March 12, 2018
Racquetball Canada Names Pan Am Championships Team
Racquetball Canada – WINNIPEG, March 11, 2018 – Racquetball Canada has named the athletes selected to represent Canada at the International Racquetball Federation’s Pan Am Championships being held in Temuco, Chile from March 23 to 31, 2018.
Pan Am and World Championship medalist Jennifer Saunders of Winnipeg brings the most experience to the team. Saunders has represented Canada on twenty-seven occasions, winning over twenty medals over the span of her career.
Saunders will be joined on the women’s team by fellow Pan Am Games medalists Christine Richardson of Winnipeg and Michèle Morissette of Baie-Commeau. Morissette has competed for Canada seven times and Richardson six. Richardson has also been on the podium at a previous Pan Am Championships.
Rounding out the women’s team is Alexis Iwaasa of Lethbridge who is representing Canada for the first time at the elite level. Iwaasa, still a junior athlete, had outstanding results at the recent National Team Selection event finishing second and securing a spot on the Pan Am Championship team.
Baie-Comeau’s Samuel Murray and Pedro Castro of Brossard bring the most experience to the men’s team. Both have competed for Canada at six international elite tournaments and each have medaled once. This season, Murray has been successful on the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) and hopes to use that experience for a podium result.
Nicolas Bousquet of Montréal and Trevor Webb of Cambridge are representing Canada for the first time at the international elite level. Both had success as junior athletes, with Webb recently winning silver in the U18 doubles event and bronze in the U18 singles event at the 2017 Junior World Championships.
Geri Powell, Racquetball Canada’s Administrator of High Performance and Sport Development is looking forward to seeing how Team Canada performs. “It is a great honour to work with the athletes that will be wearing the Maple Leaf for the Pan Am Championships in March”, said Powell. “I am excited that two of our Junior Worlds Team members are attending this event along with our veteran players. This is exciting for the growth of our sport.”
The coaches for Team Canada will be Michel Gagnon of Montréal and Corey Osborne of Penetanguishene. This tournament marks a milestone for Gagnon as it is the thirtieth time he has coached a Canadian team in international competition. This is the fifth time Osborne has been given an international coaching assignment. Christian Lord of Montréal joins the support staff as Team Physiotherapist.
The Pan Am Championship team was selected based on results from two National Team Selection Events and the 2017 Racquetball Canada Canadian Championships.
The Pan Am Championships take place annually and are used as a qualifier or seeding event for the World Championships. Canada has competed in twenty-nine Pan Am Championships since 1994 and has a history of success, winning eighty-five medals including thirteen gold, forty silver and thirty-two bronze.
The event will be live-streamed by the International Racquetball Federation. Links to the draws, results and live-streaming can be found on the International Racquetball Federation website.
Team Canada for 2018 Pan Am Championships
Men
| Athlete | Hometown | Event | Personal Coach |
| Nicolas Bousquet | Montréal, QC | Doubles | Michel Gagnon |
| Pedro Castro | Brossard, QC | Singles | Rino Langelier |
| Samuel Murray | Baie-Comeau, QC | Doubles | Rino Langelier |
| Trevor Webb | Cambridge, ON | Singles | Evan Pritchard |
Women
| Athlete | Hometown | Event | Personal Coach |
| Alexis Iwaasa | Lethbridge, AB | Singles | Corey Osborne |
| Michele Morissette | Baie-Comeau, QC | Doubles | Michel Gagnon |
| Christine Richardson | Winnipeg, MB | Doubles | Ross Richardson |
| Jennifer Saunders | Winnipeg, MB | Singles | Corey Osborne |
Coaching & Team Support Staff
| Name | Hometown | Role |
| Michel Gagnon | Montréal, QC | Head Coach |
| Corey Osborne | Penetanguishene, ON | 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.
Media Contact:
Jan Hanson
Director of Communications and Marketing
Racquetball Canada Board of Directors
jhanson@accesscomm.ca I 306.502.4422