After a delay in welcoming the Canada Summer Games to the Niagara Region, Niagara College has been abuzz with excitement as the Games made their debut at the Welland Campus on August 8.
The home of the Niagara College Knights was transformed into an official venue for the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games that welcomed volunteers, athletes, coaches, officials and delegates from all over Canada to the Welland Campus Gymnasium. The College is sharing hosting duties for basketball in week one (Aug. 8 to 13) with the Meridian Centre and volleyball in week two (Aug. 16 to 21) with Canada Games Park.
The Niagara College Welland Campus is decked out for the N22 Canada Summer Games. The College is hosting basketball and volleyball competitions this August.
The on-campus events kicked off on Aug. 8 with girls’ basketball opening the round-robin play between Team Manitoba and Team Northwest Territories.
The crowd was electric for Team Ontario’s debut on the girl’s side where they faced Team Prince Edward Island in the second last game of the day – Ontario cruised to a 95-47 win on home soil. Team Alberta and Team British Columbia closed out the day with an exciting finish that saw Alberta edge B.C. 73-60.
For long-time NC employee Mike Hurley, being behind the scenes for the duration of the games has been an extra special experience for him with his daughter, Sarah, representing Team Ontario.
Hurley, who is the Facilities Coordinator for the Athletics and Recreation department, was instrumental in getting the gymnasium in shape for the Games.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to have the Canada Summer Games in Niagara and in particular hosting basketball here at NC,” said Hurley. “We get to showcase our state-of-the-art venue and experience hosting a large event that is outside of our usual varsity events.”
“The opportunity to host and to be able to also catch my daughter playing for Team Ontario – something I did when I was younger (Team Ontario member and Ontario Summer Games participant) – has been an amazing experience.”
Since this story was published, Team Ontario’s women’s basketball team captured the bronze medal on August 13. Photos of Mike and Sarah Hurley at the game appear below.
NCSAC Student Services Manager Jaclyn Tanguay has also played a huge part in bringing the N22 Canada Games to the Welland Campus, serving as Canada Games Liaison/Fit-Out Lead. For Tanguay, seeing the transition go from the planning stages to the event arrival has been both rewarding and challenging.
“I have really enjoyed coordinating with the games to ensure Niagara College is showcased at its best and show off our amazing facilities to the community,” says Tanguay.
“It has also been great getting back to in-person events on campus – something we’ve been unable to do without any sort of restrictions the last two years, so to see the College come alive again with not only the NC community, but people from all over Canada has been wonderful to see.”
The College will see the excitement continue through the week with the gymnasium slated to host two semi-finals for women’s basketball on August 12 and will wrap up with two consolation games before transitioning to hosting duties for volleyball beginning August 16.
