Winter Games are coming

Brady Stark
Team Member

y now you probably know that the

Canada Winter games is coming to
Prince George in 2015. The two and a half
week event will showcase amateur talent
from across the country in 19 different
sports. These sports range from ice hockey
to wheelchair basketball. For the mere
fact that the city gets national attention
for putting on a celebrated event, this will
be a positive thing for the Prince George
community. Millions of eyes will be on the
2,400 athletes as they descend upon Prince
George, showing their talents and proving
that they are the best in the nation. Having
such high caliber athletes for children to
watch will give the younger citizens of PG
the extra drive and motivation to strive
for higher goals in sports and fitness. If a
child can connect with an athlete as a peer,
then they will be able to visualize what
their potential could be like if they worked
hard. The local economy will get a much

needed boost as the influx of athletes, their
families and coaches, and supporters will
need lodging, food, and entertainment. The
last great advantage in seeing the events is
that people are exposed to different kinds
of sports that usually don’t get the national
attention deserved.

The flip side of the argument is that

it extends the spring break for kids in
school, while also shutting down the
portions of the city that are hosting
each event. Well then, take advantage of
the opportunity to see some events and
immerse yourself in the sports culture.
Either that or take a vacation to Florida,
hear they don’t pay much attention to
winter athletes down there. When the
time nears closer to the winter games,
Over the Edge will be covering it in our
issues as this reporter will have an in
depth analysis of each sport and which
are the top athletes to look as during the
massive event. The games are good for our
economy and great for sports in Canada.

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2015

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ugenie Bouchard:
Canada’s new shooting star

Brady Stark
Team Member

anada’s newest sweetheart has risen

like a shining star, after one of the
strongest summers of any tennis athlete.
She has a world class personality. Her
winning smile and her charming remarks
of having a crush on Bieber are only the
icing on the cupcake. What’s more, she
dominates on the court; in Bouchard’s
inaugural season in 2013, she managed
a 4-3 match record, with her best result
being a Wimbledon tournament 3rd round
exit to Suarez Navarro. Through maturity
and working with her coach Nick Saviano,
Bouchard broke into the international
spotlight in 2014 with a string of strong
finishes in major tournaments. This
included a final round matchup at the
famed Wimbledon, where she lost in
straight sets to Petra Kvitova.

So, what is the reason for her rise to the
7th in the world? Bouchard’s strategy is to
confuse her opponents into submission.
There is an air of mystery to her gameplay
that throws her opponents off their

game and causes them to lose focus and

confidence. She is not a conventional
player that goes by the tennis handbook
and does every programmable move as
proficiently as Roger Federer; instead
she uses her vision on the court to move
organically through the match and pick
her spots to strike. Bouchard has the raw
talent and ability that it takes to adapt
to any changes in gameplay in order to
get the advantage. Of course she has the
fundamentals that every other player

in the pro circuit must have to achieve
that level, but Bouchard has the ability
to read the ball and her opponent in the
moment in order to find the best shot.

It is interesting to see that her age
sometimes leaks into the match as her
inexperience and immaturity start to show
when things do not go her way. The day
before her Wimbledon final, Bouchard and
her coach got into a heated debate during
practice, which prompted reporters and
professionals alike to speculate that she
would be off her game. Unfortunately
those postulations came to fruition

with the straight set loss. It seems that
Eugenie’s biggest obstacle to overcome
right now just might be her emotions.