Racquetball Canada Names Pan Am Championship Team
Racquetball Canada – Winnipeg, February 24, 2016 – Racquetball Canada is pleased to announce the athletes who have been selected to Team Canada for the 2016 Pan Am Championships, which take place in San Luis Potosi, Mexico from March 18 to 26.
The team is a mix of veteran and younger athletes who are all strong contenders with international experience. Team Canada will be led by Pan Am and World Championship medalists Mike Green, Frédérique Lambert, Tim Landeryou and Jennifer Saunders. Pedro Castro and Samuel Murray who have represented Canada at previous Pan Am Championships will join them. Murray also competed for Canada at the 2014 World Championships and is the current Canadian Champion.
The coaches for Team Canada will be Michel Gagnon and Evan Pritchard. This will be Gagnon’s thirtieth international coaching assignment and Pritchard’s eighth.
Kurtis Cullen of Brandon has been selected by the International Racquetball Federation to officiate at the Championships.
The Pan Am Championship team was selected based on results from two National Team Selection Events, the 2015 Racquetball Canada Canadian Championships and the International Racquetball Tour and Ladies Pro Racquetball Tour (LPRT) rankings.
“We are sending a strong team to the Pan Am Championships,” said Geri Powell, Racquetball Canada’s Administrator of High Performance. “With the team supporting each other, I can see us doing well. Frédérique Lambert is currently in the fourth spot on the LPRT, Tim Landeryou is coming off a selection event win and our seasoned veterans Jen Saunders and Mike Green are very competitive and have great international experience to draw from. I feel confident with our potential results.”
The Pan Am Championships take place annually and are used as a qualifier or seeding event for the Pan Am Games. Canada has competed in twenty-eight Pan Am Championships since 1994 and has a history of success, winning eighty-two medals including thirteen gold, thirty nine silver and thirty bronze.
Team Canada for 2016 Pan Am Championships
Men
Athlete |
Hometown |
Event |
Coach |
Pedro Castro |
Brossard, QC |
Doubles |
Rino Langelier |
Mike Green |
Hamilton, ON |
Singles |
Sue Swaine |
Tim Landeryou |
Saskatoon, SK |
Doubles |
Loren Prentice |
Samuel Murray |
Baie-Comeau, QC |
Singles |
Rino Langelier |
Women
Athlete |
Hometown |
Event |
Coach |
Frédérique Lambert |
Montréal, QC |
Singles & Doubles |
Michel Gagnon |
Jennifer Saunders |
Winnipeg, MB |
Singles & Doubles |
Sue Swaine |
Coaching & Team Support Staff
Name |
Hometown |
Role |
Michel Gagnon |
Montréal, QC |
Head Coach |
Evan Pritchard |
Winnipeg, MB |
Assistant Coach |
Christian Lord |
Montréal, QC |
Physiotherapist |
Racquetball Canada is the national sport governing body for the sport of Racquetball in Canada. Along with the support of the Government of Canada and many valued partners, Racquetball Canada develops competitive national teams and oversees programs that grow the sport of racquetball in Canada. For more information visit our website at www.racquetball.ca.
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Media Contact:
Jan Hanson
Director of Communications and Marketing
Racquetball Canada Board of Directors
jhanson@accesscomm.ca I 306.502.4422