Sixteen gymnasts named to Team BC for the Canada Winter Games Games
Vancouver, BC – Sixteen B.C. artistic and trampoline gymnasts from nine clubs have qualified for the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Team BC will compete at the Games in Prince George this February. The athletes were named to the team following trial competitions this fall and early winter.
2011 Team BC member Shallon Olsen returns to the Games as part of a strong women’s artistic gymnastics team. Olsen is a two-time Canadian Junior champion and a member of Canada’s junior women’s national team. At the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Nova Scotia, B.C.’s women’s team won silver.
Aaron Mah anchors the men’s artistic gymnastics team. The Canadian junior national team member won his first junior title in 2014 and represented Canada at the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in Richmond, BC. He recently signed a national letter of intent with the California Golden Bears for September 2015. The men’s team also won silver at the 2011 Canada Winter Games.
For the first time, trampoline gymnastics is part of the Canada Winter Games. Anchoring the team is longtime national team member Curtis Gerein. Joining him on the men’s team is Kyle Carragher while Emily Schmidt and Jane Harrigan will go for gold in the women’s competition.
The Canada Games are the premier multi-sport competition in the country. Twice every four years the provinces and territories come together for this two week event (Canada Summer and Winter Games). The 2015 Canada Winter Games are taking place from February 13 to March 1 in Prince George, BC. The artistic gymnastics competitions take place during the first week, while trampoline gymnastics ends the Games in the second week.
Team BC is comprised of the following athletes (Athlete’s clubs and hometowns are in brackets):
Women’s Artistic Gymnastics
Shallon Olsen (Omega – Coquitlam, Surrey)
Clair Kaji (Flicka – North Vancouver, Vancouver)
Seina Cho (Omega – Coquitlam, Coquitlam)
Ilka Juk (Omega – Coquitlam, Vancouver)
Haley deJong (Flicka – North Vancouver, Port Coquitlam)
Jessie Moody (Vancouver Phoenix, Vancouver)
Men’s Artistic Gymnastics
Aaron Mah (Vancouver Phoenix, Vancouver)
Steven Chaplin (Twisters – Abbotsford, Mission)
Alex Farquharson (Delta Gymnastics, Delta)
Darren Wong (Vancouver Phoenix, Vancouver)
Michael Sibley (Flicka – North Vancouver, North Vancouver)
Cameron Stanley (Langley Gymnastics, Cultus Lake)
Trampoline Gymnastics
Emily Schmidt (Kamloops Gymnastics, Kamloops)
Jane Harrigan (Shasta – New Westminster, Vancouver)
Kyle Carragher (Shasta – New Westminster, Port Coquitlam)
Curtis Gerein (Okanagan Gymnastics, Kelowna)
For many athletes, the Canada Games are the stepping stone to significant international competition. Past Games have featured future Olympians such as: Marianne St-Gelais (speed skating), Sidney Crosby (hockey), Eugenie Bouchard (tennis), Steve Nash (basketball), Brian Orser (figure skating) and Hayley Wickenheiser (hockey & softball).
Gymnasts from BC have also gone from the Canada Games to the Olympics: Brittany Rogers (2007 Games, 2012 Olympics), Ken Ikeda (1999 Games, 2004 Olympics), Lise Leveille (1999 Games, 2000 Olympics), Richard Ikeda (1991 Games, 1996 Olympics) and Philip Delesalle (1975 Games, 1976 Olympics).
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Based in Vancouver, Gymnastics BC is the provincial governing body for the sport of gymnastics in British Columbia. Its mission is to provide, promote and guide a positive lifelong gymnastics experience. For more information about Gymnastics BC and its programs, please visit Gymnastics BC online at www.gymbc.org.
For further information please contact:
Sandra Lewis
Gymnastics BC
(B) (604) 333-3492
(C) (778) 689-9007
email: slewis@gymbc.org