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,…

Team Manitoba’s gymnasts competed in artistic and trampoline events this week at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. Both teams reflected positively on their performances and each of the athletes was very excited to have had this experience. Here’s what they had to say: Artistic Gymnastics “We are Team Toba! We’re mighty and tough! We are…

Matt Gard (15, Winnipeg) is a 6’4” centre for Team Manitoba’s men’s hockey team, here at the 2023 Canada Winter Games, and comes from a very athletic family – starting with his parents Jay and Sherri, his older twin brothers Jack and Luke, as well as his younger brother Graham. Matt’s dad played volleyball in…

Ringette coaches Lynn Girardin and Spiros Kavvadas have coached together for over 10 years. Lynne brings over 25 years of ringette coaching experience, and Spiros had 12 years behind the bench in hockey before transitioning to ringette. Both got started in the sport because of their daughters.  Caro and her older sister Nicole Girardin and…

The Fulton twins from Birtle Manitoba will be part of Manitoba’s freestyle skiing team for years to come. Mae (pictured below) and Evan are only 15 and are representing Manitoba at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. They ski against competitors who are much older, as the maximum age at the Games is 21.   Both…