23 Alumni on Team Canada at 2015 Parapan Am Games
Author: BC Games Society/Wednesday, August 5, 2015/Categories: 2015 News, Alumni
KELSEY DAVIS, VIASPORT
In just two days, Toronto will welcome 71 BC-linked athletes, guides and officials to the 2015 Parapan American Games. Kicking off this Friday, August 7, the 15-sport event will be the largest Parapan American Games yet.
Forty-four athletes and guides that reside from and/or train in BC will make up 20 per cent of Team Canada’s 216 Parapan Am roster, ready to compete on home soil against 28 countries from North America, South America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Read the full list here.
In the lead up to the Games, many BC athletes and coaches have received world-leading training and support from Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, the PacificSport provincial network and other regional sport centres across the province.
“Canadian Sport Institute Pacific congratulates the athletes, coaches and support staff preparing to compete at the TORONTO 2015 Parapan Am Games,” stated Wendy Pattenden, CEO, CSI Pacific. “With qualification for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games on the line, we are certain Canadians will be inspired by the performances in the coming weeks.”
Unlike the Pan Am Games, each competition over the two weeks will double as a Rio 2016 Paralympic qualifier. With this in mind, BC athletes hope to help the Canadian Parapan Am team achieve their goal of finishing in the top three nations. Notable BC athletes competing in Toronto include 2011 boccia gold medalist Paul Gauthier from New Westminster, 2011 Parapan Am archery gold medalist Kevin Evans of Jaffray, and veteran goalball player Ahmad Zeividavi from Vancouver. In wheelchair tennis, it is an all-BC women’s team, as partners Chokyu Yuka and Ishikawa Mika both hail from Vancouver.
Also representing the West Coast for Team Canada is four-time Paralympic swimmer Elisabeth Walker Young from North Vancouver. Young was named Canada’s Chef De Mission for the Parapan American Games and recently joined ViaSport in the role of Project Specialist, Sport Development.
“Having been an athlete, I know what they have put in and what surprises might impact their performances, and it is now my job to alleviate those as much as possible,” says Walker-Young. “While I did not have the opportunity to compete on home soil, I’m excited and honoured to be the spokesperson for the team, as I know this will be an experience of a lifetime for all members of Team Canada”
Of this year’s contingent, 23 participants have also competed or officiated at a BC Games and/or represented Team BC at the Canada Games or Western Canada Summer Games including Deion Green (Wheelchair Basketball) and alumni of the 2006 BC Winter Games and the 2007 & 2011 Canada Winter Games. Kelly Mann, CEO of the BC Games Society knows how important these multi-sport competitions are to shaping young athletes.
“We are proud to have played a role in providing a valuable multi-sport competition for these athletes at the BC Games and as part of Team BC,” said Mann. “We know that our alumni will draw upon that experience as they represent Canada on home soil at the Parapan Am Games.”
The BC Games Society, Canadian Sport Centre Pacific and ViaSport would like to wish all BC and Team Canada athletes the best of the luck at the Parapan Am Games. Join us in cheering them on using hashtags #TeamCanada #TO2015 and #PARATOUGH.
BC ATHLETES AT THE 2015 TORONTO PARAPAN AM GAMES:
Visit the Canadian Paralympic Committee website for a full list of Team Canada athletes and bios.
|
Name
|
Discipline
|
Sport
|
Hometown
|
BC-linked
|
Team BC/ BC Games Alumni
|
|
Kevin Evans
|
Athlete
|
Archery
|
Jaffray
|
|
|
|
Braedon Dolfo
|
Athlete
|
Athletics
|
Langley
|
|
2008 BC Summer Games
|
|
Dustin Walsh
|
Athlete
|
Athletics
|
New Westminster
|
|
1996, 1997, 2000 & 2002 BC Summer Games; 1997 Canada Summer Games
|
|
Dylan Williamson
|
Guide
|
Athletics
|
Langley
|
|
|
|
Eleanor Gill
|
Official
|
Athletics
|
Nanaimo
|
|
|
|
Eva Fejes
|
Official
|
Athletics
|
Salt spring island
|
|
|
|
Holden Gill
|
Athlete
|
Athletics
|
Nanaimo
|
|
|
|
Kelly Smith
|
Official
|
Athletics
|
Lake Country
|
|
1997 and 1998 BC Summer Games
|
|
Michelle Stilwell
|
Athlete
|
Athletics
|
Parksville
|
|
2004 and 2006 BC Winter Games
|
|
Tristan Smyth
|
Athlete
|
Athletics
|
Lake Country
|
|
2011 Western Canada Summer Games; 2013 Canada Summer Games
|
|
Vanessa Murby
|
Athlete
|
Athletics
|
Salt spring island
|
|
|
|
Caroline Vietnieks
|
Athlete
|
Boccia
|
Burnaby
|
|
|
|
Chris Halpen
|
Athlete
|
Boccia
|
Victoria
|
|
2010 BC Summer Games
|
|
Hanif Mawji
|
Athlete
|
Boccia
|
Burnaby
|
|
|
|
Hussein Mawji
|
Guide
|
Boccia
|
Burnaby
|
|
|
|
Kelly Halpen
|
Guide
|
Boccia
|
Victoria
|
|
|
|
Paul Gauthier
|
Athlete
|
Boccia
|
New Westminster
|
|
|
|
Shannon Sydorak
|
Official
|
Boccia
|
Surrey
|
|
