Delta will be well-represented on Team B.C. when the Canada Summer Games get underway today in Sherbrooke, QB.
Held every two years, alternating between summer and winter, the Canada Games are a key event in the development of Canada's young athletes.
As the best in their age group, these young competitors come to the Games having trained long and hard to be among those chosen to represent their respective province or territory and compete for the Canada Games Flag and Centennial Cup.
The local contingent includes high school standouts Nicole and Megan McNamara (South Delta secondary) and Ryan Cowley (Delta secondary).
The McNamaras are fresh off an impressive third place finish, competing in the women's open division for the very first time, at the Canadian beach volleyball championships. Next month, they head to Puerto Rico to represent Canada at the
Youth Olympic Games qualifying where they will be looking to secure a spot in the 2014 event in Nanjing, China.
The Grade 11 students will then turn their attention to the indoor version of the sport and lead a South Delta Sun Devils team that has an excellent chance at defending its provincial AAAA championship. Both girls were provincial first team all-stars as aged up juniors in helping the Devils win the title.
Cowley has already accomplished what few local basketball standouts have been able to do in recent memory and that's crack the provincial U17 roster. The 6-foot-7 post Grade 12 student will be a presence in the paint for Team B.C. Cowley leads a strong group of returning players for the Delta Pacers senior boys team in the coming season that will be trying to earn a rare provincial berth.
The Delta contingent at the Canada Summer Games also includes soccer standouts Alessia Azermadhi, Jasmine Mander and Sessen Stevens, all members of the Vancouver Whitecaps U18 girls elite program. Recently appointed UBC women's softball coach Gord Collings of Tsawwassen will be in charge of the B.C. women's team.
Also competing are: Sebastian Adugalski (athletics), Krista Hogewoning, Jonathan Kraft (swimming), Aaron Lattimer (rowing), Maxwell Lattimer (rowing), Trevor Pearson (cycling), Courtenay Rekis (swimming) and Markus Thormeyer (swimming). Eron Main is part of the Team B.C. Mission staff.
The athletes received an official send off on Tuesday at the Delta Sport Development Centre from the Delta Sports Council. The event was co-hosted by Delta South MLA Vicki Huntingon while Canadian Sports Hall of Fame member and former Paralympian swimming standout Michael Edgson was the guest speaker.
