Kira's Moment in Sport:

Kira is a competitive dancer based out of Richmond Hill - she goes to JCB Danceworks and loves competing individually and part of a team. She continues to strive to improve her skill set every year and loves Mill Pond Park! 

Poem written by Kyle Auyoung 
The ball falls on the enemy floor
The crowd cheers for each team
Hard as a rock
The taste of victory draws near
The sweat of teammates smells weird

Flash of the ball comes down to my hands
My teammates cheering for me
The ball in my hands
The final point
The battle is still raging

I spike the ball, and it flies through the air
Like a jet soaring 1000km an hour
The ball hits the enemy floor
Our victory has come
We won the battle
Volleyball is a part of my life

Kyle's love for volleyball developed, after trying out for his school volleyball team in grade 4. Up until that point, he had never even touched a volleyball. He believed he had only made the team because the school was looking for 15 players and only 15 boys attended the tryout. Making the team motivated Kyle and made him determined to become a better volleyball player.

This picture was taken during Kyle's first Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) Ontario Championships in Waterloo, representing the 4v4 boys, the youngest team in his competitive Volleyball Club. Kyle's team got off to a slow start during the two-day Championship competition, losing every game on day one, which sent them to compete in the bottom tier. The boys did not give up, after a lot of pep talks, sweat and tears, they came back and won every game on day two of the competition.  

Jacqueline’s Moment in Sport:

My moment in sport represents both the struggle and reward of competing in badminton as a Canadian athlete. Ten years ago, I picked up a racquet for the first time at the Rouge Woods Community Centre in Richmond Hill. In 2016, I was granted the opportunity to compete in my first ever Pan American Junior Championships in Lima, Peru. I was excited to be representing Canada at the international level. Unfortunately, I lost in the first round and thought I wasn’t cut out for the sport. But instead of quitting, I continued to train harder than ever before.

Two years later, I competed at the 2018 Pan American Junior Championships in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil and won in all three events (singles, doubles, mixed). It definitely wasn’t an easy journey, so making it to the semi-finals at the Canada Open and having my picture captured means a lot to me because it took a lot to be able to compete and thrive on the international stage. Badminton has made such a profound impact on my life by teaching me life lessons I will always keep close and continue to learn from.

Ezekiel's Moment in Sport:

Poem written by Ezekiel:

Special Olympics athlete
Pandemic cannot restrain
Own his story
Raise the bar
Top Personal Bests
Show God’s glory

Ezekiel Liu loves speed skating, swimming and athletics. During the pandemic when sports programs were closed, he continued training at home and in the neighbourhood.

In this picture taken at an outdoor track in Richmond Hill, Ezekiel runs against the wind, learning the power of perseverance. He turned 16 during the pandemic and partnered with Autism Ontario York Region to send out Fitness Kits to inspire autistic young people to stay active. Emerging from the pandemic, Ezekiel qualified for a second time with Team Ontario for the Special Olympics Speed Skating competition. He also made it to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) Track and Field Finals for the first time. Through sports, Ezekiel learned to be focused and determined, and about grit and independence. As a young adult with special needs, sport has been and continues to be a huge part of Ezekiel’s life.