WINNIPEG, March 22, 2023 – Team Canada members are in their final days of preparation before they depart for the 2023 Pan Am Championships being held in Guatemala City, Guatemala from April 1 to 8, 2023.

Led by veterans Sam Murray, Michèle Morissette and Coby Iwaasa, the team has considerable international experience. Combined, the athletes named to the team have represented Canada at 42 elite international tournaments. In particular, Iwaasa and Murray have had consistent podium success in Men’s Doubles, last year winning bronze at the World Championships and gold at the Pan Am Championships.

Team coaches Michel Gagnon and Evan Pritchard bring several years of experience to Team Canada. Amy Barrette returns as the Team therapist.

“These Pan Am Championships will be an excellent challenge and benchmark for our athletes as we build towards our ultimate goal of personal bests and medals at the Pan Am Games in Santiago,” said Jen Saunders, Racquetball Canada’s High Performance Director. “Racquetball Canada believes in this experienced, prepared, and capable team to achieve strong results in qualifying for the team.”

This year the results from this year’s Pan Am Championships are especially important as it is a qualifying event for the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games. Results will impact the number of positions allotted to Team Canada as well as the seeding for the competition divisions.

The International Racquetball Federation will be streaming the Championship Round and Team Event on Facebook Live and YouTube. You will find links for streaming as well as draws and results on the IRF website closer to the beginning of the tournament.

Watch Racquetball Canada’s website and social channels for more information about our team and their results at the Pan Am Championships. Links to our site and social channels can be found at the bottom of this email.

Pan American Championships Team

Athlete	Residence	Division
Coby Iwaasa	Lethbridge, AB	Men’s Doubles & Mixed Doubles
Michèle Morissette	Baie-Comeau, QC	Women’s Singles & Women’s Doubles
Samuel Murray	Saint-Hubert, QC	Men’s Singles & Men’s Doubles
Juliette Parent	Saint-Jacques,QC	Women’s Singles
Danielle Ramsay	Saskatoon, SK	Women’s Doubles & Mixed Doubles
Trevor Webb	Cambridge, ON	Men’s Singles

Pan American Championships Team Support Staff

Name	Residence	Position
Michel Gagnon	Longueuil, QC	Head Coach
Evan Pritchard	Winnipeg,MB	Assistant Coach
Amy Barrette	Baie-Comeau, QC	Therapist

About Racquetball Canada

Racquetball Canada is the National Sport Organization for the sport of racquetball. As a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, our mission is to coordinate, govern and encourage the advancement of racquetball from the grassroots to the elite level across Canada. Our vision is to be a visible, vibrant sport enjoyed coast to coast by Canadians of all ages and abilities.

Media Contact:

Jan Hanson

Communications, Diversity & Safe Sport Director

communications@racquetballcanada.ca I 306.502.4422