Awards ceremony wraps regional wheelchair basketball championship at Duchess Park

Prince George, BC – This past weekend’s 2013 Junior West Regional Wheelchair Basketball Championship at Duchess Park Secondary was the first official test event for the 2015 Canada Winter Games…

From mascots at the airport to welcome the athletes to Prince George from across Western Canada, to yesterday afternoon’s final game which saw the BC Warriors crowned champions with a 21-18 victory over Saskatchewan A, the event was ‘testing’ the venue, the city, and volunteers for what’s to come in 2015.

"On behalf of the City of Prince George, I hope we’ve shown you a good time," Acting Mayor Dave Wilbur said to the athletes and spectators at yesterday’s awards ceremony in the gym at Duchess Park.  "We’ve given you a taste of what we can deliver in 2015, I expect you all to be back for 2015.  What a delightful venue, Duchess Park has done itself proud."

The school will be the venue for wheelchair basketball during the games.  More than 30 volunteers were involved in the weekend tournament that involved seven teams from BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.  Speaking after her team’s win, BC Warriors coach, Marni Abbott-Peter, said, "The facility is fantastic and the weather wasn’t too cold for us."

"We stayed at the Ramada and had great hospitality there," she said.  "We went to the Civic Centre (Saturday) night, which was great, accessible, fantastic food – so we’re looking forward to coming back.  And the volunteers, too, have been great and that’s a huge part of it."

While more detailed follow up has yet to come in to the 2015 Canada Winter Games Host Committee – interviews with wheelchair basketball sporting officials, athletes, coaches, etc – Games CEO, Stuart Ballantyne, said initial feedback is that the event went really, really well.

He says there is, of course, some minor tweaking to be done in the 690 days leading up to the Games. 

"Obviously the venue is not in full Games mode, but when it is, it will be very, very successful," says Ballantyne.  "This is a great venue – it’s very accessible for the athletes and I think it’s going to have a big crowd here."