The smiles.
The laughs.
The hugs.
The handshakes.
It was fun times for the 1,200 plus athletes who put on a display of skill and sportsmanship at the 2018 Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games in Deer Lake.
The Games came to a close on Saturday at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex, but male and female youth from across the province left the community with memories that will probably last a lifetime.
Spirits were high all week no matter what venue you checked out.
Volunteers were eager to help. Some went beyond the call of duty.
It was all about giving the athletes a memorable experience and by all accounts Deer Lake delivered once again.
The Star chatted with a couple of athletes about their experience at the 2018 Games:
Connor King, Western male basketball
It was really good. We had a lot of fun here on and off the court. It was really fun staying in the room with all my teammates and I thought all the entertainment with the hypnotist and trivia was really nice.
Sarah Pembroke, Western female basketball
The Games have been really fun. Playing with my team is fun, of course, but I also loved that for an hour before we went to bed we’d just sit in our room and have chats and have a good laugh. I’m very proud of my team for winning a silver medal.
Brayden Coish, Host male basketball
It was awesome to have it in our hometown and have a bunch of athletes come in from all over Newfoundland. It was a good experience to play against more experienced athletes and come out with a bronze medal.
Kelly Power, Host female basketball
It was a lot of fun. It was a good experience playing with my team and it was great to meet a lot of new people. I was proud of my team and how we did.
Danielle Sceviour, Western figure skating
It was the best experience you could ever imagine. It was so much fun. You get to meet so many new people and you get to experience so many different things and watch so many different sports. You are all together in one place so it’s awesome. Just the atmosphere in the Athletes Village … everybody was always in a good mood, everybody was sharing and nobody was rude or anything.
Kailey Genge, Western female hockey
The experience was really great. It was so much fun at the Village. The hockey was really competitive and to pull off a win in the gold-medal game was really awesome.
