Wheelchair basketball players showed their stuff Wednesday, but one team had an interesting twist.
Neither Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador could field a full team. Without enough players, there was a chance they wouldn’t be able to play -- so they joined forces.
“When we heard the news that we’d be playing with Nova Scotia, it was fantastic,” said Jack Kennedy of Newfoundland and Labrador. “There was a bit of concern here and there, but once we got together, it was full steam ahead.”
They faced challenges no other team did, with only three training camps to get ready as a full team.
“We were two separate teams, and it was a little bit awkward,” said Elliot Sampson of Nova Scotia. ‘By the end of the practice, we clicked, and it felt like a family right away.”
Despite a strong effort, the team didn’t move on to the next round.
Many in the stands have travelled far to be here, and there’s plenty.
“We’ve had big crowds. Our ticket sales have been, really, beyond our expectations at this level,” said Wayne Carew, Canada Games Chair. “The facilities are generally full.”
The warm weather has been a bit of a challenge though. Some ski events had to be rescheduled.
“We were able to do that, and now we’re back on schedule again,” said Carew. “The temperature looks good for the foreseeable future anyway.”
A different story at the Halifax Oval Wednesday where long track speed skating was cut short by warm weather.
Events are happening across the island and region, including trampoline gymnastics in Charlottetown.
The short track speed skaters are off Wednesday, but smashed records Tuesday. All three 1,500-metre women’s medalists beat the previous record by between a half and quarter-second.
At the end of day five, there’s no slowing down for the incredible young athletes or the volunteers behind the scenes making it all happen.
