Ringette star Manitoba’s flag-bearer for Canada Winter Games
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/02/2019 (2105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Manitoba’s powerhouse under-20 ringette squad is a solid favourite to strike gold at the Canada Winter Games later this month, so it made perfect sense for organizers to select one of the team’s stars to serve as the province’s flag-bearer.
Alana Lesperance, a 19-year-old University of Manitoba student, was thrilled with the honour.
“I can’t even put it into words,” Lesperance said Tuesday at a news conference to unveil her selection ahead of the Games, slated for Feb. 15 to March 3 in Red Deer, Alta.
MANITOBA AT THE GAMES
Where: Red Deer, Alta.
When: Feb. 15 to March 3
Chef de mission: Marcie Halls-Stronciski
2019 team: 208 athletes, 46 coaches, 14 managers, eight tech support workers and 20 mission staff
2015 Winter Games: Manitoba finished sixth with 16 medals, including six gold, three silver and seven bronze at the Games in Prince George, B.C.
“Our province has so many good athletes and they put in so much effort, so to be able to represent each and every one of them is really a privilege. That’s exciting.”
Lesperance plans to enjoy the Games’ opening ceremony, but has some serious ambitions for the competition to follow.
“Winning gold,” said Lesperance. “I mean, our team was selected in May and we’ve been putting in so many hours, sacrificing a lot of things — my school work for sure. I think we’ll do really well.”
The Canada Games ringette competition kicks off Feb. 15 and continues until the medal games on Feb. 22. Quebec, Ontario and Alberta are also considered contenders for gold.
Lesperance is among the most decorated members of the provincial team. She has medalled at three of the five national championships she’s attended, was named an all-star in four of the five and was honoured as the toughest competitor at one of the nationals.
She was also a member of the junior national team in 2017.
‘I can’t even put it into words. Our province has so many good athletes and they put in so much effort, so to be able to represent each and every one of them is really a privilege. That’s exciting’
– Alana Lesperance, Team Manitoba flag bearer
Added teammate Kelsey Gillan, another U of M student: “I would say we have a good chance of making it to the final. It’s going to be a hard competition. We haven’t played some of the teams since October, so we don’t know what to expect from them.”
Co-coach Andrea Ferguson believes her squad is up to the task after an excellent pre-Games schedule that included major tournament wins in Quebec in January and Ontario in November, beating the host teams for gold each time.
“It is gold or bust,” said Ferguson, who was also on the coaching staff that guided Manitoba to gold at the 2015 Games in Prince George, B.C.
TEAM MANITOBA
Alpine skiing
Noah Cunningham
Jack Healey
Mykola Kruk
Maia Dalling
Alpine skiing
Noah Cunningham
Jack Healey
Mykola Kruk
Maia Dalling
Matthew Sauer
Natalie Cuvelier
Lauren King
Scott Robinson
Hayden Plewes
Karly Friesen
Jared Friesen
Lori Steppler
Hana Dunlop
Amanda Creith
Robert Lawrie
Jessica McBride
Maclean Hatherly
Archery
Kadin Giebelhaus
Bryanne Lameg
Austin Taylor
Cleo Wermann Thorn
Duncan Crawford
Avril Hatherell
Artistic Swimming
Laurie Preston
Jorja Koziuk
Carolyn Currie
Myra Landers
Madison McLeod
Tamara Chaput
Kendi Dyck
Lily Danis
Maxine Yip
Alyssa Medeiros
Sarah Benson
Kayla McMurchy
Badminton
Paul Brown
Félix Tessier
Jeannette Ding
Rylan Ramnarace
Kyi Nichols
Arnish Patel
Tiffany Tantakoun
Ghajaayine Senthilkumaran
Emalia Sinclair
Devika DeRaj
Justin Friesen
Ashelle Dick
Mélanie Curé
Biathlon
Lévi Brunelle
Meaghan Smith
Mark Naylor
Kaylee Dean
Emma Mitchell
Alexisse Bérard
Lucas Smith
Ian Mitchell
Heather Willis
Gregg Campbell
Lorraine Mitchell
Richard Pettit
Boxing
Mohammed Makhlouf
Justice Harborne
Jawad Miakhail
Kent Brown
Rodman Batson
Cross-country skiing
Simon-Pierre Lamarche
Imogen Nadlersmith
Casey Nelson
Emma Malkoske
Taschi Klaschka
Levi Nadlersmith
Elise Hummelbrunner
Aaron Warkentine
Simon Giasson
Jesse Bachinsky
Conor McGovern
Tessa Warkentine
Timothy Wintoniw
Megan Carter
Elise Paetkau
Pauline Nadlersmith
Steven Wintoniw
Curling
Hayley Bergman
Payton Bergman
Cheyenne Ehnes
Anastasia Ginters
Christine Hamblin
Adam Flatt
Graham Loewen
Zachary Bilawka
Sean Flatt
Thomas Clasper
Figure skating
Annika Duguay
Breken Brezden
Emmet Dewar
Chanel Cabak
Jade Pilat
