13 BC Games alumni have been named to the Canadian Olympic Team for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games which take place February 7-23.
The BC Winter and BC Summer Games are a training ground for British Columbia's best young athletes and provide an important first multi-sport games experience. Set at the "Learning to Train" or Training to Train" stage of the Canadian Sport for Life pathway, athletes from 38 different sports have the opportunity to test themselves at a provincial level competition before moving on to national and international level events.
Olympian Kelsey Serwa competed at the 2002 BC Winter Games, as well as the 2007 Canada Winter Games. Serwa shared, "The BC Games in 2002 was my first multi-sport competition with athletes participating from all over the province. It was a real eye-opener! The Games gave me the opportunity to create life-long friendships with racers who started as only being my competition. Over the many years, fellow BC Gamer Georgia Simmerling and I have pushed each other to become better athletes and now race on the World Cup Ski Cross circuit together.”
The timing of the Olympic Winter Games is especially exciting as the BC Winter Games coincide on the final weekend. The last time this happened was in 2002 which was also the year that six of the 12 alumni were competing at the BC Winter Games.
"We are proud to include these dedicated athletes as part of our growing network of BC Games alumni,” said Kelly Mann, President and CEO of the BC Games Society. “It is rewarding to know that the BC Games played a role in their journey to the Olympic stage. We will be cheering loudly from the 2014 BC Winter Games.”
The BC Games is part of the athlete development pathway that also includes competing for Team BC at the Canada Games. Eight athletes named to the Canadian Olympic Team have competed for Team BC and five of those were also BC Games alumni.
Of the 30 athletes from British Columbia on the Canadian Olympic team, 16 have had a BC Games or Canada Games experience.
BC Games Alumni on 2014 Canadian Olympic Team
Jamie Benn, Hockey, 2004 BC Winter Games
Justin Dorey, Freestyle Ski, 2004 BC Winter Games
Liam Firus, Figure Skating, 2004 BC Winter Games
Megan Heincke (Tandy), Biathlon, 2002 BC Winter Games
Justin Kripps, Bobsleigh, 2002 BC Summer Games (Athletics)
Matt Margetts, Freestyle Ski, 2004 BC Winter Games
Denny Morrison, Speed Skating, 2000 BC Winter Games
Eric Neilson, Skeleton, 1996 BC Summer Games
Carey Price, Hockey, 2002 BC Winter Games
Morgan Pridy, Alpine Skiing 2002 BC Winter Games
Maëlle Ricker, Snowboard, 1992 BC Summer Games (Athletics)
Kelsey Serwa, Ski Cross, 2002 BC Winter Games
Georgia Simmerling, Ski Cross, 2002 BC Winter Games
To
see the full list of BC athletes competing in Sochi visit the Canadian Sport Institute website.
The Canadian Olympic Team list is available at OLYMPIC.CA