboo. Shaie Bavlidis from Victoria had to call a substitution in the 3rd quarter due to an equipment problem.

A flat tire took her out of the game until another tire could be found. She said " this is the gold medal game time to shine but kodak ended up winning"

The Islanders with one loss in the round robin took home the silver medal inthe wheelchair basketball.

Youth Leadership Academy part of BC Winter Games

The 2008 BC Olympic & Paralympic Youth Leadership Academy, which was held during the 2008 BC Winter Games in Kimberley-Cranbrook, took the opportunity to tour all the sport venues and directorships. Led by two Olympic speedskater Ingrid Leipa of the Kimberley, the Academy members stopped by the BC Games Media Center.
The visiting delegates, from all areas of the province, travelled to the Academy from their hometown, on transportation arranged by the BC Games Society. Once they arrived, they slept in school classrooms, which were converted into dorms, and ate with the BC Games athletes in the cafeteria. They are also part of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and have the opportunity to attend other special events with Games participants.
In addition to the Games events that the delegates participate in, they also be paraticipate in informative and interactive workshops and training sessions. These sessions will include the "History of the Olympics", public speaking, the "Road to the Olympics and Paralympics", and inclusion activities. The delegates also have a chance to spend some time with Games volunteers, which will give them a "real taste" of the Games and a glimpse into the amount of work and planning that is required to stage an event like the BC Winter Games.
The Academy presents delegates with opportunities to hone and test their leadership skills in a fun and safe environment, surrounded by the excitement of the Kimberley-Cranbrook 2008 BC Winter Games.

Curling Highlights--Grand Forks in finals

Grand Forks Ludwar rink heads into the finals today in girls curling after beating Duncan’s Child rink with a score of 6-5 in an extra end.

“That was very scarey” Said Randi Ludwar. “That was definitely a spectators game”adds Coach Teresa Hiram. “That was frustrating and at times we missed a few key shots” Said Randi Ludwar, “Stacey Ludwar pulled the team together for a huddle in the 4th end to regain the team spirit, which was really important” adds Coach Hiram.

The Grand Forks team is proud to be representing the Kootenays in the run for gold at 9:15 am. Skip Child from Duncan will meet Skip Schwindt from Royal City (New Westminster) to compete for bronze.

Grand Forks Ludwar rink demands respect with it’s 3rd straight win over Vernon’s Kyllo rink 9-4. Randi Ludwar said “We had 5 tough ends, but stayed focused”, Coach Teresa Hiram adds “We made the shots”. Ludwar rink now moves onto the Semi-final game at 7:00 pm tonight. “We are excited to bemoving to the next level” Said Stacy Ludwar (2nd), twin sister of Skip Randi Ludwar.

Judo Highlights--Vernon & Prince George athletes take Silver and Gold

Vernon's Caden Brown takes home silver in Judo at BC Games

13-year-old Caden Brown of Vernon won a silver medal in the boys under 60 kilogram individual Judo competition at the BC Winter Games in Cranbrook overthe weekend.

He fought seven matches, losing one.Brown has a green belt and has trained in Judo for six years. He currently trains with the Lake Country Judo Club and attends Ellison Elementary in Vernon.

"My best moment was when I won the semi-final against the other green belt,"Brown said. "He tried a leg throw and I countered it. He landed flat on his back and I won."My goal is to get as far as I can and to do my best and to have fun," Brown continued. "I guess that's everyone's goal!"

GOLD---Brandon Slooyer (8---Cariboo-North East)

Brandon Slooyer "throws" his way to a gold medal at BC Winter Games. Brandon Slooyer of Prince George won a gold medal in the boys individualcompetition at the BC Winter Games in Cranbrook over the weekend.

He fought five matches in the under 40 kilogram weight division, winning each of them bythrowing his opponent. The 10-year-old orange-belt has been practising Judo for three years.

"I guess I train really hard," Slooyer said, explaining his success at theGames and at other tournaments. "I try to do my best."

As to his future in the sport, Slooyer has a few goals: "My first goal is to be a sense of my own club," he said. "My second one is to go to the Olympics."For now, he will continue to train at the North Capital Judo Club and attend Southridge Elementary in Prince George.

Zone Finals Team Event

The road to being named the top Zone in the BC Winter Games in Badminton takes stamina and determination.

Each of the eight Zones are ranked by their finishes in the Singles and Doubles events and divided into two pools. Each pool of four Zones then plays each other in five categories: Boys’ and Girls’ Singles; Boys’ and Girls’ Doubles; and Mixed Doubles.

