The Future is Bright

Assistant Coach, Derek Whitson, talks about the youngsters on Team Canada and his return to Vancouver for the 10 year anniversary of the 2010 Paralympic Games

Photo Credit: Connor Mah

With a new year upon the horizon, the Canadian national women’s sledge hockey team prepares for an upcoming 3 Game series against Team USA in Richmond, BC, Canada from February 19-23, 2020. The event will be held at the Richmond Olympic Oval and includes a celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympics.

Team Canada and Team USA will each have training sessions before the 3 game series takes place on February 21 (11:00am PT/1:00pm ET), February 22 (3:00pm PT/6:00pm ET), and February 23, 2020 (10:45am PT/1:45pm ET). Team Canada will also be hosting opportunities to engage with the local public such as a female only mentorship session, open practices and autograph sessions.

Heading back to Vancouver area will be a welcomed trip for assistant coach, Derek Whitson, who took part in his very first Paralympic Games in 2010 as a member of the Canadian national men’s sledge hockey team. Whitson, who in 2010 was a 19 year old rookie, still remembers the impact that Vancouver had on his career.

“It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I had some amazing veterans who took me under their wing and helped to prepare me for the games,” says Whitson. “To be able to come back to Vancouver 10 years later, now helping our women work towards achieving their dreams feels full circle.” One group of athletes that Whitson is really looking forward to working with in Vancouver is the teenagers of the team.

Camille Lalonde (19 years old), Rebecca Sharp (19 years old), Mackenzie Spong (19 years old), Raphaëlle Tousignant (17 years old), and Alyssa White (14 years old), will all be lining up against the Americans come February. Although a young cohort of players, all but one player, has had international experience playing against Team USA last season in Minnesota, USA during a 3 game series.

During that series, Lalonde and Tousignant came out as some of the top point getters of the weekend helping Canada take the series 2-1 over their southern rivals. Sharp, an alternate for Team Canada last season due to injuries, is officially on the Canadian squad this year and ready to prove herself as a full member of the team. Spong, on the other hand, is not a stranger to these North American tilts as the 19 year old is currently in her 5th season as a Team Canada member. The trend of outstanding 14 year old players cracking the Canadian roster has continued as Alyssa White from Winnipeg, MB will be taking the ice in Richmond, BC competing against women more than double her age.

Whitson explains, “When you’re that young, it’s sometimes a blessing in disguise. You don’t have the history of the rivalry in your head. You just go out there and bring what you know you can bring to the team.”

For more information on Team Canada please contact info@wphcanada.com.