UXBRIDGE — The Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) is very pleased to name the 2015-16 rosters for the Under-17 High Performance Regional Team Program.
The program, which debuted in 2013-14, was well received in its initial season and expanded in 2014-15 from three to five teams. Once again in 2015-16, the program will sport five squads from across the province. The team members were selected based on their 2015 tournament scores, 2015 GAO Order of Merit standing, as well as testing results from GAO Skills Combines held earlier this fall.
The five teams in 2015-16 will be Ottawa, York, Waterloo, Essex-Kent and Niagara. The program will see 54 promising young athletes on the various teams, which will include monthly technical and physical training at a regional centre and a five-day camp during March Break in South Carolina. The teams will also compete in the Team Ontario Cup, with members of the GAO’s provincial team, to be played at Grand Niagara Golf Course in Thorold, April 22-24.
“We are extremely excited about the upcoming season for our five regional teams,” said Mary Ann Hayward, GAO Manager of Sport Performance. “The regional teams continue to be a great feeder system for Team Ontario and the Team Ontario Cup is a great culminating event for our high performance athletes.”
Team Ottawa
Team Ottawa is made up of athletes from Ottawa and surrounding areas in Eastern Ontario. Adam Holden coaches the team and Allen Hicks is the team’s strength and conditioning coach. They will train out of the Kevin Haime Golf Centre in Kanata and the Ottawa Athletic Club.
Team Ottawa Athletes:
- Cameron Belanger (Stittsville, Ont.)
- Will Bellamy (Perth, Ont.)
- Daniel Costea (Kemptville, Ont.)
- Max Dragon (Ottawa, Ont.)
- Daniel Hinke (Ottawa, Ont.)
- Ethan Johnston (Belleville, Ont.)
- Tyler Read (Brockville, Ont.)
- Terrell Thomas (Akwesasne, Ont.)
- Brayden Valiquette (Cornwall, Ont.)
- Gabrielle Landriault (Cornwall, Ont.)
- Isabella Landry (Nepean, Ont.)
- Karianne Lefebvre (Orleans, Ont.)
For more information on the team and its players visit the Team Ottawa page at: https://gao.ca/team-ottawa/
Team York
Team York covers Toronto and the GTA. Jeff Overholt coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Nick Martichenko. Team York will train out of Peak Performance Golf in Vaughan.
Team York Athletes:
- Eric Byun (Richmond Hill, Ont.)
- Kevin Doran (Sharon, Ont.)
- Brendan Dunphy (Whitby, Ont.)
- Daniel George (Richmond Hill, Ont.)
- Zack Mason (Toronto, Ont.)
- Nicklaus Naumovski (Halton Hills, Ont.)
- Tristan Renaud (Sudbury, Ont.)
- Vaijayanti Bharkhada (Brampton, Ont.)
- Madelin Boyd (Oshawa, Ont.)
- Logan Hackett (Oakville, Ont.)
For more information on the team and it’s athletes visit the Team York page at: https://gao.ca/team-york/
Team Waterloo
Team Waterloo is made up of players from the Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding area. Mike Martz coaches the team and their strength and conditioning coach is Angella Lee. They will train out of the Golf Performance Centre at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge.
Team Waterloo Athletes:
- Luca Carestia (Ancaster, Ont.)
- Dylan Henderson (Waterloo, Ont.)
- Eli Mathew (Waterloo, Ont.)
- Noah Romeo (Puslinch, Ont.)
- Bennett Ruby (Waterloo, Ont.)
- Carter Snowden (Kitchener, Ont.)
- Matt Sommerville (Baden Ont.)
- Cole Tondeur (London, Ont.)
- Jillian Friyia (London, Ont.)
- Joy Liu (Kitchener, Ont.)
- Kyra Vandervoort (Kitchener, Ont.)
- Abby White (Simcoe, Ont.)
For more information on the team and it’s players visit the Team Waterloo page at:
Team Niagara
Team Niagara is comprised of golfers in the Niagara region, which includes Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and surrounding area. John White coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Wayne Oliver. They will train out of Beechwood Golf & Country Club, in Niagara Falls and the Niagara Falls Sportsplex.
Team Niagara Athletes:
- Jordan Antonucci (Winona, Ont.)
- Mathew Gibson (Jordan, Ont.)
- Jason Maloney (Beamsville, Ont.)
- Zach Smith (Fonthill, Ont.)
- Max Vahrmeyer (St. Catharines, Ont.)
- Sasha Baker (Dunnville, Ont.)
- Kira Petriello (Thorold, Ont.)
- Taylor Simoneau (St. Catharines, Ont.)
For more information on the team and it’s athletes visit the Team Niagara page at: https://gao.ca/team-niagara/
Team Essex-Kent
Team Essex-Kent is made up of golfers from the Windsor and South-Western Ontario area. Randy McQueen coaches the team and the strength and conditioning coach is Ryan Carlone. They will train out of Roseland Golf & Curling Club, On The Green Indoor Golf (OTG), Dominion Dome, Silver Tee, and Tecumseh Golf.
Team Essex Athletes:
- Mitch DeMelo (Leamington, Ont.)
- Josh DiCarlo (Amherstburg, Ont.)
- Jack Ferguson (St. Thomas, Ont.)
- Austin Friesen (Essex, Ont.)
- Spencer Higginbottom (Lakeshore, Ont.)
- Shawn Sehra (Windsor, Ont.)
- Myles Thiessen (Kingsville, Ont.)
- Luc Warnock (McGregor, Ont.)
- Shannon Coffey (Windsor, Ont.)
- Rachel Cote (Windsor, Ont.)
- Brooke MacKinnon (Chatham, Ont.)
- Tess Scaman (Chatham, Ont.)
For more information on the team and it’s athletes visit the Team Essex-Kent page at: https://gao.ca/team-essex-kent/
ABOUT THE REGIONAL TEAM PROGRAM
The Regional Team Program is designed for golfers under the age of 17. A combination of skills combines results, tournament results and current Order of Merit standings, determine the players that are selected for each team. Team members take part in an eight-month training program with a PGA of Canada certified head coach and strength and conditioning consultant. They participate in multiple local winter indoor training sessions before a March break training camp in Myrtle Beach and the Team Ontario Cup competition to be held in Niagara at the end of April.
