Team Manitoba gears up for 2025 Canada Summer Games
Games run Aug. 8-25 in St. John's
Hundreds of athletes from Manitoba will go for gold starting next week in St. John's at the 2025 Canada Summer Games.
Team Manitoba is sending 374 athletes to the Games, which run from Aug. 8-25.
"I'm ecstatic," said Team Manitoba baseball player Piper Hollywood. "This is so crazy to me, and I'm so excited."
Hollywood and her teammates will be part of history at the Games, with women's baseball making its debut at the event.
The 15-year-old also hopes she and her teammates can be an inspiration to future generations of young girls who play baseball.
"It means so much to me. It means so much to all the girls. We've all worked so extremely hard," she said.
"I think we're just excited to be there. We're excited to show everyone what we have."
Some of the athletes helped unveil team uniforms Tuesday morning during a ceremony at the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inside the Sport Manitoba facility on Pacific Avenue.
Kayaker Luke Enns, 19, was announced as the team's flag-bearer for next week's opening ceremony.
"It's such an honour," he said. "For me, it symbolizes the connection between all the sports and all the teams that will be competing at the Games, so it's an honour to have that opportunity."
Team Manitoba will showcase family ties on the wrestling mat, with Jordan Blais coached by his dad, Dominick.
"My dad has just been so dedicated and so disciplined with how he's learning the sport. He's been studying it, looking at high-level videos, high-level wrestling," he said.
"I think his technique has surpassed mine already," said Blais. "I'm just very thankful to have him as my coach and someone that I can look up to."
Although wrestling is relatively new for Dominick Blais, he's no stranger to combat sports, with a 10-5-0 professional mixed martial arts record. He also holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
He took up wrestling with Jordan and his daughter when they were young, he said.
"It brings the family very close," Dominick said. "It's a passion that everybody shares. We've been travelling a lot together, and now coaching is my work, but it doesn't really feel like work."
Jordan said competing at the Games can also help athletes get recognized for future opportunities in their sport.
"Many of my friends from last Canada Games, they got recruited because of the Canada Games," he said. "This is really important. You've got to stay in the mindset of 'Your future is in your hands.'"
More than 4,000 athletes will participate in 19 sports at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John's, the Games' website says.
Manitoba won 37 medals at the previous Canada Summer Games, which were held in 2022 in the Niagara region of Ontario.
