The Interlake will be well represented when the 2026 Manitoba Winter Games open March 1-7 in Thompson, with more than 100 athletes suiting up for Team East Region across 10 of the 12 sports on the program.
Express Photos Submitted
The province’s best young athletes will compete over seven days in two phases, beginning with alpine skiing, archery, curling, gymnastics, boys hockey and ringette from March 2 to 4, followed by badminton, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, futsal, girls hockey, speed skating and wrestling from March 5 to 7.
The Games will kick off with the opening ceremony at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 1 and wrap up Saturday, March 7, with the closing ceremony at 2 p.m.
Both will be streamed on Sport Manitoba’s YouTube channel and the Manitoba Games’ Facebook page.
Alpine Skiing
Evan Michael Czarnecki of Winnipeg, Charlie Jekat of East St. Paul and Amy Robinson of Cooks Creek will represent the region in alpine skiing.
Archery
Archers include Alex Haley (Selkirk), Beck Moyer (Brandon), Theo Salem (East St. Paul), Jazmyn Rae Sanderson (East Selkirk), Callen Jake Teeple (Brandon), Alyssa Thomas (Powerview-Pine Falls) and Aj Yates (Carberry).
Badminton
Competing in badminton are Raina Andrelunas (Lac du Bonnet), Nolan Bittner (Cooks Creek), Bentley Jordan Dueck (Pinawa), Ezra Giesbrecht (East Selkirk), Connor Kent and Jack Davien Martin (Oakbank), Kate Willow Martin (community unavailable), Rorie James Patrick McDonald (Beausejour), Murdoch John McLeod (Whitemouth), Maryna Nychaia (Pinawa), Kailyn Pineau (community unavailable), Cash Schwabiuk, Aubree Taylor Terri Button, Bella Jane Reid Thomas, Elyse Unger, Silas Kane Whynot, Khloe Wold and Alexis Theresa Zimmer (all Lac du Bonnet), Benett James Skrabek (Cooks Creek) and Anita Tetrault (Seven Sisters Falls).
Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiers are Beckett Blyth and Tucker Blyth (Longbow Lake), Ethan Martin and Josh Perrier (Kenora) and Graham Brian McKinley Tinker (Teulon).
Curling
Curlers include Kamryn Einarson and Khloe Einarson (Gimli), Nadine Jolicoeur (Clandeboye), Ella Lavoie (East Selkirk), Jake Kowalchuk (Camp Morton), Sierra Smith, Bennett Mead, Colby Van Ryssel and Hunter Van Ryssel (Oakbank), Graham Brian McKinley Tinker (Teulon), James McEwen, Callum Blanco, Mason Burdy Ostermann and Liam Werenich (communities unavailable).
Figure Skating
Figure skaters competing are Isabela Cabral (East St. Paul), Nate Gerald Greenbank (Moosomin), Anna Hoff, Lacey Learning and Gaia Turner (Stonewall), Carys Rayne Jenner (Morden), Paige Newman (Seven Sisters Falls) and Callie Donna Ogal (Lockport).
Futsal
Futsal athletes include Andres Mauricio Aguirre Jaramillo, Bourooj Al Nahar, Selina Cotroneo, Beckett Derlago, Ellie Hammond, Hudson Cole Kroeker, Claire Rebecca Elizabeth Parkes and Maddy Prairie (all Winnipeg), Jace Van Lam (Selkirk), Hai-Ting Lao (East St. Paul), Cristiano Morais (West St. Paul), Ryden Kade Poirier (St. Clements), Hunter Princeton James Strongquill (Cooks Creek), Maksym Shevel (Kyiv), and Keshia Elva, Ellis Rocke, Emmett John Rogers and Mackenzie Jane Rogers (communities unavailable).
Gymnastics
Gymnasts are Jaycee Berezowski (Selkirk), Addison Olafson (West St. Paul), Fiona Grace Black, Patricia Paz and Emery Rose Sawatzky (Oakbank), Isla Daye, Talya Lewthwaite and Hannah Singer-Abrams (Winnipeg), Morgan Edwards and Emily Klippenstein (Tyndall), Islay Eisbrenner and Hailey Olfert (East Selkirk), Natalie Garner (West St. Paul), Danika Hansen (Ste. Anne), Jordan Kavanagh (Matlock), Kayci Bo Anne Robertson (Clandeboye), Elly Roth (East St. Paul) and Sophie St. Hilaire (Dugald).
Ringette
Ringette players include Michelle Tibold (Garson), Rye Bellisle, Elizabeth McCormack, Ruby Wiebe and Morgan Willsey (Winnipeg), Macklyn Bjarnarson (Beausejour), Adriel Bruce and Ellasyn Kett (St. Andrews), Sara Jeanne d’Auteuil (Selkirk), Tianna Hollins, Lexi Irvine, Harlow Merrells Lapoint, Ella Marie Penman and Everly Randall Spelchak (Oakbank), Brea Lila-Dawn Suszczynski (Sunnyside) and Kadence Lambkin (community unavailable).
Hockey
Boys hockey players are Rory Ray, Oliver Sokolowski, Xavier Daneault, Lockelan Harvey, Ryden Mykichuk, Hudson Reich and Jason Woznesensky (coach) and Russ Reich (coach) (East St. Paul), Jordan Hallock and Maxwell Boonstra (Stonewall), Owen Mathison and Lincoln Rivard (St. Andrews), Luka Paulic and Easton Kormylo (East Selkirk), Adrian Sinclair (Woodlands), Maksym Chernecki and Wyatt Woznesensky (West St. Paul).
Girls hockey players are Sophie Melanie Bazin (Lorette), Kaitlyn Beech and Brooklyn Surminski (Selkirk), Brooke Boychuk and Charley Joy Malaschuk (Oakbank), Mya Fagerstrom (Ste-Genevieve), Lilyanna Kotelko (Warren), Nadelyn Marie Louise Ritchot (Lac du Bonnet), Ellie Robertson (Beausejour), Adree Williams (Balmoral), Kylie Brunel (Stonewall), Aela Carty and Haddie Taylor (West St. Paul), Jocelyn Hueging (Woodlands) and Charlie Miller (Eriksdale). Team staff include Megan Humeniuk (coach, Stonewall) and Allison Pylypjuk (manager, Woodlands).
North Boys Hockey
North team call-ups are Bennett Katcher and Hudson Dech of East St. Paul.
