OTTAWA— With numerous international sporting events coming to Canada in 2015, an announcement was made last week proclaiming 2015 as the Year of Sport in Canada. The announcement came from Governor General David Johnston at the torch-lighting ceremony for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, Oct. 16 in Ottawa.

In addition to the Canada Winter Games (Prince George), the country will host the Pan American Games (Toronto/ Greater Golden Horseshoe), where golf will be one of the 36 sports featured, the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship (Toronto and Montreal), the Men’s World Curling Championship (Halifax) and the FIFA Women’s World Cup (multiple locations).

“Next year promises to be a truly memorable sporting year for Canadians. A number of major international sporting events will take place in Canada, including the Pan Am Games, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the IIHF World Hockey Junior Championships. It is for these reasons and so many more that I am delighted to proclaim 2015 the Year of Sport in Canada,” added Johnston.

Minister of State (Sport) Bal Gosal, was in attendance for the announcement and gave his thoughts on what 2015 means for sport in Canada. “In 2015, Canadians from across the country will have many opportunities to cheer on our remarkable athletes and celebrate their achievements. With events such as the World Junior Hockey Championship, the Canada Winter Games, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, the Pan and Parapan American Games and many others, 2015 will be a memorable year for all Canadians — an opportunity not only to attend sport events, but also to be inspired to participate in sport activities throughout the year.”

The Year of Sport in Canada is a proactive pan-Canadian initiative to celebrate the role that sport plays in our country and encourage Canadians to participate in and seek the benefits of sport. During the year, sport events and other celebratory activities will highlight how sport benefits Canadians. The Year of Sport will promote Canada’s position as a leading sport nation and highlight the power of sport to enhance the lives of all Canadians.

The Pan Am Games, July 10-26, will welcome more than 10,000 athletes from 41 countries to the Toronto area. This year’s Games will mark the first time golf will be contested. Angus Glen Golf Club, who recently hosted the successful 2014 World Junior Girls’ Golf Championship, will be the host venue for golf at the Games. Individual and team competitions will take place for both men and women. The event will build into the lead up of Golf’s return to the Olympics in 2016 in Rio, Brazil. The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is proud to partner with Golf Canada and the International Golf Federation to organize the event.

For More information on the Year of Sport visit http://www.pch.gc.ca/

For more information on the Pan-Am Games Golf Competition visit: http://www.toronto2015.org/golf

If you are looking for a different kind of getaway this June, one that combines your love of history along with passion for golf, Robb Lucy has the answer with Beaches and Bunkers.

Beaches and Bunkers is a trip of a lifetime created in honour of the 70^th anniversary of D-Day for the descendants of soldiers who took part in the storming of the beaches of Normandy, along with history and golf enthusiasts. The nine-day tour, from June 8-17, will visit historical sites in France, Belgium and Holland, but also has a golfing aspect that will allow the participants to play four different courses along the tour.

Lucy came up with the idea for the tour in part thanks to his father Bob who was among the soldiers that landed on the beaches as a gunner in 1944. A scratch golfer, Bob carried with him a lucky 3-iron, hitting rocks, twigs and lumps of dirt to ease the stress of war during his tour.

For the 50^th anniversary, Lucy and his father went back and followed the footsteps Bob had walked during his original tour. It inspired Bob to turn his stories into a book, Ubique-A Gunner’s Story. For Lucy, the experience made him want to do something else for others to see the history behind the event. Bob passed away four years ago, but it didn’t prevent Lucy, a passionate golfer himself, from trying to come up with the idea for a trip.  After attending a service on November 11, at the Cenotaph in Vancouver, Lucy began chatting with a friend about the idea. They wondered what they could add to make the trip more fun and that’s when it hit him to include golf stops along the way.

“I’m pleased to see so many of us at our local cenotaphs each November 11, but saddened so few really understand what happened 70 years ago,” says Lucy. “I hope this tour will be an admonition for people not to let the stories of their parents and grandparents disappear. These experiences forged their tools for life. And it is with those tools they raised us.”

The tour is open to singles, couples and foursomes and will visit key locations of the ‘39-’45 war, as well as Vimy, as the group travels from Paris to Dieppe, Normandy, Belgium and finally to Holland and Amsterdam.  The four golf courses that have been included are: Golf Omaha Beach in Normandy, that overlooks the beaches that were stormed, Golf Club Toxandria, De Hoge Dijk and Spaarnwoude all in Holland.

Guiding the tour is Canadian military historian Terry Copp. Copp is a long-serving professor at Wilfrid Laurier University and the founder of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. He is the leading scholar of Canada’s military role in World War II.

Lucy connected with Copp before the trip with his father 20 years ago. He knew he would be the perfect guide for this tour.  “I knew we needed the best guy and Terry’s it. We talked a few times and Terry said ‘he’d love to’. With him on-board, we were a go.”

