I’m a proud aunt right now. My niece is competing at the Canada Winter Games and today she won a silver medal. Here’s a link to an interview with her (and her teammate, Erin) after their win today: Team BC Newsletter. The Games take place every four years and have launched the careers of many professional athletes. Unlike the Olympics, though, they seem more inclusive, with less damaging impact on the communities in which they take place. Many of the sports that appear in the Games aren’t part of the international sports scene and are thus truly amateur sports, pursued for the love of it.
Amateur sports are a big part of many kids’ lives, either through school or (if their families are lucky enough to afford it) as an evening or weekend activity. When I was a teenager, my sport was curling. I didn’t have any pretensions that I would ever play at the elite levels, but practices and bonspiels were an important part of my high school years. Even though curling has an international following and it’s now an Olympic sport, it has never had the flashy appeal of sports like hockey or skating. It’s one of the things I liked about it. Though it was a team sport, and competitive, manners mattered as much as precision on the ice. I thought of it as a sport for the quiet, studious kids. A kind of playground for underdogs, if you will. A place where atypical athletes can experience the kind of community that’s usually reserved for the jocks.
I think the Canada Games accommodate more kinds of athletes than the Olympics, or many of the international competitions, and for that I’ve always loved them. If you’re interested, you can watch some of the Games live online.
One Wet Foot 
Last year (the Winter Olympics) was my first big exposure to the winter sports and I was cheering loudly for the Canadian athletes. Congratulations to your niece on winning the silver medal. I hope she’ll continuing winning medals in the Air Pistol sport.
Thanks, Ker-Yng! We’re really proud of her. Even if she doesn’t win another medal, she’s done amazingly well. She’s already gotten a new personal best at the Games and is hoping to beat that in the individual round. I’m glad she’s been able to have this experience!
Hooray, Kathleen! She’s worked hard and developed her skills — no wonder you’re proud of her. Congratulations to her on her accomplishments!
Hi Teresa,
I’m forwarding to you two awards – One Lovely Blog Award and Stylish Blogger Award. Please read my post for the details, thanks. 🙂
The Canada Winter Games sound like fun and a great place for athletes to shine and showcase their skills. Congratulations to your niece on winning the silver. You and your family must be so proud!
We really are proud of her! She’s flying home tonight and I can hardly wait to hear all her stories.
Teresa, This post grabbed my eye. Thank you for sharing this story about the Canada Winter games. My connection here is that my 20yr old son just drove from Virginia up to Toronto and is now driving up to Temscaming to play as goalie with an ice hockey team during the playoffs. It is his dream to play on a team up in CA and ultimately go to college up there. Sports in CA are structured differently then here in the US.
Congrats to your niece for her playing in these games! bonnie
I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Bonnie! We’re really proud of Kathleen.
That’s great that your son is thinking of coming up here for University and hockey. I bet it’ll be a great experience for him.
Congratulations to your niece! How wonderful. My own niece is a curler 🙂
That’s great, @luciacara! Curling is such a fun sport.