Snowboard Team Named for Canada Games

Seven Nova Scotia snowboarders hope to catch some big air and carve some serious snow in Whitehorse, Yukon, as snowboarding makes its debut at the 2007 Canada Winter Games from Feb. 23 to March 10.

Four athletes will compete in the half-pipe event, and three in the alpine event. The team is as follows:

• Andrew Armstrong of Windsor, Hants Co., half-pipe
• Devon Chandler of Wolfville, Kings Co., alpine
• Alexandra Duckworth of Kingsburg, Lunenburg Co., half-pipe
• Emily Ernst of Sackville, Halifax Regional Municipality, half-pipe
• Jamie Gilhen of Dartmouth, Halifax Regional Municipality, alpine
• Kita McRory of Dartmouth, Halifax Regional Municipality, alpine
• Benjamin Robinson of Falmouth, Hants Co., half-pipe

The alpine snowboarders are coached by Steve Fairbairn of Fall River, while the half-pipe athletes are coached by Natasha Burgess of Cole Harbour. The team is managed by Reid MacMillan of Wolfville.

"The teams have been competing together for two full seasons, doing a lot of travelling to get ready for the Games," said Ms. Burgess. "We've been competitive at a national level, and we're looking forward to competing at great facilities in the Yukon."

In preparation for the Games, the team has travelled to competitions across Canada and in the United States. Recently, the team competed in Calgary and Quebec at NorAm competitions.

Team Nova Scotia 2007 has 290 members -- 213 athletes, 36 coaches, 23 managers, three artists and 15 mission staff. See the team's website at ns.canadagames.ca for the latest information on Team Nova Scotia.

The Canada Games is the country's largest amateur multi-sport event. More than 3,600 athletes, coaches and managers will gather in Whitehorse to compete for 1,122 medals in 22 sports.