When the dust settles and the top two Zones are decided, they play all five events again to determine the gold and silver winners, while the two losing Zones play off for the bronze medal.

This means if a player competes in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, and each match goes the full three sets right through to the semi-finals and finals, he/she would play a total of 54 games in less than three days.

The matches began Friday night and continued all day Saturday resulting in Zones 5 and 4 (Vancouver-Squamish) and (Fraser Valley-Delta) finishing in the top two spots and designated to play off in the finals Sunday morning. Zones 6 and 2 (Vancouver Island-Central Coast) and (Thompson-Okanagan) were determined for the bronze medal round.

The final ranking results are: Gold, Zone 5 Vancouver-Squamish; Silver, Zone 4 Fraser River-Delta; Bronze, Zone 2 Thompson-Okanagan; Fourth, Zone 6 Vancouver Island-Central Coast; Fifth, Zone 3 Fraser Valley; Sixth, Zone 8 Cariboo-North East; Seventh, Zone 7 North West; and Eighth, Zone 1 Kootenays.

Betty Roper: BC Games News Service

Gold medal for Kimberley archer

Doug Terpsma stood on the gold medal podium Saturday in the cumulative compound bow category. Shooting 120 arrows over two days, this 15-year-old archer earned the high score of 1107.

The key to his victory was consistency, said his dad, George Terpsma, who mentioned that Doug had only been in competition since September 2007 but had years of outdoor activity with bows.

One of the activities Doug and his dad enjoy is 3D shooting, in which full sized models of game animals are set up on a course, with various obstacles to simulate actual bow hunting conditions. Doug had a "stick" bow when he was very young, and had plenty of room to practice on their Wycliffe acreage. His dad emphasized that good form is very important and Doug learned good form early.

While most archers including Doug, use a triggering mechanism on a compound bow, Doug learned to use his fingers to draw the string, requiring perfect form in posture and release to achieve accuracy. That form, said his dad, has been integral to Doug's success. Doug said that he likes to compete under pressure, and he enjoys doing well. When asked how long he sees himself competing in organized events, he said, "For awhile."

He added that he looks forward to further provincial level competitions, and why not: Vladimir Kopecky, a Kimberley archery coach, told Doug that his gold medal at these winter games is "a serious accomplishment at a provincial level" Doug also credits coach Elaine Johnson with much of his success.

Don Rivers: BC Winter Games News Service

Thompson-Okanagan zone overall points winners in swimming

Thompson-Okanagan swimmers show their team spirit before the final heats.

The Thompson-Okanagan swim team dominated the BC Winter Games in Cranbrook, though their perpetual rivals from the Vancouver Island-Central Coast zone gave them a run for the gold. Thompson-Okanagan received 2,306 points, Vancouver Island-Central Coast zone had a combined team score of 1,813 points and Fraser Valley zone came in third with 996.5 combined points.

Zone coach, Theresa Zunich from Kamloops, was pleased with the team's accomplishments over the weekend.

"They're a great bunch of kids," said Zunich. They're pumped. Thompson-Okanagan has lots of talents. And the Special Olympics team are helping with the team effort."

The Special Olympics team from Thompson-Okanagan were very impressive, particularly multiple medal winners Steven Linemayr and Sarah Francis.

Badminton--A Family Affair

Photo (l – r) Chris, Brian, Curtis and Rita Sowden

The Sowden family from Port Alberni has a long history of participation in the BC Winter Games. Rita’s father competed in 1995 in speed skating at the Master’s level before the Seniors Games became a separate event. Many of Rita’s extended family have either participated, volunteered or officiated in several previous Winter Games as well.

This ignited interest in sons Christopher, now 20, and Curtis, now 18, who became involved in Badminton and won medals in the 2002 and 2004 Winter Games respectively. They have now moved into coaching and officiating while Rita and husband Brian act as umpires. “The whole family is involved,” she said.

Both boys compete at the college level in Badminton at Malaspina University College and had to reschedule writing their mid-term exams in order to take part in the Kimberley/Cranbrook Winter Games this weekend. Because they are Métis, Chris and Curtis will also be competing in the North American Indigenous Games in the Cowichan Valley this summer as coach and athlete.

Rita said, “We continue taking part because we love the sport and the spirit of these Games. It ignites some kind of fire inside you.”

Story: Betty Roper--BC Winter Games News Service Photo: Darin Brooks.

