The North Shore will be well represented at the Pan Am Games with 19 athletes with local ties competing July 10-27 in Toronto.
The wave is led by a half dozen field hockey players — all products of the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club — who will be fighting for the finals scheduled for July 24 for women and July 25 for men at Pan Am Fields at the University of Toronto. Hannah Haughn, Karli Johansen, Stephanie Norlander, Holly Stewart and Alex Thicke will suit up for the women’s national team while Taylor Curran will take the field for the men’s team.
Gymnastics star Scott Morgan will be one of the North Shore’s top podium threats coming off a four-medal performance at last year’s Commonwealth Games.
In the pool Emily Overholt will be looking to build on her success at the Commonwealth Games where she won relay silver as a 16 year old. She’ll be joined on the swim team by James Dergousoff, the current national champion in the 200-m breaststroke.
Several 2012 Olympians will put on their Maple Leaf gear again in Toronto, including middle-distance runner Jessica Smith, sailors Zac Plavsic and Nicola Girke, and equestrian Tiffany Foster.
Other North Shore star athletes will be making their Big Games debuts. Tennis pro Philip Bester will hit the hardcourt at the Canadian Tennis Centre on the York University campus.
Rugby standout Harry Jones will suit up for Canada’s men’s sevens team looking for Pan Am gold one year before the sport debuts at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Young soccer star Alex Comsia, a finalist for the 2014 Canadian U20 Player of the Year Award, will hit the pitch at the Hamilton Pan Am Soccer Stadium, hoping to help Team Canada reach the final scheduled for the final day of the Games.
Also competing will be softball star Derek Mayson who will be looking to go double gold this summer — the national team just claimed top spot at the ISF World Championships held last week in Saskatoon.
North Vancouver-born rower Kai Langerfeld and Fred Winters, a Carson Graham grad who is the captain of Canada’s national volleyball team, will also be going for gold in Toronto.