Emma King
Yohnatan Elizarov
Kevin Dawe
Tammy McKay
Tina Chen
Freestyle skiing
Rowan Parnell
Asa France
Rylan Halladay
Owen Lothian
Keegan Jackson
David Parnell
Artistic gymnastics
Mackenzie Neumann
Akira-Lee Cormier
Stephanie Clarkson
O’keri Katjivari
April Demeule
Caitlyn Yip
Alexis Gillespie
Jordyn Crerar
Jordyn Galloway
Rachelle Valel
Robert Persechino
Alexandra Empey
Celia Champion
Artistic gymnastics – trampoline
Lauren Hawkins
Tyler Champagne
Raina Gertley
Isaiah Klassen
Amanda Pierson
Michelle Bonner
Daniel Klassen
Female hockey
Karine Sandilands
Camille Enns
Rachel O’Toole
Kennesha Miswaggon
Rorie Ringor
Kylie Lesuk
Danica Namaka
Paige Hubbard
Raygan Kirk
Kate Gregoire
Taylor Coward
Rebecca Thiessen
Julianna Thomson
Kaila Powell
Makenzie McCallum
Paige McArthur
Alexandra McArthur
McKiya Mazur
Olivia Cvar
Sarah Dennehy
Reid Sloan
Sarah Zacharias
Jordan Sobkowicz
Gordon Woodhall
Riley Kosmolak
Male hockey
Cole Assailly
Colby Wotton
Conner Roulette
Eric Alarie
Rory Neill
Jayden Catellier
Dawson Pasternak
Carson Lambos
Tyler Brennan
Ashton Geekie
Hudson Thornton
Aidan Brook
Grady Lane
Skyler Bruce
Hunter Wallace
Justin Lies
Tayem Gislason
Cabrel LaBossière
Roux Bazin
Trentyn Crane
Daniel Eliasson
Bradley Purdie
Garth Mitchell
Scott Antaya
Brian Elder
Joseph Norminton
Judo
Ijob Hamraev
Nina Zigic
Justin Ekosky
Sarah Ekosky
Rebecca Villa
Samantha Ulrich
Michael Akbashev
Dylan Tully
Kadin Bonnell
Ainslee Reynante Tolentino
Emily Rogowsky
Emily Czosnek
Kelden Bonnell
Ariel Mesongnik
May Baldo-Oduca
Mark Berger
Brian Jones
Ringette
Jayme Dorsett
Alexsi Kavvadas
Caroline Girardin
Taylor Hildebrand
Jordyn Campbell
Olivia McCowan
Josée Roy
Isabella Paisley
Nicole Girardin
Brett Van Nieuw Amerongen
Kelsey Gillan
Alana Lesperance
Kaylee Spearing
Celeste McElroy
Belle Groen
Milica Oravec
Jenna Bazin
Milanne Rondeau
Robert Walker
Ashley Lutz
Andrea Ferguson
Snowboard
Cole Steendam
Evan Merino
Liam Berger
Keenan Demchuk
Braeden Demchuk
Catrin Butler
Mason Desjardins
Speed skating
Mary Prendergast
Tyson Langelaar
Ashley Hannah
Kennedy Charles
Chloé Beauchesne
Alexa Scott
Andrew Seddon
Robyn Salie
Elliot Ganas
Emma Roche
Adam Buchwald
Magnus Ellis
Jacob Hannah
Danica Grierson
Ryan Kulbacki
Jordan Campbell
Owen Hack
Joel Simpson
Hunter Ullett
Tyler Derraugh
Cynthia Klassen
Elizabeth Derraugh
Scott Van Horne
Squash
Alexander Kirbyson
Bryce Kristjansson
Dorothy Hargraves
Kostubh Agarwal
Anne Hargraves
Emily Hargraves
Mohyna DeRaj
William Znidarec
Trevor Borland
Alix Younger
Table tennis
Anna Liu
Gordon Chow
Nibusha Loganathan
Jeremy Tran
Yunyang Deng
Carol-Jean Wong
Arvin Tronco
Phuong Nguyen
Wheelchair basketball
Bethany Johnson
Matthew Wilton
Emma Isaacs
Téo Roy
Rylan Bileski
Thomas Thevenot
Bernard Rosello
Spencer Lambert
Joshua Brown
Jarrett Yaworski
Chantelle Horel
David Bileski
Mission staff
Peter Conway
Patrick Kirby
Marcie Halls-Stronciski
Kelly Babb
Dustin Stewart
Stephen Younger
Luc Therrien
Nolan Kowal
Kyla Ray
William Gendron
Stephen Harris
Tara Funke
Lin-P’ing Choo-Smith
Mandy Los
Andriana Demchuk
Deborah Schween
Sarah Tone
Bernard Reichardt
Jessica Alcantara
Ryan Van Berkel
“We’ve talked about that a little bit and I’d say we have a target on our backs based on finishes at previous tournaments. We won the last two tournaments and finished second in the first two.
“They’re all well-rounded, they’re all incredible kids.”
Manitoba, captained by Milica Oravec of Oakbank, is an effective blend of youth and experience. The squad includes two 16-year-olds and four 17-year-olds.
“I’ve actually had the pleasure of coaching the majority of the team for the last three years prior to this, so we created a nucleus that I was familiar with and the girls as a unit are incredible,” said Ferguson.
“They work hard, they understand what it means to win, they understand what it takes to win and they understand the hard work that goes into it. So I’m really looking forward to competing.”
Nicole Hekle was the only previous ringette player to serve as flag-bearer for Manitoba. Hekle represented her province at the 2003 Games in Bathurst-Campbellton, N.B., and went on to lead her team in scoring as Manitoba earned a silver medal that year.
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @sawa14
Mike Sawatzky
Reporter
Mike has been working on the Free Press sports desk since 2003.
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History
Updated on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 5:48 PM CST: Adds team Manitoba list