Thompson-Okanagan swimmer continues to dominate

Vernon's Joe Byram continued his hunt for BC Winter Game hardware by collecting three more gold medals to add to the two golds and one bronze he won Friday while setting three BC Winter Games records during the second day of swimming competition.

"It was sort of a surprise, but it's what I've was aiming for," said Byram of the record setting swims in the 100-metre back, 200-metre back and the 200-metre IM. "It was a really good morning. I felt very good. There was something in the air . . . it was fun, relaxing."

Byram has three heats left in the 1500-metre freestyle, the 200-metre freestyle relay and 200-metre medley relay."I'm thinking silver for a patch of grey in the 1500," said Byram of his hopes for Sunday's competition.

Several other Vernon swimmers did very well, including Amanda Bennett, who collected two gold medals today to add to the two she won Friday.

Duncan swimmer posts personal bests

Drake McKay from Duncan, B.C., proved he has what it takes to bring home thegold at the BC Winter Games in Cranbrook. McKay won an impressive seven medals in swimming--four gold, one silver and two bronze. He also posted his personal best times in each of his final races.

"My best was probably the 200-metre freestyle," said McKay, "because I was behind . . . until the last 25 metres." A second wind and a burst of speed pushed McKay into first place.

McKay is part of the Vancouver Island-Central Coast zone, which with 1,813 combined points, came in second place behind the Thompson-Okanagan zone, which had a combined total of 2,306 points.

Byram dominates at swimming competition

Vernon's Joe Byram collected three more medals on Sunday morning in Cranbrook,B.C., for a total of nine--seven gold, one silver and one bronze. His finalgold was won in the boys 1,500-metre freestyle--a tense race in which he andPatrick Graham from the Vancouver Island-Central Coast zone were evenly matcheduntil three-quarters through the race, when Graham pulled out due to breathing difficulties.

The silver medal, which he won as part of the boys 200-metre freestyle relay,was one that Byram had predicted the day before, when he quipped that he wouldlike a "patch of grey" to round out his medal winnings.Byram is part of the Thompson-Okanagan zone swim team, which took first placein the competition with a combined score of 2,306 points.

Victoria swimmer collects nine medals

Fourteen-year-old Ken Naito from the Island Swimming Club in Victoria, won an impressive nine medals--four gold and five silver--at the BC Winter Games inCranbrook.

Naito, who moved to Victoria from Banff in 2006, gives credit to his coach, Neil Harvey, and his teammates for his continual improvement in the sport he loves.

"My teammates help me go fast," said Naito. "They're always cheering me on." He also said that the competition from swimmers around the province help spur him onto posting better times at every meet.

Naito is part of the Vancouver Island-Central Coast zone, which with 1,813 points, came in second behind the Thompson-Okanagan zone which posted 2,306 combined points.

Okanagan (Zone 2) takes all

The Okanagan won the gold medal in Female Hockey at the BC Winter Games. Okanagan won 7-1 over Silver medalists Fraser Valley.

Earlier this morning Kootenay become the bronze medalists in a 1-0 win over Fraser River Delta.

All the team had a great time in Cranbrook and are now looking forward to returning home.

Fraser Valley takes gold in Men's Hockey

Zone 3 – Fraser Valley takes Gold in Men’s hockey

by Jeff Bromley

Cranbrook, BC – Lead by a four goal performance by Maple Ridge’s Connor Sanvido the Fraser Valley men’s hockey club took the gold medal at the BC Winter Games Sunday morning with a 9-2 drubbing of an injury-depleted Fraser River squad.

Fraser Valley opened the scoring seven minutes into the first period on a goal by Sam Harkness of Richmond. Fraser River countered less than a minute later with their first marker by Mike Cavezza of Burnaby. The teams traded goals by Steve Killy of Delta and Sanvido’s first of the game to finish the first period tied at two.

Fraser Valley burst open the floodgates in the second period with four unanswered goals by Joe Kornelsen of Abbotsford, Sanvido with two more and Mak Barden of Surrey to give the Fraser Valley squad a commanding 6-2 lead.

They would score three more by Sheldon Vannerus of Coquitlam, Colton Mackie of Surrey and Connor Sanvido with his fourth of the game.
Sanvido finished with four goals while Adam Rossignol of Cloverdale finished with three assists for the Fraser Valley squad.

Eric Williams of Langley stopped 8 of 10 shots he faced to get the win while Devin Nijjer of Delta faced a barrage of 38 shots, stopping 29.