For those interested, more information about the trip is available at www.beachesandbunkers.ca.

UXBRIDGE, ON— The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO), in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, is pleased to announce the 12-players and four coaches that will comprise Team Ontario for 2014. The team, which began its selection process in late September, is currently in the training portion of their program as they prepare for the start of the season in May with the Junior Spring Classic.

The GAO made changes to the program this year by creating just one provincial U19 team as opposed to the combined U19 and U17 teams in the past. Now, the best golfers in Ontario will be on the provincial team while three regional feeder teams have been set up for an additional 36 players.

“It is a big shift for us from last year having 20 players on one team to having a provincial team and regional teams,” explained GAO Manager of Sport Performance Mary Ann Hayward. “We have selected the best players in the province that all have a realistic chance to move on to the national team,”

This year’s squad will see seven returning players join five new faces. On the girls side are: Monet Chun, 13, returnee, from Richmond Hill and The Summit Golf & Country Club, coached by Don Lee; Alyssa Getty, 17, rookie, from Leamington and Kingsville Golf & Country Club, coached by Sean Foley; Annika Haynes, 17, returnee, from Oakville and Credit Valley Golf & Country Club, coached by Ann Carroll; and Grace St-Germain, 15, returnee, from Orleans and Hylands Golf Club. The boys side includes: Jason Chung, 15, rookie, from Thornhill and Pheasant Run Golf Club, coached by Charlie Woo; Sam McNulty, 17, returnee, from Port Perry and Granite Golf Club; Tyler Nagano, 15, rookie, from Toronto and Station Creek Golf Club, coached by Jon Roy and Jeff Overholt; Trevor Ranton, 17, rookie, from Waterloo and Whistle Bear Golf Club, coached by Mike Skimson and Dave Smallwood; Max Sear, 17, rookie, from Markham and York Downs Golf & Country Club, coached by Ian Crebbin; Brendan Seys, 16, returnee, from Port Lambton and Maple City Golf & Country Club, coached by John Dengel; Connor Watt, 17, returnee, from Mississauga and Piper’s Heath Golf Club; and Chad Watts-Denyes, 17, returnee, from Hamilton and Cedar Brae Golf & Country Club.

Joining the players are four coaches. Reggie Millage, was named the GAO’s Head Provincial Coach in November and has been working with the team since the fall. Millage is a Class ‘A’ PGA of Canada professional who continues to play competitively. Joining Millage are Mental Skills Coach Judy Goss, Strength and Conditioning Coach Jordan Foley and Athletic Therapist Andrew Hoermann.

“This is a very talented young group of players,” added Hayward. “We are trying to keep the momentum going from last year where we put two boys on the National Team. Hopefully we’ll place more players on the team for 2015.”

The players themselves already have many accolades to their name. Chun finished 11^th at the Ontario Junior Girls’ Championship in 2012 as an 11-year-old and was second at the event in 2013. St-Germain won the 2013 Ontario Juvenile Girls’ Championship and 2013 Ontario Junior Girls’ Match Play. McNulty was the 2013 Ontario Juvenile Boys’ champion and also won the Canadian Junior Golf Association Mizuno National Golf Championship. Ranton was the International Junior Masters champion and Sear captured the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) title.

The team has already attended one training camp in Arizona and will travel back there in February for their second. Ten of the team members will play in Can-Am matches in Myrtle Beach during March Break before they all attend a final spring camp in Ontario.

About Team Ontario

The GAO Team Ontario program is a unique opportunity available to a select group of athletes in Ontario. These athletes can expect to receive the very best in coaching services, training/competitive opportunities, and peer support as they continue their journey towards excellence in golf. The Team Ontario program places considerable emphasis on developing “champion traits” in all facets of life and particularly in those that most impact golf development. As such, athletes in the program will receive guidance on themes like time and self-management, strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, tactical strategies, and technical feedback. Being selected to be part of the Team Ontario program is a tremendous accomplishment and offers unparalleled support and guidance to participating athletes and their families.

About the Golf Association of Ontario

The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is Ontario’s Provincial Sport Organization focused on enhancing participation, elevating performance and supporting the passion of golfers in Ontario. With over 100,000 individual members and 450 member clubs, the GAO is one of the largest golf associations in the world.  From rating courses and keeping the integral rules of the game intact, to growing the game at the grassroots level and getting the game of golf into our school systems, to keeping the Ontario golf community aware of all relevant issues and hosting the best amateur tournaments in Canada, the Golf Association of Ontario is a passionate group dedicated to making golf better for everyone in Ontario. We share a love and passion for golf, while preserving its past, fostering its future, and championing golf’s best interests for everyone who enjoys the sport.