Virden’s Leah Richard is excited to hit the hardwood at the 2016 Power Smart Manitoba Summer Games.
“What I am most looking forward to is being in an atmosphere with many other athletes who are just as passionate about their sport as I am about mine,” Richard wrote in an email interview.
The daughter of Carla and Roger Richard will be playing basketball for Team Westman at the prestigious event, which runs August 7-13 in Steinbach. The 2016 Power Smart Manitoba Summer Games are expected to involve up to 1,800 participants and 1,000 volunteers. Richard is among the area athletes and one coach from the area competing during the first phase of the Summer Games. The area also has a strong contingent for the second phase of the event and Virden’s Carly Hayward serves as the regional manager. Richard is going into Grade 11 at Virden Collegiate Institute. Last winter she helped the Golden Bears to a second-place finish at provincials and was named an all-star at the Manitoba championships.
“My favourite part about basketball is how aggressive it is and how physically hard it is,” Richard wrote. “I really need to push myself to keep up with my teammates.”
She praised her parents for their dedication to helping her play at this level. “Seeing as the practices for my Westman team are in Brandon twice a week I rely on my parents to take me there and then wait two hours then take me home which in total takes about four hours out of their day. Seeing as I don’t have my license I rely on them to take me to practices as well as a twoday tournament in North Dakota. They couldn’t be any more supportive.”
Baseball
The Team Westman baseball team has a strong local favour. Virden’s Des Koop is the head coach. McAuley’s Jake Poole and the Elkhorn duo of Jayce Soder and Tristen Shiner are on the team.
“What I am looking forward to the most in the upcoming games is being able to work with some great young athletes,” Koop wrote in an email interview. “Our team is composed of a lot of talented baseball players that have had a lot of success playing with their hometown teams. The other part is being able to mentor and coach with my two young assistant coaches Dustin Asham and Clark Whelpton. It is always exciting to get to work with young coaches that are just starting their coaching careers.”
Koop said that Soder and Shiner are talented young athletes who will pitch and play outfield and infield as needed.
“With a 13-man roster all are players have to be very versatile and will play many different positions throughout the tournament,” Koop wrote. “Both players have showed a great work ethic throughout the try-out process and practices. It is easy to see that both of them enjoy the game of baseball immensely.”
Poole is a good hitter who suited up for the Oildome 15U AAA this summer. He was second on the squad with a .390 batting average. Poole had three doubles, a trio of triples, and two home runs in 13 games.
Athletics
At the Summer Games, Elkhorn’s Mikayla Frattinger will be doing something old and something new. The daughter of Terri and Trever Frattinger will be competing in the 100-metre sprint, relays, and discus. The Grade 10 student-to-be really enjoys sprints, but discus is a new experience for her and she was a little hesitant about it.
“I was told by Coach Stephanie (Outhwaite) at one of my practices, ‘This is an experience. Don’t be afraid to try a new event even if you have never done it before. Sure it will feel weird in the beginning but the more you do it the more comfortable you will feel.’ She said it’s the same throughout life - you sometimes have to move out of your comfort zone and try new things. She went on to say that, of course we are trying to win but above all it’s about the development and experience. This was encouraging advice for me.”
She is proud to have the backing of her parents, brother Brady, sisters Shaylee and Avery, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Frattinger is looking forward to the Summer Games.
“Track is my favourite sport so it’s awesome that I have been given this opportunity. If the results don’t turn out the way I hope, knowing that I put 110 per cent into my events and coming away with a smile, experience, and new friends is what I call success!”
