Alberta Junior Tennis players are off to compete at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games (WCSG) held in Swift Current, Saskatchewan from August 9-18, 2019.
Team Alberta
Boy’s Singles
Arshot Bhatti
Kaetan Mehta
Boy’s Doubles
Aiden Rypien-Nazar/Arthur McCarthy
Girl’s Singles
Hana Gamracy
Alexia Jacobs
Girl’s Doubles
Gianna Oboniye/Aurora Pedwell
Mixed Doubles
Emily Niers & Nolan Sax
Team Alberta is coached by Ryan Schroffel and managed by Kristina Sanjevic of Tennis Alberta.
“We have a strong group of athletes who work well as a team, and have a good chance to medal,” says Sanjevic, Technical Manager, High Performance and Junior Player Development. “Being part of the Western Canada Summer Games is an amazing experience for Alberta athletes. Most players don’t play any team events until they attend college. The Games provide a development opportunity where the players will have to learn to compete as a team.”
Structured like a mini-Olympics, players compete in a team format, unlike Tennis Canada’s Junior Nationals that where each athlete represents their province but competes individually. Also similar to the Olympics, players participate in opening and closing ceremonies, and get the chance to meet athletes from other sports. The WCSG combine a high-level of competition with a fun, social atmosphere.
Team Alberta have been busy practicing and playing tournaments across the province. Most are fresh from playing Alberta Junior Provincials where Mehta won U14 & U16 Boy’s Singles, Bhatti (with McCarthy) won Boy’s U16 Doubles, Niers (with Alexandra Jewitt) won U18 Girl’s Doubles, Jacobs (with Hailey Murphy) won Girl’s Doubles. Jacobs is also the 107th Alberta OPEN Women’s Open champion.
The tennis portion of the games takes place from August 14-16. The Western Canada Summer Games are held every four years, one year before the Summer Olympic Games, and includes the same 23 summer sport disciplines.
For more information about the WCSG, CLICK HERE.
(Photo: Alexia Jacobs, 107th Alberta OPEN, Melissa Penney Photography)