Greater Vancouver - Zone 5 takes Bronze in Men's Hockey

Zone 5 – Greater Vancouver takes Bronze

by Jeff Bromley

Cranbrook, BC – In an early Sunday morning match for the BC Winter Games Bronze medal between Greater Vancouver and Zone 6 Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland squad scored a late second period goal and added an insurance marker mid-way through the third to take the Bronze.
Vancouver opened the scoring at 13:42 of the first period on an unassisted effort by Brady Brassart of North Vancouver. Defenseman Jesse Ursic of Port Alberni tied the game at 9:02 of the second period at one but the Vancouver squad regained the lead for good when Chris Critchley from North Vancouver scored with less than 30 seconds left in the period. Matt Bonin of Whistler added an insurance marker in the third period to secure the Bronze for Greater Vancouver.
Lyndon Stanwood of West Vancouver stopped 23 of 24 shots for the win while Sean Macguire of Powell River turned aside 19 of 22 shots.
Brady Brassart finished the game with a goal and two assists.

Kootenay's finishes fifth with win over Okanagan

Kootenay takes fifth place with win over Okanagan

by Jeff Bromley

Cranbrook, BC – Zone 1 Kootenay got two goals by Aaron Hadley of Castlegar and hung on to win 5-4 over Zone 2 – Okanagan Saturday night in Men’s hockey at the BC Winter Games, good for fifth place.
Kootenay took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Bryan Hinchcliffe of Trail after one period. Cranbrook’s Brandon Bruce finished with a goal and an assist along with Tryg Strand which gave Kootenay a 5-1 lead after two periods but the Okanagan squad clawed their way back on the strength of goals by Brendan Persley of Kelowna, Brett Mulcahy of Kelowna, Colton Malmsten of Kelowna and Gage Buchanan with less than a minute left in the game to make it close.
James Greer of Nelson stopped 33 of 37 shots to get the win while Connor Barrie of Vernon stopped 20 of 25 shots to take the loss.

Round Robin Standings

BC Winter Game – Boy's Hockey Round Robin Final Standings

Pool A Standings:

1. Fraser Valley – 3-0
2. Vancouver Island – 1-2
3. Kootenay – 1-2
4. Northeast – 1-2

Pool B Standings:

1. Fraser River – 2-1
2. Greater Vancouver – 2-1
3. Okanagan – 2-1
4. Northwest – 0-3

Northeast finishes seventh

Zone 8 – Northeast takes seventh place

by Jeff Bromley

Cranbrook, BC – Zone 8 – Northeast scored ten goals in a 10-1 rout of Zone 7 – Northwest for the seventh place at the BC Winter Games Men’s Hockey Saturday night. Northeast got goals from Kurtis Bond from Williams Lake, Harjas Grewal of Prince George with two, Gus Correale from Prince George with a pair, Tyson McCallum from Dawson Creek with two and singles from Prince George’s Mitch Elliot and Max Mois. Spencer Graboski from Quensel rounded out the scoring for Northeast while Lyndon Martell of Prince George finished with four assists. Adrian Coulter of Fort St. James scored Northwest’s only goal.
Goaltender Kris Drott stopped 24 of 25 shots to get the win while Lane Turnbull and Colton Wardrop combined to stop 25 of 35 shots.

Medal Games set

Men’s Hockey Playoff Seedings set

by Jeff Bromley

Cranbrook, BC – The Medal round for the BC Winter Games Men’s Hockey have been set.

Playing for seventh place is Zone 7 – Northwest vs Zone 8 Northeast set to begin at 6:45 PM
Playing for fifth place is Zone 1 – Kootenay vs Zone 2 Okanagan set to begin at 9PM
Playing in Sunday’s Bronze Medal game is Zone 5 – Greater Vancouver vs Zone 6 – Vancouver Island 6:30 AM.
Playing for Gold at the BC Winter Games for Men’s hockey will be Zone 3 – Fraser Valley vs Zone 4 Fraser River at 8:45 AM Sunday morning at the Cranbrook Rec Plex.

Greater Vancouver in Bronze Medal game

Greater Vancouver gets enough to play for Bronze
By Jeff Bromley
Cranbook, BC – Mark Lem of West Vancouver had two goals as Zone 5 – Greater Vancouver dumped Zone 2 – Okanagan 6-1 in the final round robin game of the BC Winter Games Men’s Hockey. Vancouver opened the scoring on a goal by Lem to give them a 1-0 first period lead. Two second period goals, by Zach Yuen of Vancouver at 11:43 and Nick Lee, also from Vancouver, just over a minute later gave the coastal squad a commanding 4-0 lead. Okanagan answered with a goal of their own at 7:53 of the third period by Brock Balson of Kamloops to make it 4-1. Needing a 5-1 score to advance into the Bronze medal game over the Okanagan, Vancouver got two more by Robert Wilkinson of West Vancouver and Brady Brassart of North Vancouver to seal the 6-1 and a berth in the Bronze Medal game against Vancouver Island Sunday morning.

