Boccia a Blast for All Winners at the Annual Event Hosted by the London Cannonballs
BC3 medalists pictured with their performance partners after success at 2022 Boccia Blast
Ottawa, ON (September 28, 2022) – The longest running annual boccia tournament in Canada was held over the weekend with medals awarded in four different categories of the Individual event. In the BC1 class, Lance Cryderman (Sudbury, ON) won by two points in the finals against Hanif Mawji (Burnaby, BC), whom he had earlier lost to in the preliminaries. Mawji’s downfall was throwing his jack long in the fourth end which ultimately cost him the game. Cryderman was already up by three points after the first three and he simply had to hold Mawji in the fourth, which he was successful in doing. “I’m ecstatic about my performance overall and I hope this carries momentum because I am gearing up to perform at both the Canadian Championships in November and the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro one month later.” Chris Halpen (Victoria, BC) took bronze. In BC2 Dave Richer (Montréal, QC) charged through the competition unscathed. He won all of his games, including a 3-2 victory over National Team athlete Kristyn Collins (St. John’s, NL) in the finals. “This weekend I had a great time! I was able to apply everything I have learned over the years to compete and win against national team players… I gave up the idea of retirement for the love of the sport and I don’t regret it at all.” Other national team athlete, Danik Allard (Bois-des-Filion, QC) rounded out the group in third place. Joshua Gautier (Niagara Falls, ON) and Alexandre Lemaire (Kingsey Falls, QC) were recently reclassed, and they came out on top in the BC3 category. Gautier had a rough start in the finals with his ball getting caught in the ramp in the first end but was able to shake off the nerves thanks to his new, pre-game routine: “Six months ago this would have thrown me off my game for sure… I have the benefit of belonging to Ontario Team Aspire and have been engaging in sport psychology sessions for the past several months. This helped me develop my pre-game mental preparation and come up with a plan for reaching my ideal mental state. I believe all of the hard work with our sport psychologist has helped me immensely. This Boccia Blast marks my one year of play as a BC3 athlete. I am very thankful for the opportunity to play, and proud of my accomplishments in this class.” Lemaire took the silver and Alexandre Raymond (Sorel-Tracy, QC) the bronze. Finally in the BC4, BC5, and Open class, a lot of new faces were visible in the playoffs which ultimately led to Gord Letke (Oshawa, ON) coming in first, followed by Alison McKee (London, ON), and Martha Gustafson (Toronto, ON) the bronze. Co-chair of the organizing committee, Tammy McLeod, said she was “delighted to see familiar faces and it was also extra special seeing new faces playing for the first time at the national level. The weekend was full of fierce competition! Everyone had a blast!” To see the bracket, schedule, and results of the competition, follow the steps in the description on Facebook here. ResultsBC1Gold: Lance Cryderman (Sudbury, ON)Silver: Hanif Mawji (Burnaby, BC)Bronze: Chris Halpen (Victoria, BC) BC2Gold: Dave Richer (Montréal, QC)Silver: Kristyn Collins (St. John’s, NL)Bronze: Danik Allard (Bois-des-Filion, QC) BC3Gold: Joshua Gautier (Niagara Falls, ON); Ass’t: Joyce GautierSilver: Alexandre Lemaire (Kingsey Falls, QC); Ass’t: Francis LemaireBronze: Alexandre Raymond (Sorel-Tracy); Ass’t: Isabelle Blette BC4/BC5/OpenGold: Gord Letke (Oshawa, ON)Silver: Alison McKee (London, ON)Bronze: Martha Gustafson (Toronto, ON)
About Boccia Canada
Boccia Canada is the boccia delivery arm of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA), the National Sport Organization for the Paralympic sport of boccia. Boccia Canada is focused on providing athletes and individuals of all ages and skill with the chance to play a unique Paralympic sport. We lead, develop and grow boccia from grassroots to producing World Champions, and we collaborate with partners to increase participation of Canadians with physical disabilities in sport.
About boccia
Boccia is a Paralympic sport of precision and strategy similar to lawn bowling or curling, played by athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy and related disabilities. It is one of only two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympic counterpart. Athletes compete in one of six sport classes based on their level and type of disability: BC1, BC2, BC3 BC4, BC5, and Open.
Media Contact
Holly Janna
Communications Lead and National Team Coordinator, Boccia Canada
Email: [email protected]
Phone Number: 613-748-1430 x3 | Cell: 514-944-5193