Brandon’s Kristen Campbell was recently selected to represent Canada at next month's Beijing Olympics. Campbell is one of three goaltenders announced to the team. In total 23-players were named to the final roster. Kristen played with the Westman Wildcats in 2012-13 and also spent several seasons playing hockey in the US at the University of Wisconsin. She has represented Team Canada previously at the 2015 IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship. Deloraine’s Ashton Bell, who plays defense, also made the team. Like Campbell, Bell will be making her first appearance at the Olympics. She spent several successful seasons patrolling the blueline for the Westman Wildcats, prior to joining the Univ. of Minnesota-Duluth. Canada opens the preliminary round of the Olympic tourney against Switzerland on Feb. 3. An absolute dream come true. Honoured to named to this incredible group ???????? ???????? ✈️ #Beijing2022 https://t.co/3yNrCPiJ2l — Kristen Campbell (@Soupy_35) January 11, 2022

The City of Brandon is providing an update regarding the re-opening of Brandon’s Community Sportsplex Pool. On December 3, we announced that construction was nearing completion, with several milestones to complete prior to re-opening. Those milestones have now been completed, and the pool will reopen on December 31st, 2021. A soft opening over the holiday season will be implemented, with a return to full programming on January 8, 2022. A complete listing of the holiday schedule, and winter 2022 schedule can be found here. The Sportsplex Return to Play, which now includes Covid-19 protocols for the pool can be found here. The City of Brandon thanks all patrons of the Sportsplex pool for their patience and support throughout construction and looks forward to seeing everyone return to the facility. More information on Parks & Recreation Services programming can be found at mycommunity.brandon.ca or by calling 204-729-2471. (City of Brandon PSA)

Dave Rawlings has put together an impressive skating rink (Rawlings Barn) inside an old unused sheep barn on the family farm in Hamiota. In conversation with bdnmb.ca earlier today, Rawlings said this is the second season for the rink in this format, noting previously they had a smaller, less elaborate setup. He wanted to build the rink for his two children (Sam 8, Matt 5) who now spend their evenings skating inside their very own hockey arena. This year Rawlings said the rink was first skated on November and tonight marked the boy's 18th skate of the year. Last year the boys carved up the ice 58 times. The ice surface measures 24'x36' and it has taken 100's of hours of time/labor to get the rink to it's current state. Rawling's was quick to point out that he has had a tremendous amount of help and support from his father (Eric) along the way. The rink board advertising is all hand painted, featuring all the different businesses the family has owned over the years. While his two boys are the primary tenants, the rink has also played host to weekly family suppers and social gatherings with friends. As with all similar projects, upgrades are a common practice. This year's edition included painting in the lines and creases. As far as future plans, Rawlings was unsure of what was next on the table but did mention there would be upgrades for sure.

In light of the evolving health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 Omicron variant in Canada, and the Manitoba Provincial government imposing a 250-person capacity limit on indoor events, the 2021 Stars on Ice “Holiday” show scheduled for Wednesday, December 29th at the Westoba Place at the Keystone Centre will be postponed to a date later this winter. After consulting with local officials, a decision was made that assures the best scenario to guarantee the safety of tour staff, skaters and attendees, as well as ensuring a performance date that will not significantly decrease the number of fans permitted to attend the show. The new date and time will be announced as soon as possible. All Stars on Ice tickets purchased from www.starsonice.ca or www.tickets.keystonecentre.com for the 2021 Stars on Ice “Holiday” show will be honored and automatically transferred, with the same seat locations, to the new show date. Additional ticket information is available by contacting the original ticket vendor. Stars on Ice continues to be a pioneer in figure skating by offering fans throughout North America the rare opportunity to witness some of the world’s most accomplished and artistically gifted champions performing together in both individual and ensemble routines.

A rise in positive tests for COVID-19 among athletes who were scheduled to attend, along with the risks associated with travelling, have forced Curling Canada to cancel the 2022 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Trials. The event was scheduled to begin on Tuesday at Stride Place in Portage la Prairie, Man., and was to decide Canada’s mixed doubles team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. But the increasing numbers of Trials-bound athletes testing positive for COVID-19, along with the rise in cases across Canada, made it impossible to stage the event in a safe, responsible manner for athletes, staff and volunteers. Unlike the Calgary bubble, which had months of preparation time and allowed athletes to self-isolate at home, and get tests done prior to their departure for the events, the dramatic rise in positive cases related to the sudden emergence of the Omicron variant across Canada in the past week made those safety precautions impossible to carry out. Curling Canada’s High Performance staff will consult with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Own the Podium to decide the best process to nominate a Canadian mixed doubles team that will compete in China. An announcement of the nominated team will be made when the process is complete. Curling Canada is continuing to consult with local, regional and national health authorities for the remaining events in the 2021-22 season, and remains optimistic that its championship events can be staged safely and responsibly. At this time no further comment is available. Arrangements are being made for ticket-holders to be refunded.