Fraser River finishes first in Pool B

Cranbrook, BC – Zone 4 - Fraser River got goals from seven different players and went on to a 7-1 rout of the Zone 7 – Northwest as both club’s finished up the round robin portion of the BC Winter Games in Men’s Hockey.

Fraser River opened the scoring on a goal by Jeremy Gossard of Delta to give Fraser River a 1-0 first period lead. Fraser River opened the floodgates in the second period on goals by Aaron Ho of Burnaby, Corey Tasaka of Richmond, Mason Malkowich from New Westminster and Steven Killy of Delta to pace Fraser River to a 5-0 second period lead.

Northwest got one goal back early into the third period by Connor Buick of Kitimat to make it 5-1 but Fraser River got two more goals by Jessie Siemens of Richmond and Zach Euerby of Delta.

The win assures Fraser River of at least a tie for first in Pool B.

Jeff Bromley: BC Winter Games News Service

Kootenay finishes third in Pool A

Cranbrook, BC - Zach Perehudoff of Trail stopped all 24 shots he faced as Zone 1 – Kootenay defeated Zone 6 Vancouver Island 3-0 Saturday afternoon at the BC Winter Games in Cranbrook. Troy Petrick of Nelson opened the scoring for Kootenay after a scoreless first period to give the Kootenay squad a 1-0 lead after two. Aaron Hadley of Castlegar added some insurance early into the final frame to give Kootenay a 2-0. Late in the game Tryg Strand of Invermere added Kootenay’s third goal to make the final 3-0.

Sean Macquire of Powell River stopped 19 of 22 shots in taking the loss.
Kootenay and Vancouver Island both finish the round-robin portion of the tournament at 1-2, along with Zone 8 – Cariboo. Fraser Valley, at 3-0, finishes first in Pool A. The tie-breaking formula, based on goals for and against because Kootenay, Vancouver Island and Cariboo all finished at 1-2, places Vancouver Island in second, Kootenay in third and Cariboo in fourth.

Jeff Bromley: BC Winter Games News Service

Fraser Valley finishes first in Pool A

Fraser Valley continues domination

Cranbrook, BC - The Zone 3 Fraser Valley U-16 squad continued their domination of the tournament with a 6-1 win over Zone 8 – Northeast in BC Winter Games action Saturday morning.

Fraser Valley held leads of 2-0 and 6-0 after two periods on two-goal performances by both Brock Wellicome of Surrey and Connor Sanvido of Maple Ridge – both with two goals and an assist – while North East’s lone goal came midway through the third by Gus Correale of Prince George.

Fraser Valley’s other markers came from Colton Mackie and Brandon Formosa. Laurent Brossoit got the win in net for Fraser Valley stopping 19 of 20 shots while Kris Drott took the loss for North East, turning aside 34 of 40 shots.

Jeff Bromley: BC Winter Games News Service

Cross Country Skiers take competition in stride

Gold Medal for North Vancouver Cross Country Skier

After a grueling thirteen hour bus ride, Fred Weaver finished with a gold medal in midget boys classic cross country skiing at this years BC Winter Games in Kimberley. “I had a feeling I might of won, but wasn’t sure,” he said. “Will Finch had beaten me in the last couple of races.”

Fred considered the race course in Kimberley to be one of the top three inthe province. He will be competing in the Nationals this March.

Silver Medal for Burnaby Local

Lucas Putnam-Rea placed third in the midget boys cross country skiing at this years BC Winter Games in Kimberley. “I have been working towards these games for a long time,” he said. “Nationals will be harder.”

In March, Lucas will be racing “up a class” at the Nationals in Whistler. This means he will be racing against athletes who are older and more experience than he is. He is not expecting to place in the top three at the National competition, but is looking forward to the experience.

Gold Medal for Burns Lake Cross Country Skier

Cross country skier, David Palmer, finished first in the juvenile boys classic event at this years BC Winter Games in Kimberley. Although he was tired, he felt he was a little better rested than the other competitors.

