(The West Ottawa Ringette U19AA team are looking forward to representing WORA at the 2023 Ontario Winter Games the weekend of February 2-5. The team made time at their January 30th practice for some photos. Members of the team are as follows (front row l-r): Isabella Coe, Danika Lindsay, Lucy Wojcik, Alexis McGuire; (back row l-r): Hannah McMillan, Kailee Leskiw, Mia Fioravanti, Molly MacDougall, Molly Cadieux, Kaitlyn Barteaux and Olivia Weylie. Missing from the photo is Jaidyn McGuire (twin sister of Alexis). Photos: Stittsville Central.)
Renfrew will be hosting the Ontario Winter Games during the first two weekends in February 2023: February 2-5 and February 9-12. The Games were originally scheduled for early 2022, but were postponed due to concerns of COVID-19. When it was announced that the Games would be held in Renfrew County in 2023, Renfrew County Councillor Peter Emon, also Chair of the Ontario Winter Games organizing committee, said in a release, “Mark your calendars and be prepared to enjoy the best of Ontario winter youth athletic competitions. This will be an opportunity to see future National team and Olympic/ Paralympic athletes competing right here in Renfrew County.”
One of the teams participating in these Games is the West Ottawa Ringette U19AA out of Stittsville. The team is made-up of girls who reside in various communities in the Ottawa and Valley areas. This high-performance team will be playing their games on the first weekend of the Ontario Winter Games. The ringette games will be played out of the Nick Smith Centre at 77 James Street in Arnprior. A short drive away for those who want to watch the team action in person.
During the weekend, the team will be sequestered in a local hotel and transported to the Nick Smith Centre by bus on game days.
Working up to and competing to be eligible to attend the games, the U19AA – Catlin team has been led by an incredibly dedicated team of volunteers. Together, they have prepared this team to ensure the girls are in the best condition to play at the Ontario Winter Games: Syd Catlin is the Head Coach. Bev Young, Colleen Hagan, Bonnie Fioravanti and Bill Hubbs are the Assistant Coaches, with Carrie Lindsay as the Trainer and Ralph Coe as the Manager.
Members of the team who will be representing WORA are as follows:
- Kailee Leskiw
- Molly MacDougall
- Alexis McGuire
- Kaitlyn Barteaux
- Jaidyn McGuire
- Hannah McMillan
- Olivia Weylie
- Lucy Wojcik
- Molly Cadieux
- Mia Fioravanti
- Isabella Coe
- Danika Lindsay
At their January 30th practice session, we saw them in action. The team was pretty hyped about participating in their first Ontario Winter Games. This team is fast and exceptionally competitive. We wish them the best of luck and look forward to them bringing home the gold!
The 2023 Ontario Winter Games will draw more than 3,000 young athletes, coaches and officials from across Ontario to compete in 22 individual sports being played across the Ottawa Valley. You can find the teams and event schedules at https://renfrewcounty2023.ca/sports/#schedule.
