Regina Water Polo athletes set to compete at Youth Pan Am Games in Brazil
Three Regina under 17 (U17) water polo athletes have been chosen for Canada’s National teams to compete at the Youth Pan Am games in Brazil in April.
Sydney Krushen and Makayla Ulmer-Lutudromu of Regina will compete on the Women’s Youth National Team. According to the Water Polo Canada Website (waterpolo.ca), their Regina teammates Taya Bumpas and Anna Ulmer have been named alternates. On the men’s side, Regina’s Reid Tatemichi and Zander Velestuk (alternate) are the only Saskatchewan products to make the cut.
“My parents woke me up in the morning, they had gotten the email before I did [that I made the team]. I was really shocked and wasn’t really expecting that but I was really happy and excited,” Krushen said.
“This is going to be my first international competition. I’m very excited, I didn’t make the team last year so I worked really hard over the summer and the start of this season,” the 17-year-old Tatemichi said.
Thirty athletes from across Canada have been selected to represent the red and white at the 2023 PanAm Aquatics Water Polo U17 Championships that will be held in Bauru, Brazil.
“I’m most looking forward to playing with everyone across Canada, like the teams that I’ve been competing against, but not getting to be like teammates with them,” Krushen said.
“I think it’s a good opportunity and it’s really exciting that I get to represent Saskatchewan. I’m really grateful for that experience and there’s a lot of pressure going into it. But I’m hoping to do well for Canada,” Ulmer-Lutudromu said.
Ulmer-Lutudromu has experience representing Canada on the world stage as she was a member of the Youth National Team in 2022 and attended the World Championship Games.
“I would say being one of the older ones of the team [will help me this year] because last year I was one of the youngest and I think it’d be a better experience to be one of the older ones,” she said.
The Championships, which are held every two years, will run from April 2-8. However, the last time the U17 event was held was in 2019 in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago. The Canadian men’s team placed fourth, while the women’s team finished second.
“I think we’re going to have like 3 days when we arrive in Bauru but that’s about it,” said Tatemichi on how much time the team will have to get to know one another before competing.
“Obviously there’s going to be a little bit of nerves, but I think we got a good group of kids and I think we’ll be able to get together really fast,” he added.
The men’s team has never placed higher than third at the championships and Tatemichi noted the competition will be fierce once again.
“The U.S. and Brazil, they’re not in our group, but I think those are the top dogs. Argentina too,” he said on who will be tough to beat.
On the women’s side, Canada has one gold medal finish at the inaugural event back in 2011. Both Krushen and Ulmer-Lutudromu agreed the United States will be one of the top teams to beat.
The two are also excited to have familiarity of each other on the team.
“I think it’s something that’s really special and I’m really excited to be able to do that, just the two of us. It’s kind of hard to put into words just because I’ve never experienced this before,” exclaimed Krushen.
“I find it comforting that I’ll have people from home there,” said Ulmer-Lutudromu.
Each country at the event will be looking to qualify for the World Aquatics 2024 World Youth Championships. The top four teams from both the men’s and women’s competitions will earn a spot. But that is not the only goal for the Regina athletes.
“Just like the other two [Krushen and Tatemichi], hopefully, the Olympics,” Ulmer-Lutudromu said on where they hope to take their water polo career someday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.