He felt the course was a little easier than most others and that he “could have gone a lot harder at the middle.” David thanks his coach, Chris Paulson, for his support and encouragement.

Revelstoke Girl Falls, Gets Up Again and Wins a Silver Medal

After a disappointing fall at what some racers call “death corner”, crosscountry skier Brittany Evans got up and continued on to win second place in the midget girls classic event at this years BC Winter Games in Kimberley.

“The downhill sections were really tough,” she said. “They were really steep with sharp corners.” Brittany was surprised, but pleased with her results. She thanks her family and her coach.

Kelowna Girl Wins Gold Medal for Cross Country Skiing

Despite being sick, Kate Eppler finished first in the midget girls classic cross country skiing at this years BC Winter Games in Kimberley. Kate was hoping to be in the top three and was elated with her results. “My parents supported me a lot,” she said.

She also thanks her teammates and her coach for their support. Kate said that her wax was good during the race, but that some of the shady sections of the course were challenging.

Steve Brine: BC Winter Games News Service

"Great sweeping" key to victory in boy's curling

Langley’s Skip Tyler Klymchuk lead his team to their second victory today against the Eunnel Chang rink after 6 ends with a score of 11-2.

Klymchuk said: “Great sweeping was key this game,” and adds “We played hard for the games and even with a bad start, we stayed focused and positive”.

When asked about preparation for tomorrow’s games Klymchuk said “We need to keep our head in the game and keep doing what we’re doing!”

Victoria’s Josh Hozack rink earned their second win today beating Coquitlam’s Matthew Sebastiani rink after 8 ends in an 8-4 victory.

Hozack said “We are feeling confident” and adds “That was the hardest team yet, so we are hoping it gets easier from here.” Hozack also said “We are glad to be playing back on Sheet C because I like that ice”.

More than 2500 participants are in Cranbrook for the Games, which wrap upSunday.>>> Searchable results (by name, hometown, sport etc) at: http://www.bcgames.org/participants_and_results_databases.html

Nancy Silzer: BC Games News Service

Fraser Valley Squeaks Out Victory Wheelchair B-Ball

Vancouver Island-Central had a great game against Fraser Valley at the BC Winter games on the first day of the Round Robin. Only one point seperated the teams with less then 3 minutes to go in the fourth period. Fraser Valley won with a final score of 32 to 27.

The Islanders as they called themselves have brothers on the team,19-year-old Anthony and 15-year-old Alex Townsend, of Nanaimo. Anthony is an able bodied player and helps coach the Junior team which he said "allows me to know what the players are going to do before they do it"

He also said " that by having a brother that is disabled this sport allows them to play a game that all the family can be involved in". The Junior teams have to shot on 8 foot baskets and the Seniors get to shot on the 10 foot basket heights.

Corina Moulton: BC Games News Service

Fraser River Delta doubles up on Okanagan 2

Fraser River Delta Female's hockey team opened and closed the scoring in a 4-2 win over the Okanagan 2 (the replacement team for the North West).

The game winning goal came from #18 Sabrina Wong of the Richmond Girls Ice Hockey. The teams are now waiting on the last Pool B game before they will know where they place in the finals.

The fourth place game goes at 6:45 pm tonight.

Bogle Rink Racks Up First Victory

Revelstoke’s Ryan Bogle rink had their first victory over Royal City (New Westminster) Kyle Jackson rink after going into an extra end scoring 9-8 forthe victory.

Coach Chris Olynyk said “We made a couple of mistakes, and didn’t execute when we needed to” and adds “But they all contributed, and they made the shots they had to make.”

More than 2500 participants are in Cranbrook for the Games, which wrap up Sunday. Searchable results (by name, hometown, sport etc at:http://www.bcgames.org/participants_and_results_databases.html

Kootenay wins 3-1 in Female Hockey

Kootenay's Goaltender Rosanne Wallace of Nelson was 12 minutes away from posting a shutout over the Island this afternoon. The Island's Toni Angell of Nanaimo had other ideas though by scoring the lone goal for the Island at the 8:00 minute mark into the third period making the final score 3-1.

Both the Island and Kootenay are now done playing in the round robin and will wait to see where they will place in Pool A.

Speedskating's first evening proves to be an exciting one

Kyle Yoshida of West Vancouver won two silver medals at the BC Winter Games in Kimberley-Cranbrook. This very nice 15-year-old won his medals in the 1000 and 777 metre races on the first evening of the Games.

