Team P.E.I. swimmers dream of winning gold for the Island
The Canada Games isn't just any old competition for Veronica MacLellan — it's a chance to live out a dream.
The 14-year-old swimmer is suiting up with Team P.E.I. at the games in Newfoundland in just a few days.
"It's really cool," said MacLellan.
"I've been looking forward to this for a very long time. I've been training and thinking about Canada Games for, like, the last year and a bit."
MacLellan said she's even more pumped about the event because, as a para-swimmer, there are only a handful of other athletes in the Maritimes for her to race against. The competition will be much stronger in St. John's.
"P.E.I. is a very small place, and I feel like winning a medal for P.E.I. and being able to represent P.E.I. from the podium would be, like, an amazing experience," she said.
MacLellan doesn't mess around during training, either. She's found some effective ways to stay motivated.
"There's this one girl I really want to beat, and I'm really excited to try and beat her," said MacLellan.
"At other swim meets, I've pretended she's there next to me, and it helps push me."
'Race hard'
Ivy Ban is back for her second games, so she knows what it takes to fight for a medal.
"Race hard. Don't leave anything in the tank 'cause you'll regret it after," said Ban. "But just have fun and be yourself and enjoy your time with your teammates and coaches."
The 14-year-old practices nine times a week, but she's going up against many 16-year-olds, so every training session counts.
Winning a medal for P.E.I. and being able to represent P.E.I. from the podium would be like an amazing experience. - Veronica MacLellan, Team P.E.I.
"You can probably beat them if you believe in yourself," she said.
Ban isn't just focused on winning, though. She plans to take in some of the scenery too.
"The cafeteria food looks really good, so I'm really looking forward to that."
Nerves and excitement
Other members of the Team P.E.I. swim team will be making their first Canada Games appearance.
"A little nervous but excited," said Ryan Reid.
The 13-year-old qualified for the Canada Games in Niagara back in 2022 but decided not to go.
"I want to go this time because I think I'm more mature than I was last time and a little more ready to leave for a week," he said. "I didn't exactly think I was ready to be alone for a week last time, but now I'm ready to go."
Reid is racing in seven events over the span of a week, so he hopes his body can handle the workload.
"I haven't had a meet that's a week long yet. I don't know how it will hold up, but I hope that it does pretty well," he said.
Strength in numbers
Even though the athletes might be a little nervous to represent P.E.I. in St. John's, they all really want to have fun.
And that's easier to do when everyone has your back.
"I have good teammates so we really just motivate each other in practice and just bring a smile to each practice and have fun," said Ban.
"I think we've actually gotten really close over the summer," said Reid.
"Some people didn't know each other as well, especially since I was coming from Summerside and a lot of them are from Charlottetown, but we've gotten together a lot more than we were, and we're all good friends now."
The 2025 Canada Games begin Aug. 8.
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