For many of our Canada Games teams, the selection process is in its final stages.
Qualification events are being held almost on a weekly basis for those sports that require definite
standards in order to compete in Sherbrooke, while in some other sports, coaches are desperately trying
to figure out those final places. It is a difficult time for all, as some athletes who have been on training
squads throughout the process will end up missing out. Who would be a coach?
Two sports that have already settled on their teams are wrestling, and canoe/kayak.
Our canoe kayak is fairly straightforward, as it consists of one athlete, Cardigan’s Brady McKenna.
Brady is without doubt our finest athlete in a sport that has only been established for a short time in the
province, and he made his Games debut in 2009 where his best finish was a 5th place in the K1 1000m
race.
This time around Brady will be competing in the 200m, 1000m and 500m K1 (kayak events), and his
long-time coach, Justin Richard Batten, tells me that he is paddling faster than ever.
Brady has competed at national regattas and has gained some valuable experience, and coach Batten,
while refusing to put any undue pressure on his athlete, is striving for fast times and possible top five
finishes, while of course, aiming for a podium if all comes together on the day.
The sport of canoe kayak is extremely competitive right now, especially in the Maritimes where Nova
Scotia has dominated recent Canada Games. Brady will be in very good company when his events kickoff August 12 at Lac Des Nations.
Our wrestlers did us proud in 2009, with Veronica Keefe winning gold, and Jillian Durant silver at an
electric recreation complex in Montague. It was without doubt PEI’s best day at the Games, and our
current squad of seven males and three female wrestlers will be eager to repeat Veronica and Jillian’s
success.
Results enjoyed by our teams in the past few months indicate we could be in for another successful
Games. Hannah Taylor at 52kg recently won Cadet gold at the Canadian championships in Saskatoon
and is ranked number one. Hannah is currently undefeated this season, and after the Games she will be
heading to Serbia for the FILA World Championships.
Lorena Ellis has been an outstanding competitor for a number of seasons with medals at national and
international events, and she will be competing in the 65kg category where she will be looking to add to
her gold in the Juvenile division at the Canadian Championships. Rounding out the women’s team is
Mary Catherine McQuaid, another tough competitor in the 49kg division who is definitely capable of a
top-five finish following her gold at Atlantics and silver at Eastern Canadians.
Our men’s team has also been solid with some good performances in the major tournaments. Ligrit
Sadiku of the Wolfpack in Summerside could be the one to watch, as he has enjoyed a fine season in
50kg with gold at Atlantics, Easterns and the New Brunswick Open, but the full team of Ben Gallant
(54kg), TJ Gaudet (42kg), Hunter Bell (69kg), Jake Mallet (63kg), Jason Reeves (58kg) and Connor
MacAulay (76kg) have all strung together some very impressive results this year and will be eager to
impress in Sherbrooke.
Wrestling is scheduled for week one of the Games, and will run for three days Aug 6-8. The very best of
luck to all our grapplers!
Nick Murray is the Communications Director for Sport PEI and a big fan of the Canada Games. He
welcomes comments at [email protected]