The Peace Country will be going for gold at the 2019 Canada Winter Games. A group of six athletes and support staff are in Red Deer for the games, which kick off Friday night.
Representing Grande Prairie are snowboarder Kayla Milne, judo athlete Michelle Grisales, men’s hockey equipment manager Dave Campbell and mission staff member David Hurta. They’re joined by apprentice figure skating coach Anne-Marie Behnke of Peace River and women’s hockey player Brooklyn Tews from Beaverlodge.
The event brings together 3,600 athletes and support staff from across Canada to participate in 19 sporting events. It will be the largest multi-sport and cultural event to be hosted in Alberta since the 1988 Olympics in Calgary.
“We are thrilled that for the first time in 24 years, we will once again host the Canada Winter Games,” says Premier Rachel Notley. “Our athletes, coaches, staff and volunteers have been training hard for this moment, and we are so proud of their efforts.”
Grande Prairie has already played a part. It was one of the stops on the first ever MNP Canada Games Torch Relay in early January. The city last hosted the 1995 Canada Winter Games.