Tourism, Culture and Recreation
January 20, 2011
Ben Taylor Named 2011 Canada Winter Games Flagbearer
Ben Taylor, who competes in the sport of shooting, has been named Team Newfoundland and Labrador’s flagbearer for the 2011 Canada Winter Games, taking place February 11-27 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation made the announcement during Team Newfoundland and Labrador’s athletes’ rally, held last night (Wednesday, January 19) at the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Centre (Powerplex) in St. John’s.
“Being chosen to carry the province’s flag at the Canada Games is a great honour,” said Minister French. “I congratulate Ben, and wish him and Team Newfoundland and Labrador all the best as they prepare to represent the province at the Canada Winter Games next month.”
Mr. Taylor has been competing in the sport of shooting for three years and has been a recipient of Premier’s Athletic Awards in 2009 and 2010. This will be his first time competing in the Canada Games. Biographical information is provided in the backgrounder below.
“The time, dedication and persistence required to compete in the country’s most prestigious amateur athletic competition is incredible,” said Minister French. “I commend all the athletes for their efforts and congratulate each one for having attained a position on Team Newfoundland and Labrador. I also extend a special thank you to all of the volunteer coaches, managers, mission staff and parents who, as a group, have been an essential part of the success of these young men and women.”
More than 200 athletes, volunteer coaches, managers and mission staff will participate in the games for Newfoundland and Labrador.
Budget 2010: The Right Investments – For Our Children and Our Future provided $350,000 in additional support to the Newfoundland and Labrador Games and Canada Games programs, the primary gateways to the development of exceptional athletes in this province. Since the release of the Provincial Government’s recreation and sport strategy, Active, Healthy Newfoundland and Labrador, support for athlete development has increased steadily from $2.5 million to more than $3.5 million. This includes grants to provincial sports organizations, increased funding for coaching and long-term athlete development initiatives, the Newfoundland and Labrador Games Program, the Canada Games program, and the Premier’s Athletic Awards.
The Canada Games were established in 1967 and Newfoundland and Labrador has been represented at every event since. The games are held every two years, alternating summer and winter. The province hosted the 1977 Canada Summer Games in St. John's and the 1999 Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook.
For more information about Team Newfoundland and Labrador and the 2011
Canada Winter Games, visit: www.teamnl.ca
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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Biographical Information – Flagbearer for Team NL
Ben Taylor
A native of St. John’s, Ben Taylor has been involved in the sport of
shooting for 10 years and competing for three. He is a first-year student at
Memorial University and trains at Frank Zahn High Performance Marksmanship
and Canada Sport Centre Atlantic (CSCA) training facility at the School of
Human Kinetics and Recreation at Memorial.
In 2008, Mr. Taylor competed in his first match at the Provincial Air Rifle Championships, where he was named Junior Champion. In 2009, at the Canadian Air Gun Grand Prix, he received a gold medal in the sharpshooter class. That same year, he was named Junior Champion at both the Provincial Air Rifle Championships and the North Atlantic Air Gun Challenge.
This past year, he competed at the Canadian Air Gun Grand Prix, where he was ranked 4th in the Expert class (International match). He also placed 6th in the Junior class and 7th in the Men’s Air Rifle Expert class at the Canadian Small Bore Rifle Championships. In addition, he was named Provincial Champion and three-time Junior Champion at the 2010 Provincial Air Rifle Championships. This will be his first time competing at the Canada Games.
2011 01 20 9:10 a.m.