He said that he was happy with his races. This is his third trip to the games, he now heads for Provincials and is confident about making it to Nationals. Kyle was very inspired to try this sport from watching the Salt Lake Olympics and also seeing his older brother skate in the 2004 games. "This is a great environment, I meet different athletes from other sports."

Alec Janssens of Chilliwack won a gold and bronze medal on the first night of speedskating at the BC Winter Games. His gold was in the 777 metre and bronze in the 1000 metre. Alec has been skating since grade five and this is his second trip to the games. He said he was looking forward to the relay, "We have a good team." He will be headed for the Provincials in Kelowna.

Two bronze medals were won by 14-year-old Josie Spence of Kamloops. She won her speedskating medals in the 777 and 666 metre event on the first evening of skating at the BC Winter Games. She said that she is having a good time here and "staying with others and getting to know them is nice." She has been skating for six years, being encouraged to try the sport from her mother, Cathy Turnbull-Spence, who was a world champion. She will be heading for the Provincials in Kelowna and then hopefully to the Nationals in Quebec.

Jordon Rosborough of Winfield, won two gold medals on the opening night of speedskating at the BC Winter Games. His wins came in the 777 and 666 meter events. He has been skating for five years and this is his first winter games. Jordon said " I am having lots of fun so far, hanging out with friends." His mom got him started in thesport when he was in grade four. He will be headed for the Provincials and then hopes he will get to enjoy the high level of experience the Nationals

Kayne Dressler of Ft St John won a silver medal in the 777 meter race and followed it up with a bronze in the 666 meter in speedskating at the B.C. Winter Games in Cranbrook. Kayne said he had hoped for gold but was satisfied with the second place finish. He has been skating for seven years and had wanted to play hockey but his mom made him take one year of speedskating first." "I fell in love with it." He is next going to the Provincials and said he has a good chance to make the top four and go to Nationals.

There were two gold medals for Michelle MacKay of Pitt Meadows. The15-year-old won her medals in the 1000 and 777 metre opening night speedskating event at the BC WinterGames.

Michelle has been skating since she was five and has been to one prior Games. She will now be going on to the Provincials in Kelowna in March. She said ,"I think I will make the top four in Provincial, hopefully." She would then advance to the Nationals.

BC Games News Service: Judy Caron

Volunteers Contribute to BC Games Success

It’s team effort in sport and in volunteering. With over 20 sports venues and over 2,000 participants to feed and accommodate, the BC Winter Games depends on thousands of volunteers to keep every running smoothly.
The communities of the Kimberley and Cranbrook with less than 30,000 people signed up 3,000 volunteers which represents approximately 10% of the population.
“Volunteers were excited and very eager to sign up for the Winter Games,” says Linda Engels, one of the Games volunteer chairpersons. “People in Cranbrook and Kimberley wanted to be part of the BC Winter Games and were ready to help out anyway they could.”
Thousands of volunteers included everyone from venue hosts and food service helpers (see photos above) to result centre tabulators.

The volunteers will be recognized for their outstanding contributions at a volunteer appreciation event at 4:00 pm on Sunday at the Cranbrook Rec Plex.

Speedskaters off to fast start

Tori Spence of Kamloops won two silver medals on the first night of speedskating at the BC Winter Games. The 15-year-old won these in the 1000 and 777 metre races.

In her seventh year of skating, she has been to one other winter games and has also gone to a summer game in the Triathlon. She is going on the the Provincials and is confident re the Nationals. Tori comes by her interest for the sport from her mother who she said was a world champion in speedskating.

Ashley Nelson of Crescent Valley {skating out of the Nelson club}, won a bronze medal in the 1000 metre race on the first night of racing at the BC Winter Games. She said the she was "happy with her race" She will be heading to the Provincials in Kelowna.

She is not sure if she is ready for making it to the Nationals as she has just recovered from a dislocated hip in December and is not 100%. This is her second winter games.

More than 1,500 participants are in Kimberley and Cranbrook for the Games, which wrap up Sunday.

Searchable results (by name, hometown, sport etc) at:> > http://www.bcgames.org/participants_and_results_databases.html>

Thompson-Okanagan's Joe Byram wins three medals

Thirteen-year-old swimmer Joe Byram from Thompson-Okanagan zone won three medals-two gold and one bronze-on the first day of competition at the 2008 BC Winter Games at the swimming centre at the Cranbrook Rec Plex.

"Swimming has taken lots of my time away from other activities but it is definitely worth it," said Byram before the Games. Steven Linemayr and Sarah Francis from the Thompson-Okanagan Special Olymics team were also multiple medal winners, collecting three medals each.

