To win gold at the B.C. Winter Games, it’s going to take a team effort.
Nanaimo hockey player Payton Bray, 14, can go back to playing a team game now as she will try to help the Vancouver Island zone squad to gold.
She’s the only local hockey player who will be participating in the Games in Mission this week (Feb. 20-23), and she got there by showcasing her individual skill at tryouts.
“You have to think more about yourself … than worrying about making the right passes,” she said. “You have to see, ‘Can I beat this person one-on-one?’ and if you can, then do it.”
The forward generally plays a positionally sound brand of hockey, but brought a little extra to tryouts because she really wanted to make the B.C. Games.
“It was a huge goal,” she said.
Now that Bray earned her spot, she’ll try to do the best she can with her Island teammates. She knows some of them from spring hockey, which will help considering that the team will only have two practices before playing games that count.
Bray thinks it’s a good mix of skilled players, many of whom have experience in this sort of high-calibre tournament, so a medal is a definite possibility.
“That would be really good. I think we have a really good chance,” said Bray.
In addition to the hockey, 16 other sports will be contested in Mission, involving 1,344 athletes from across B.C. and 346 coaches and 156 officials.
“I think it will be pretty fun having the opening and closing ceremonies and seeing all the other athletes from all the other sports,” Bray said.
Local athletes, coaches and officials participating in the B.C. Winter Games include:
Badminton - Priya Ramash; Anthony Foster.Gymnastics - Cosette Teghtmeyer.Hockey - Payton Bray.Judo - Colton Davie; Cheyenne Fiandor; Alicia Fiandor; Jordan Isnor; Vanessa Kruger.Karate - Evan Milne; Liam Surry; Morgan Burke; Levi Thomas.Figure skating - Olivia Bau.Freestyle skiing - Layne Anvelt; James Dunn; Mei Pond.Coaches - Mike Clark, badminton; Anna Mataganova, gymnastics; Roger Chamberlain, hockey; Ted James, hockey.Officials - Fred Riel, wheelchair basketball; Olga Mataganova, gymnastics; Christina Sharun, hockey; Eloy Fiandor, judo; Deb Bromley, freestyle skiing.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com