Love for sport goes back to youth
Rempel, MacKenzie make Team Maple Leaf for worlds
Jen Rempel saw people playing dodgeball about a decade ago.
She didn’t join in right away, but, finally, seven years ago she decided she wanted to be part of the fun.
“I just said, ‘No, I’ve always loved dodgeball and I’m going’ and I’ve been hooked ever since,” she said. “It’s a really fun sport.”
This fall, Rempel and
Dalton MacKenzie will get a chance to compete against the world’s top players.
Both were named to Team Maple Leaf on Tuesday night for the World Dodgeball Federation World Championships in Ontario. If there is an odd number of teams entered for either the men’s or women’s competition, Team Maple Leaf will play at the event. If there is an even number of teams, Team Maple Leaf will play exhibition games before the tournament starts.
“If Maple Leaf is activated, and we get to play at worlds, that would be unbelievably cool,” MacKenzie said. “Playing at the highest level, playing at worlds, it’s kind of like the achievement anyone would want in any field. For me, in dodgeball, that would just be a dream come true.” The 24-year-old Kingston native said dodgeball was his favourite part of gym class during his days at Eliot River Elementary School. Two years ago a friend invited him to a tournament, and he was hooked again.
“I loved it,” he said. “I continued going to a few other (tournaments) and then I got involved in the local leagues. A couple of years go by, and here you are going to nationals.”
It was at nationals in Halifax in April that MacKenzie and Rempel were noticed by the selection committee for the national teams. They picked eight men and eight women for Team Canada and the same number for Team Maple Leaf.
“This will be a new experience, with new players from different parts of Canada,” said Rempel, a 30-year-old Charlottetown native. “It’s going to be really exciting.”
Charlottetown’s Halen Sky has made the women’s team and will be competing at the event Oct. 18-21 in Markham, Ont.
Dodgeball P.E.I. president Matthew Lawrence said it is great opportunity for the local athletes and a chance to raise the profile of the sport locally.
“I think this is amazing for our community and I’m especially proud of these three players,” he said. “I’m just so happy to see these three players will be representing P.E.I. on a world stage.”
Rempel, who is also Dodgeball P.E.I.’s treasurer, said there is plenty of talent on the Island.
“Any number of our players that went up for the nationals could have made either Team Canada or Team Maple Leaf,” she said. “I’m just really excited to see where this goes.”
The sport is much more than simply throwing balls at each other.
“Any number of our players that went up for the nationals could have made either Team Canada or Team Maple Leaf. I’m just really excited to see where this goes.” Jen Rempel, a Team Maple Leaf member from P.E.I.