Four players from the St. Albert Mission, the reigning 2022 U19 National Champions, have been selected to represent Team Alberta in the upcoming Canada Winter Games. Two St. Albert residents, sisters Sydney and Jazmyn Fevin, as well as Spruce Grove resident, Avery Kew and Edmonton resident Kirsten Krochak will be part of the team that travels to Prince Edward Island for the 28th edition of the biennial competition.
Slated to run from February 18th to March 5th, the Winter Games will bring together 3,600 athletes, managers and coaches, across 20 different sports, making it the largest multi-sport event in the country.
The selection process for Team Alberta started in May of last year, with 180 of the province’s best ringette players vying for just 18 spots – 15 skaters and three goalies. Athletes went through a rigorous process of training and skill assessment to showcase their abilities on the ice, starting with Ringette Alberta’s RAB Cup. After several rounds of intense competition, a small handful of top talents were selected to don the white and blue out east.
“The talent we had trying out for the team was unlike any I’ve ever seen before,” said Jazmyn. “Many of my current teammates are players I had admired from years before from playing against them.”
Since team selection in June, 2022, the group has been holding monthly training camps around Alberta, including exhibition games, team bonding activities, spin classes, nutrition sessions, mental training sessions, and inter-provincial tournaments in Winnipeg and Montreal.
“Our team is so talented,” said Sydney of her peers. “It is such an honour to play alongside these ladies and getting to call them my teammates.”
And while Alberta’s roster is indeed brimming with talent, the Fevin sisters also bring with them a longstanding chemistry — one that’s impossible to replicate over the course of a single year.
“Jazz and I have played on the same team every other year since we were young,” said Sydney. “She always pushed me to be my best, and I am so grateful that we were able to support each other through this process. Being able to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with her means everything to me, especially representing our province together. It truly is a dream come true.”
“Sydney and I have always been linemates, there’s just been something about our play that has always clicked. She is not only my sister but also my best friend, and I’m honoured to add teammate to that list. We found a coach in one another as well as a companion who has endured the same highs and lows of the sport and of life.”
Although they are keenly aware of the stiffness of their competition throughout the country, the two sisters are flying out of Edmonton with optimism.
“We have the skill to succeed, but so do many other provinces, which is what makes the games so exciting,” said Sydney. “We are all so driven by the passion and love for the sport.”
“The beauty of sport is the undeniable uncertainty of every minute in each game,” added Jazmyn. “Although I know with the talent, drive and unwavering effort I see from my teammates each and every day, we can achieve anything.”
All of Team Alberta’s games in PEI will be available live through www.cbcsports.ca and the CBC Gem app, with the medal games being broadcast live on CBC TV. Additionally, the Fevins and their teammates can be followed on Instagram at @abringette_cwg2023, and on Facebook at abringettecwg2023.
