Sibling rivalry? Not when you’re teammates
Plenty of family connections for N.L. at Winter Games
While there are quite literally dozens of parents watching their children compete in respective sports at the Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C. these past two weeks, there’s no shortage of familial connections among members of Team Newfoundland and Labrador itself.
Take, for instance, the alpine ski team, which competed in Week 1.
The team included sisters Heidi and Caitlin Perry of Steady Brook, the father-daughter tandem of coach Stephen and Carley May of Corner Brook and female coach Heather Simmons, also of Corner Brook, who was joined by her kids, Kyle and Claire.
Table tennis also has two sets of siblings in Bloomfield sisters Brittney and Hannah Pitt, and brothers Michael and Nicholas Hiscock of Bay Roberts.
Apprentice coach Eileen Parsons might have been joined by her daughter, Sydney, on the province’s judo team, but the 14- year-old ended up with the female curling team.
“She’s four months too young ( for judo). We had to try (to have her approved for Games participation via) an early-bloomer clause and in the process of seeking that for her to go with judo, curling came up and asked her to be part of the team.”
It doesn’t end there. Other immediate family members participating — or who have participated — at the 2015 Canada Winter Games include:
• Badminton — Hant’s Harbours Cheryl Ash, the team’s manager, and her kids Avery and Samantha.
• Cross-country skiing — Noah and Jake Taylor of Conception Bay South; siblings Patrick and Emily McIlroy — children of well-known runner Caroline McIlroy — of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s
• Speed skating — Irishtown’s Thomas Park, whose father Lyndon was the team’s manager
• Target shooting — St. John’s brothers Daniel and Martin Dimitrov.
• Figure skating — Special Olympic skaters Sarah Connell of Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Paradise’s Melanie Taylor are joined by their mothers Delia and Michelle respectively.