When the Manitoba judo team begins competition at the 2023 Canada Winter Games on March 1, they will bring a rich family judo tradition to the mats. The judo team of 7 male and 7 female fighters features numerous athletes with family connections to the sport and to the Games. Daniel Ekosky will compete in…

Team Manitoba’s women’s hockey coaches are making history behind the bench in PEI as the team’s first-ever all-female coaching staff. Head Coach Ashley van Aggelen (Winnipeg) is attending her fourth Canada Winter Games as a coach. Her assistants Karissa Kirkup (Virden) and Maddie Litchfield-Medd (Winnipeg) are both attending the Games for the first time.  “This…

Team Manitoba’s men’s curling team at the 2023 Canada Winter Games enters the competition as a definite medal contender. However, it’s not like the team has been together for long, with the Winter Games being the culmination of years of training. In fact, coach Graham Freeman and his son Jace, the skip of the team,…

Team Toba’s boxing team is represented at this year’s 2023 Canada Games by Dana Warnett in the 67.5kg category and Travis Thakoor in the 75kg category. Both boxers are 17 years old and will be graduating high school this year. Dana will graduate from Dakota Collegiate and Travis from West Kildonan Collegiate. This is their…

Curling has featured on every Canada Winter Games program since the beginning in 1967. Featuring alumni such as Jennifer Jones and Kaitlyn Lawes, the Canada Games has been an important stepping stone on the route to Olympic gold. For the first time ever at the Games, mixed doubles is making its debut in 2023. Team…

Building up to this week of competition at the 2023 Canada Winter Games didn’t happen overnight for Manitoba’s alpine ski team. Though they finalized their roster in January, there were months of competitions and training in the lead-up to sharpen their skills for the national stage.  Over the last few months, the team’s hopefuls were…

The Canada Games are held once every two years, and alternate between winter and summer. With four years between one winter games to the next, the chance to compete against the best young athletes in the nation, is often a once-in-a-lifetime.  At the 2023 Canada Winter Games, for Tracy Leipsic and Scott Van Horne, their…

Team Wahl’s road to the Canada Games was a winding one. Lead Gill Hildebrand (17), second Anna Marie Ginters (17), third Piper Stoesz (16), and skip Dayna Wahl (17) made their way through trials, bonspiels, and nationals. Their positive outlook shined all the way through to PEI.  “We like to play a simple game but…

Biathlon combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting in various events. The sport has been on the winter program since its debut at the 1991 Canada Games in Charlottetown. Thirty-two years later, at the 2023 Canada Winter Games, most of Team Manitoba’s biathletes got their start in the sport through the cadets.  Biathlon is one of…

Speed skating has been on every Canada Winter Games program since 1967. Short track joined the program in 1983 and has featured ever since. In short track, athletes compete against each other over a series of rounds, and the fastest skaters progress to the later rounds. Usually, four to six athletes compete in each race,…