Sport “icing on the cake” at Canada Games

Hey Canada, today was my last in Halifax. It was a busy morning so I did not have time to get this done! I got home around 7PM tonight, and it is sure good to be home. The past week has been amazing, overwhelming, exciting, eventful, magical, fun, and the list goes on. It was full of young athletes competing against the best to be the best. I feel now that as this week is over the the sport is icing on the cake of the whole Canada Games experience. I love my sport, don’t get me wrong but everything off the court was just as fun/exciting/ect as on the court. I met loads of new people, reunited with old friends, made new friends all the while representing my province.

It is SO amazing to look up in the stands and seeing your province cheering you on. When we usually play our month-to-month tournaments we are lucky to have 10 people in the crowd, but at the games there were hundreds in attendance! It is a feeling like no other when you see your home province colors there chanting and cheering for you. 

Some points or tips for week-two athletes-

Thank the volunteers- They are everywhere, they will help you get around, show you where to go and cheer you on, its amazing!
Get to know people- There are a bunch of nice people out there, and sometimes you will need a break from your fellow teammates!
Take advantage of the village- There are many fun and exciting things for you to do. Big screen TVs, video games, movies, dances, concerts, and more!
Play hard- This is the biggest stage a lot of  the athletes will get to participate on, so do your best, and leave your mark.

I wish the best of luck to all the week two athletes! I’ve been home for less then 3 hours, and I miss it already. This was one of the best times in my life. Tomorrow marks the day I count down to the 2015 Canada Winter Games in British Columbia.

Go PEI Go.

Thank you all!

One last time,

Ronnie McPhee
Wheelchair Basketball
Team PEI

Come and see some Wheelchair Basketball at Citadel

Hi Canada!

First off, I’d like to thank BellAliant for such great coverage of the games! My family at home have watched everyone of our games! Its amazing.

It’s Thursday today. We leave in three days, which is kind of a bummer. But it has been fun since the day we arrived. On Monday we played and defeated Manitoba by 17, and lost to Ontario by 17. A great showing by PEI. We have always been the underdog, and frankly, always will. Then we went into the game to win Against home province Nova Scotia. What a game. The gym was full of Blue and White, and even Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter was in attendance. This was the biggest game for PEI. If we were to win that game, it meant that we would be in the medal rounds, but, if we lost we still had a chance because there would be a three-way tie between PEI, NS, and Manitoba. We lost the game, it was a tough loss. And if that was not bad enough, we were out of the medal rounds by a handful of points. Manitoba moved on, and Team PEI wishes them the best of luck. We had placement games yesterday and one final one today. We took down BC in a close call 50-48 decision. And then against our good friends in New Brunswick , we took that game 59- 28. That brings us to today’s bout against Alberta. PEI is looking for a finish at the 5th spot, the highest our province ever achieved.

Today also is he gold and bronze medal games. Quebec is looking to take down Ontario for the gold, and Manitoba is looking take the bronze away from Saskatchewan.

Wheelchair Basketball is an amazing sport to play, and just as fun to watch. Come out to the Citadel to check out the last day of games!

You will be hearing from me soon again,

Ron

Soaking in the atmosphere

Hey Canada,

This is my first blog from Halifax! I have been here two days, one night and im having blast already. I feel like royalty with the way we have been treated so far, and we have not been in competition yet! We met in the Charlottetown Mall Parking lot and the first week athletes got everything together and ready to go. You could feel the excitement. When we arrived at our Hotel we were welcomed by the staff at the Delta. In the middle of the room were many bags of potatoes, giving athletes village a home-like-feel. I tell you, it worked. Team PEI piled into the lobby waiting for the key to there home away from home. We were surprised with a kit-bag with a head band, lip balm , and other touristy things. Then we headed to the heart of athletes village: The dining area. The room was huge! We got a bite to eat and toured around.

This morning athletes got to get some practice time in to get used to their venues. The high school is great. I cant wait to get to play in it. But, the part of the day I was looking most forward too was the Opening Ceremonies. They were unbelievable! With coverage provided by BellAliant and TSN2 I can’t imagine how many people got to witness it. But I dont think the internet or TV could compare to what it was like being there- front row. They were more then I expected. The musical performances were amazing. The whole thing was incredible. Nova Scotia sure knows how to throw a party. Canada Games 2011 from Halifax, NS starts tonight! I can not believe it is here already. It feels like it was just yesterday I was counting down from 100.

We also got our pins today to trade. My goal is to get as many pins from different provinces as I can. Well, I guess that is the point!

Sunday I start my competition at one, so hopefully you will be hearing from me then!

Ronnie

“Play Hard, Play to Win”

Hello Everyone !

My name is Ronnie McPhee and I’m from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. I’ll be representing Team PEI in the sport of wheelchair basketball. I have been playing since 2007, and have loved every second of it. And, I give thanks to my older brother to introducing me to the sport. Our team gets most of our playing times in at monthly tournaments around the Maritimes. Including, playing against the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Canada Games teams. But, we got our first glimpse of the rest of Canada at Junior Nationals in April 2010. We got to play against Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as our friends in New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The buzz around Montreal that weekend was that PEI and NS had the best game of the tournament, going into double overtime. PEI got the W on the exchange. We finished with a 3-3 record. There was a bunch of talent that we got to see on all teams, which makes me believe that the games next week will bare witness to the best basketball anyone could ask for.

The 2011 Canada Games’ motto is ‘What will you bring?’ Team PEI is bringing a young talented team into Halifax. Co-Captain Jeremy MacDonald has played this sport for close to 10 years now, and he brings his wisdom into every gym we enter, and does not hesitate sharing it with the younger players on the team. Jeremy Koughan, our point guard, is an all-around athlete and will use it to our advantage. Adam Loo will bring his leadership in to Halifax as Co-Captain. He is an all around player, and was named JR. National All-star back in April of last year. Joel and Jeremy Watts, our resident twins, they will both bring speed, endurance, and the love of this sport, as well as knowledge they have recently learned from being invited to a Junior National team camp. Also, the newest member of our squad is Kevin McLeod. He will be bringing his height, and his skills inside the paint. He also was on Team PEI for stand-up basketball at the last summer Canada Games. Add myself, and our coach, Stephen Farquharson along side manager Emily Farquharson to the mix, and there we have Team PEI.

Our goals for the up and coming Games are simple, play hard, and play to win. There is no quit in our team. More heart then you could ever imagine. We are striving to become best in the Maritimes, and who knows, someday we can be recognized as the best in Canada. There is only one way to find out, at this years 2011 Canada Winter Games,

Thank you for reading, and you will be hearing from me again soon!

Ronnie