The Thompson-Okanagan zone team fared very well on the first day of competition. Both the girls' and boys' teams from Thompson-Okanagan scored the highest point totals, earning 409 points for the girls' team and 485 points forthe boys. However, with 14 medals, they trail behind the Vancouver Island-Central Coast zone, which collected 16 medals.

More than 1,500 participants are in Cranbrook and Kimberley for the Games, which wrap up Sunday.

Searchable results (by name, hometown, sport etc) at:http://www.bcgames.org/participants_and_results_databases.html

Richmond overcomes Victoria in three sets

By Betty Roper BC Games News Service

In the only Badminton final to go a full three sets, Jason Ong and Calvin Chow of Zone 4 (Richmond) had their hands full in the first match as Christopher Wan and Robbie Thomas of Victoria (Zone 6) defeated them 21 – 17. Ong and Chow rallied to take the second match 21 – 14 and then the third 21– 11 to win the gold.

Chow said their strategy was to “play easy until we found a chance to kill it.” Ong agreed, “We tried to figure out who was the weakest on the otherteam and play to them as much as we could.”

Anthony Arduini and Carson Chu of Kamloops (Zone 2) played a strong match towin the bronze medal against Jacky Chan and Alex Lim of Zone 3 (Coquitlam).

More than 1500 participants are in Cranbrook and Kimberley for the BC Winter Games, which wrap up Sunday.

Searchable results (by name, hometown, sport etc) at:http://www.bcgames.org/participants_and_results_databases.html

Wheelchair Basketball Rolling Along

Fraser River played an exciting game against Fraser Valley in the wheelchair basketball match on the first day of the BC Winter games.
The final score was 31 to 18 for Fraser Valley which was a very exciting game with many fouls being called and even a upset of a chair that required one of the participants to leave the game but returned soon after.
The only girl on the Fraser River team 14-year-old Stephanie Park, of Maple Ridge, was extremly excited to have scored her very first basket on the 10 footnets. She is nicknamed Princess and was called on three major fouls.
She said "I still had 2 more I could have got and that means I am in the game," she said. "This was a much better game then our first game which we lost 54 to 14 to Thompson-Okanagan"
Wheelchair basketball has similar rules to regular basketball and not all the athletes have to be disabled. Fraser Valley has a higher percent of disabled compared to many of the other teams.

More than 1,500 participants are in Cranbrook and Kimberley for the Games, which wrap up Sunday.

Searchable results (by name, hometown, sport etc) at:
http://www.bcgames.org/participants_and_results_databases.html

More Day One Competition Highlights

Coquitlam wins over Nelson 7-4 in boys curling
By Nancy Silzer BC Games News Service

Coquitlam’s Matthew Sebastiani lead his team to a 7-4 victory over Nelson’s Philip Rawick in opening day curling action at the BC Winter Games. Coach Ken Krause said “We had pre-game jitters, having some good spots and some bad spots” Krause adds “The team needs to buy a lottery ticket, we are feeling lucky to have pulled off the win” Sebastiani said.

Vancouver dominates Richmond in Girls’ Doubles
By Betty Roper BC Games News Service

The team of Eileen Wong and Vanora Lo from Vancouver (Zone 5) easily downed the Richmond team of Terri Ling and Joyce Kwok in two straight sets: 21 – 9 and 21 – 16 respectively in doubles badminton action at the BC Winter Games in Cranbrook. Kelsey Lee of Coquitlam and Victoria Yang of Surrey won the bronze medal match by defeating Brittany Lank and Rachel Andreychuk of Prince George.
Wong and Lo have not played doubles together before this competition; they have different partners in their home club “We do play singles as well and we’re good friends too,” said Wong. The girls say they’re having a lot of fun and the competition has been better than expected. “It’s so cold here, though,” laughed Lo.
Both Wong and Lo say their parents are very supportive and they are looking forward to taking part in provincial competitions in the next few years.

North West - Men's Hockey
By Tiffany Harris, BC Games News Service

In the fourth game of the Winter Game men’s hockey the North West took a 7-1 beating from Vancouver/Squamish.
Despite a losing game the North West goaltender, Colton Wardrop of Huston made 33 saves from a total of 40 shots on his goal. Wardrop’s team won’t dress now until tomorrow at 7:00 am when they face the Okanagan while Vancouver/Squamish will play later tonight against Fraser River Delta.

Opening ceremony highlights in pictures

Opening ceremony highlights in pictures