NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
July 26, 2014
FEMALE GOLFERS SOAR ABOVE THE FIELD
U16 girls’ softball end the day with gold
REGINA, SK – Kylie Jack, Rachelle Nielsen and Wyatt Brook win gold on the golf course for Team BC! After three rounds at the Tor Hill Golf Course, Kylie’s total score was 338, an amazing 44 shots ahead of second place in the female U17 division. Rachelle put together three consistent rounds for a total score of 241, saving her best round for last and distancing herself from the pack. She finished with a 29-shot victory earning a gold medal. Wyatt Brook started the final round tied for first and played a solid round, beating his nearest competitor by three strokes for a total score of 243.
“In the game that is usually played by individuals, we created a team and became a family,” said Team BC Golf Coach Frank Antoine. “Our athletes grew as people and golfers and we created memories to last a lifetime.” Incorporating traditional protocol, they started their day with a prayer and song, ended each day with a group hug and gave traditional names that recognized each individual. “Our athletes gained confidence and were able to handle adversity on the course because of the support they felt from their teammates,” Coach Antoine concluded.
The U16 girls’ softball team won gold in the final game against Saskatchewan. BC led by two after the first inning. They fell behind by two at the end of the third but scored two runs to tie it at 4-4. The rain couldn’t dampen the spirit of Team BC fans who kept the energy high in the stands and by the sixth inning BC led by one. The girls held the lead in an intense game. Their road to gold was complete, claiming first place with a final score of 6-5.
Track and field events ended with a total of 20 medals for Team BC athletics. “I am very pleased with the results,” Athletics Coach Peter Cross said. “Whether they’re a rookie or a seriously sophisticated athlete, I give them the same challenge—get a personal best. Everything else follows that. If you can get a personal best than you’ve had a pretty successful track meet.”
Team BC was very successful on the track, surpassing their previous medal count by more than double the amount in the past two Games. The Haintz sisters end their run with a gold medal each—Mateya Haintz in U14 discus and sister, Marquesis Haintz in the U14 800m race. Rylee Mitchell won gold in the U16 triple jump and silver in the U16 800m. Marlyn Morven won silver in U19 girls’ 200m bringing her to four medals. Nathalie Nahwegabow took gold in girls U16 200m making her a double gold medalist. Jake Firlotte added to his medals, winning gold in the U19 200m. Team BC also won bronze in the 4×400 for both the U14 girls and U19 boys.
The U16 boys’ soccer team played an intense game against Saskatchewan. Both teams went into the game with three wins, no losses in the semi-final match-up. BC came out with the score of 3-2 for the win. Goals were scored by Frazer Dodd, Clark Matthews and Joel Patsey while William Hyzims supported the team with key saves. Team BC will play Saskatchewan again for gold on Saturday afternoon.
The U18 female soccer team played Saskatchewan Friday morning with no score at the half. BC was down by one in the second but scored right away with a goal from Brittney Harry. The girls fought valiantly in overtime but took a loss with a final score of 2-3.They move on to the bronze medal game Saturday at 11:30 at the University of Regina.
The U18 male soccer team played Manitoba. BC scored an early goal, showing a high level of skill with crisp passing and strong team defense to cruise to victory with a 4-0 final score. The championship game takes place on Saturday against Team Saskatchewan. The U16 girls’ won their game against Saskatchewan, 2-0 and head to the final match-up against Ontario for gold on Saturday as well.
The final day for Team BC’s badminton players proved to be a smashing success that served up two bronze medals in the U16 category for Courtney Anderson and Julia Bood in female doubles and Courtney Anderson with Jarin Davison in mixed doubles. “Our team had some great sets,” said Manager Rita Sowden. “They will remember this for a long time.”
The U19 girls’ volleyball team defeated Nunavut two straight sets during their round-robin match on Friday. BC remained undefeated going into the game against Nova Scotia. They finished two sets against Nova Scotia to get them to the playoff round. They beat Manitoba two sets to none and have a seven-game winning streak! They face Team Saskatchewan in the semi-finals on Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
The U16 girls’ volleyball team seeded second in their pool entering the playoffs with a record of 3-1 but lost a tough match against Alberta who was seeded third. The match finished in two sets (21-25, 16-25).
Team BC U19 male softball team won 6-3 against Ontario with five strike-outs by Joshua Anderson. They play for gold on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Kaplan Field. The U19 female team played won 10-8 over Ontario which moves them into the gold medal game against Wisconsin on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. at Kaplan Field.
In a low-scoring game dominated by goaltending, the U19 lacrosse team managed to score some timely goals to get the win. Suhawna Baker had 2 goals and 1 assist. Brian Flett had 1 goal and 1 assist. The final score of 6-3 move the team onto the fifth and sixth place game on Friday at the Doug Wickenheiser Arena.
For complete sport competition schedules and results including score sheets, go to http://naig2014.gems.pro.
About Team BC
The Partners Council is responsible for managing the Team BC Program for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG). Through the support and oversight of its Team BC Work Group and Provincial Sport Committees, the Partners Council has established a coordinated Team BC program that includes the development of a comprehensive process to select the dedicated team of 500 Aboriginal athletes, coaches, managers, chaperones and mission staff to represent British Columbia at the 2014 NAIG.
About the North American Indigenous Games
The North American Indigenous Games is an international multi-sport event, involving North American Indigenous athletes from 13 provinces and territories Canada and 13 regions in the United States staged intermittently since 1990. The 2014 NAIG will take place in the City of Regina on July 20-27, 2014 and will bring together 6,000 athletes and coaches and more than 3,000 host community volunteers and 200 Cultural and Entertainment performers.
About the Partners Council
The Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council (Partners Council) is a consortium of the First Nations Health Authority, BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres and the Métis Nation BC. The Partners Council has established six regions across BC inclusive of the Northwest, Northeast, Interior, Fraser, Vancouver Coastal, and Vancouver Island. This structure brings together sport, recreation, physical activity and health leaders from within each Region to establish committees, set priorities and create annual plans for advancing sport, recreation and physical activity in their communities.
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Media contact: Felicia Greekas, Team BC Communication Manager 250-732-2044 or fgreekas@bcaafc.com