2010 BC Summer Games
|
|
Shiela Soroten
|
Guide
|
Boccia
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Donna Perry
|
Official
|
Football - 7-a-Side
|
Langley
|
|
|
|
Drew Ferguson
|
Official
|
Football - 7-a-Side
|
Powell River
|
|
|
|
Dustin Hodgson
|
Athlete
|
Football - 7-a-Side
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Joseph Resendes
|
Athlete
|
Football - 7-a-Side
|
Port Moody
|
|
|
|
Liam Stanley
|
Athlete
|
Football - 7-a-Side
|
Victoria
|
|
|
|
Trevor Stiles
|
Athlete
|
Football - 7-a-Side
|
Victoria
|
|
2001 Canada Summer Games
|
|
Ahmad Zeividavi
|
Athlete
|
Goalball
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Ashlie Andrews
|
Athlete
|
Goalball
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Brendan Gaulin
|
Athlete
|
Goalball
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Shawna Gaborieau
|
Official
|
Goalball
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Alicia Briggs
|
Official
|
Judo
|
Lac La Hache
|
|
2006 and 2010 BC Winter Games; 2011 Canada Winter Games
|
|
Adam Rahier
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
Surrey
|
|
2004 and 2006 BC Winter Games; 2005 and 2009 Canada Summer Games; 2007 Western Canada Summer Games
|
|
Andrew Cooke
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
Penticton
|
|
2010 BC Summer Games
|
|
Craig McCord
|
Official
|
Swimming
|
Richmond
|
|
|
|
Dalton Boon
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
Delta
|
|
|
|
Janet Dunn
|
Official
|
Swimming
|
Victoria,BC
|
|
2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 BC Winter Games, 2014 BC Summer Games; 2007 Western Canada Summer Games
|
|
Jonathan Dieleman
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
Telkwa
|
|
|
|
Nathan Clement
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
West Vancouver
|
|
2010 BC Summer Games; 2011 Canada Winter Games
|
|
Nathan Stein
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
Maple Ridge
|
|
2006 BC Summer Games
|
|
Reg Shaw
|
Official
|
Swimming
|
Mission
|
|
|
|
Riley McLean
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
Vernon
|
|
2014 BC Summer Games
|
|
Sarah Mehain
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
Vernon
|
|
|
|
Scott Patterson
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Tyler Mrak
|
Athlete
|
Swimming
|
Surrey
|
|
2013 Canada Summer Games
|
|
Vincent Mikuska
|
Official
|
Swimming
|
|
Chilliwack
|
1993 BC Winter Games, 2005; 2009 Canada Summer Games; 2011 Western Canada Summer Games
|
|
Stephanie Chan
|
Athlete
|
Table Tennis
|
Richmond
|
|
|
|
Felicia Voss-Shafiq
|
Athlete
|
Volleyball - Sitting
|
Burnaby
|
|
|
|
Shacarra Orr
|
Athlete
|
Volleyball - Sitting
|
Jaffray
|
|
|
|
Tessa Popoff
|
Athlete
|
Volleyball - Sitting
|
Langley
|
|
|
|
Bo Hedges
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Basketball
|
Wonowon
|
1996 BC Winter Games; 2003 Canada Winter Games
|
|
Deion Green
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Basketball
|
Victoria
|
2006 BC Winter Games, 2007 and 2011 Canada Winter Games
|
|
Janet McLachlan
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Basketball
|
West Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Katie Miyazaki
|
Official
|
Wheelchair Basketball
|
Richmond
|
|
|
Andy Van Neutegem
|
Official
|
Wheelchair Rugby
|
Victoria
|
|
|
|
Bobby Hirschfield
|
Official
|
Wheelchair Rugby
|
Parksville
|
|
|
|
Byron Green
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Rugby
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Fabien Lavoie
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Rugby
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Melissa Lacroix
|
Official
|
Wheelchair Rugby
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Miranda Biletski
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Rugby
|
|
Victoria
|
|
|
Nancy Wong
|
Official
|
Wheelchair Rugby
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Travis Murao
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Rugby
|
Richmond
|
|
|
|
Trevor Hirschfield
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Rugby
|
Vancouver
|
|
2002 BC Summer Games
|
|
Kai Schrameyer
|
Official
|
Wheelchair Tennis
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Mika Ishikawa
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Tennis
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Yuka Chokyu
|
Athlete
|
Wheelchair Tennis
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Danny Buntain
|
NOC/CGA
|
|
Vancouver
|
|
1998 BC Summer Games
|
|
Elisabeth Walker-Young
|
NOC/CGA
|
|
North Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Fannie Smith
|
NOC/CGA
|
|
Delta
|
|
2014 BC Winter Games
|
|
Holly Tawse
|
NOC/CGA
|
|
Vancouver
|
|
|
|
Jean-François Rapatel
|
NOC/CGA
|
|
Victoria
|
|
|
|
Peter Lawless
|
NOC/CGA
|
|
Saanichton
|
|
2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 BC Summer Games; 2001 Canada Summer Games
|
|
Tara Hahto
|
NOC/CGA
|
|
|
Victoria
|
|