In a little over a week, years of preparation and perspiration will be put to the test as 110 of the Yukon’s best athletes begin participating in the 2011 Canada Winter Games in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
While hopes are high across the board, expectations are particularly substantial in cross-country skiing, the source of three of the Yukon’s four medals in the 2007 Games in Whitehorse.
Not only does the cross-country team consist of seven skiers returning for their second - or even third - Winter Games, it also includes some past medal winners.
Whitehorse’s David Greer, who is back for his second Games, was the only athlete to surpass the bronze in 2007, winning a gold in a 10-kilometre race.
Greer’s sister, Janelle, is also returning for another Games in search of more hardware. Janelle, along with other cross-country returners, Emily Nishikawa and Heidi Brook, won bronze in the 4x3.75-kilometre relay race in 2007.
A first for the territory, Team Yukon will also include para-athletes with Ramish Ferris and John Austring competing in sit-ski.
For the first week of competition, Yukoners will take part in gymnastics, biathlon, curling (female), hockey (male), target shooting, freestyle skiing, speed skating and squash.
The following week will see Yukoners in archery, badminton, cross-country skiing, curling (male), figure skating, hockey (female), snowboarding, synchronized swimming and table tennis.
The Yukon will also be represented by three Yukon artists in the National Artist Program, which runs both weeks.
Below is the finalized roster for Team Yukon released on Wednesday.
Team Yukon
Archery
Scott Anderson
Shelley Inkster
Tanisha Leas
Travis Rivest
Coach: Les Johns
Manager: Cheryl Rivest
Artistic gymnastics
Corey Baxter
Kelcie Henney
Foreste Martin
Anna Rivard
Coach: Jennifer Ryan/
Catherine O’Donovan
Badminton
Justin Dragoman
Leanne Gordon
Jasmin Gordon
Seth Rotondi
Michaela Rotondi
Andrew Taylor
Coach: Lynn Oettli
Manager: Sandeep Sharma
Biathlon
Erin Oliver-Beebe
Jennifer Curtis
Jeremy Johnson
Coach: Judy Hartling/
Keith Clarke
Manager: Mary Jane
Oliver-Beebe
Cross-country skiing
Colin Abbott
Dahria Beatty
Heidi Brook
David Greer
Janelle Greer
Knute Johnsgaard
Kendra Murray
Emily Nishikawa
John Parry
Ray Sabo
Coach Alain Masson/Amanda
Deuling/Veronique Theriault
Aboriginal apprentice coach:
Carolyn Coombs
Manager: Nick Stratis
Wax tech: Scott Puskas
Curling (female)
Jenna Duncan
Linea Eby
Sarah Koltun
Patty Wallingham
Coach: Lindsay Moldowan
Curling (male)
Michael Hare
Kurtis Hills
Thomas Scoffin
Andrew Scoffin
Coach: Wade Scoffin
Figure skating
Teneil Caron
Bryn Hoffman
Rachel Pettitt
Coach: Zdenek Pazdirek /
Trish Pettitt
Manager: Cheryl VanBlaricom
Freestyle skiing
Sebastien Berthiaume
James Boyle
Miguel Rodden
Anatole Tuzlak
Anna Smith
Coach: Stuart Robinson
Manager: Loree Stewart
Hockey (female)
Natalija Blanchard
Britney Brown
Adrianne Dewhurst
Linsey Eby
Tamara Greek
Lynsey Keaton
Madison Logan
Christina McIntyre
Tshayla Nothstein
Maya Oakley
Sierra Oakley
Ashtyn Sandulak
Chyanne Spenner
Hannah Turner
Dana van Vliet
Savannah van Vliet
Saddie Whitelaw
Jocelyn Wynnyk
Coach: Louis Bouchard/
Kelly Eby/Megan Moore
Equipment manager:
Selena Kaytor
Director of operations:
Laura Eby
Hockey (male)
Chris Anderson
Mike Arnold
Craig Berube
Youje Blackburn
Graeme Close
Charles Dagostin
Wyatt Gale
Tyson Glass
Chase Hobbis
Tyrell Hope
Liam Janke
Dominic Korn
Kyle Lowes
Matt McCarthy
Cole Morris
Scott Peterson
Riley Pettitt
Nigel Sinclair-Eckert
Jared Steinbach
Trevor Whynot
Coach: Jay Glass/Kirk Gale
Equipment manager:
Wade Klippenstien
Director of operations:
Daryl Berube
I.S.T.: Pat Duncan
Nation Artist Program
Valerie Herdes
Clancy McInnis
Jada Powell
Manager:
Andrea Simpson-Fowler
Para-Nordic
Ramish Ferris
John Austring
Target Shooting
Kyley Marcotte
Danielle Marcotte
Manager: Darcy Marcotte
Snowboarding
Lara Bellon
Alexander Chisholme
Kayla Hallonquist
Max Melvin-Mcnutt
Thomas Mills
Coach Mary Binsted/
Norm Curzon
Manager Emma Barr
Wax tech: Mike Murphy
Aboriginal apprentice coach:
Katrina Couch
Speed Skating
Heather Clarke
Donald Fortune
Shea Hoffman
Coach: Phil Hoffman
Manager: Stacy Pennington
Squash
Shermaine Chua
Sophia Flather
Stephen Grundmanis
Coleman Newell
Tia Oster
Kelly Panchyshyn
Mustafa Syed
Zain Syed
Coach: Eng Khoon Chua
Manager: Lia Johnson
Synchronized swimming
Olivia Duncan
Taylor Hanna
Simone Kitchen
Coach: Aura-Lea Harper
Manager: Heather Harris
Table tennis
Kyle Lee Gonder
Ehsan Idrees
Alex Zheng
Coach: Kevin Murphy
Manager: Ryan Bachli
Chef de Mission
Trevor Twardochleb
Assistant Chef de Mission
Tracey Bilsky
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com