Friday marks the beginning of the 2015 edition of the Canada Winter Game and some area athletes will be in Prince George, BC to compete. The competition is held every four years, putting some of the top amateur athletes in the country head to head with athletes representing their province. Players competing from Ontario will wear the Team Ontario moniker.
From February 13 to March 1, 2015, the event will host around 2,400 competitors as well as 1,000 coaches and officials.
Among the hundreds of competitors will be some athletes from our region, scattered among events ranging from hockey to squash.
Mildmay native Miranda Lantz will skate for Team Ontario in women's hockey. The forward is coming in on a year where she has committed to playing south of the border for Quinnipiac University in the NCAA.
Shae-Lynn Reaman of Moorefield will also be on the ice. She will compete in ringette. Reaman has played on a number of competitive teams including Richmond Hill in the National Ringette league and the Western Region All Star team.
Ravi Seth of Fergus is one of eight athletes on the squash team. Ravi is the brother of Cameron Seth who has represented the province in the past, winning a gold medal in men's squash at the last edition of the games.
Ontario's Wheelchair basketball team will also feature a local pair. Corin Metzger of Elmira joins St.Marys native Eric Voss on the team.
Another Elmira athlete will be at the games with Nathan Shuh competing in Gymnastics.
There is also some coaches from the area that will join Team Ontario. Owen Sound Attack assistant coach Drew Bannister will coach the men's hockey team. Stratford native and Huron Perth Lakers coach David Schlitt will be an assistant.
The last edition of the Winter Games was in 2011. Ontario finished second to winners Quebec in the medal standings with 110 total in Halifax. The games begin Friday February 13th.