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Para ice hockey team wins Best Team Performance award

Quesnel’s James Gemmell has made the national team again this season
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James Gemmell practised at West Fraser Centre while in Quesnel prior to the Paralymic Games earlier this year. Melanie Law/File photo

Canada’s para ice hockey team, which won silver at the PyeongChang Paralympic Games in March 2018, has won an award for the Best Team Performance from the Canadian Paralympic Sports Awards.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee today (Oct. 30) announced the athletes and coaches set to be honoured at an awards ceremony on Nov. 15 in Calgary.

Quesnel athlete James Gemmell was part of the team that won a silver medal earlier this year.

READ MORE: Canada earns second Paralympic Games silver in 20 years

Handed out every two years following a Paralympic Games, the Sport Awards recognizes the outstanding achievements of Canadian athletes and coaches. This year’s awards will honour the top performances from the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, where Canada won a record 28 medals, as well as coaching at the high performance and development levels.

Gemmell said he had not heard about this most recent team performance award. He’s currently in Quesnel but getting ready to head to a training camp with the newly selected 2018/19 national para hockey team.

Gemmell has been selected for a ninth season with the national team and is the oldest member of the new roster. He remains the only team member from British Columbia.

“It’s exciting, we have a bunch of new players this year. This training camp is the first time together as a collective group,” he commented.

The camp runs for a week in Toronto, Ontario.

Gemmell said he’s motivated to push harder than ever before, after missing out on the gold medal at this year’s Paralympics.

“Now that the dust has settled, I’m proud that I got [the silver] and we accomplished that as a group after four years of hard work. At the same time, it wasn’t the result we wanted and it’s motivating me to push harder and be better, and possibly commit to another four years to get the result we wanted,” he said.

At the 2018 Paralympic Games, Canada’s para ice hockey team posted its best Paralympic result since 2006 to win silver. Featuring 10 returning players and seven first-timers, the squad just missed out on the gold with an overtime loss in the final.

“PyeongChang was a great Games. It was an opportunity for our Canadian team to show the growth we had made over the years and what we are capable of. I am so proud of all the athletes and staff that represented our country so well,” commented Greg Westlake, captain of the Canadian para ice hockey team, in a news release.

Other recent Canadian Paralympic Sports Award winners include Best Male Athlete – Mark Arendz (para nordic skiing); Best Female Athlete – Mollie Jepsen (para alpine skiing); Best Paralympic Debut by a Male Athlete – Alexis Guimond (para alpine skiing); Best Paralympic Debut by a Female Athlete – Natalie Wilkie (para nordic skiing); Tim Frick Paralympic Coach Excellence Award – Robin McKeever (para nordic skiing team); Development Coach of the Year – Ken Thom.

“A huge congratulations to all of the very well-deserving recipients of this year’s Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards,” said Marc-André Fabien, president, Canadian Paralympic Committee. “You are all phenomenal ambassadors for sport in Canada and the Paralympic Movement, and we thank you for your commitment to excellence. We look forward to celebrating your many accomplishments in Calgary.”

The 2018 Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards will be handed out at a luncheon on Nov. 15 at the Fairmont Palliser in Calgary. The Sport Awards are part of a larger 2018 Canadian Paralympic Summit, a day bringing together sport leaders to discuss Paralympic sport.



editor@quesnelobserver.com

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