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Lily McCullough is one of the top young judo athletes in Canada. And when she’s not taking an opponent to the mat, she’s on the fastball diamond, swinging a bat at elite levels of the sport.
In judo, McCollough trains and competes with the Prince George Judo Club. She’s a two-time national medalist (bronze in U-14 in 2022 and silver in U-16 in 2023), and was part of Team B.C. for the 2023 Canada Winter Games, where she finished fifth as an under-ager.
In fastball, McCullough has been honing her skills in the Prince George Thunderbirds program. She plays infield and outfield, and was the youngest player on the Cariboo Northeast team at the 2022 B.C. Summer Games in Prince George. In the fall of 2023, she was selected to a Canada Futures team that participated in a showcase event in Georgia.
Rowan Teegee-Zatorski is a force on the volleyball court.
The 17-year-old outside hitter from the Lheidli T’enneh and Takla First Nations was a member of Team B.C. for the 2023 North American Indigenous Games in Halifax. At the Games, he helped his squad to a fifth-place finish.
Teegee-Zatorski then went on to have a stellar high school season with the Duchess Park Condors. He was chosen as most valuable player at the double-A zone championship tournament and a second-team all-star at provincials, where he led the Condors to a fourth-place result. Teegee-Zatorski followed his high school season with club volleyball. He suited up for the PGYVC Kodiaks, and is getting set to practice with college and university teams as he looks to his future in post-secondary volleyball.
To date, Teegee-Zatorski’s volleyball journey has included a 2022 Premier’s Award for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport.
Colby Winther Konig was making her first appearance at the Royal Winter Fair, the crown jewel of the Canadian equestrian scene. She had every reason to let her nerves get the best of her. Instead, the 15-year-old from Prince George went out and dominated.
At the Royal Winter Fair, held in Toronto in the fall of 2023, Winter Konig claimed the Jump Canada national championship and also won the Canadian Equestrian Team (CET) finals. In the Jump Canada competition, she was up against riders as old as 18. And in the CET finals, competitors were as old as 21.
Winther Konig was aboard homebred gelding Big Ticket for both her victories. She’s coached by her mom, Sorine Winther, and represents RidgeCountry Farm.
Despite her young age, Winther Konig plans on moving up to the U-25 division this season.
On the ice and in the pool, Emma Watson has made her mark.
As a ringette player, Watson has a provincial title on her resumé and was selected to skate for B.C.’s U-19 double-A team at the 2022 national championship tournament in Calgary. The next season, she kept ringette closer to home and captained the Zone 8 rep team. Watson still plays ringette but has now aged out of competitive play.
As a swimmer, Watson got a late start – at age 13 – but proved to be a natural. She rose through the ranks as a member of the Prince George Pisces and routinely finished swim meets with gold medals around her neck. At the B.C. Summer Swimming Association provincial championships in 2023, she grabbed gold in the 200-metre medley, won a silver medal in the 100-metre breaststroke and a bronze in the 100-metre backstroke.
Watson is now giving back to the sport, in a coaching role with the Pisces.
Lily Palmer is a pioneer athlete and a part of history.
The 18-year-old Palmer is the first deaf ringette player from Prince George and also the first deaf person to compete in the World Ringette Championships. That happened in the fall of 2023 in Calgary, where she took to the ice for the Czech Republic. During the tournament, Palmer helped the club to its first-ever victory, and the team ultimately skated to a bronze medal.
Earlier in her career, Palmer took up hockey to get some extra ice time. She played for three years and won the Prince George Minor Hockey Association’s major hockey scholarship in 2023.
Palmer is currently attending the University of Victoria. In her spare time, she is helping young ringette players learn the game.
Jenna Hamel is establishing herself as one of the elite taekwon-do athletes in the country.
Hamel earned her black belt at the age of 16 and started her competitive career the next year. Representing Prince George’s Family Taekwon-Do at the 2023 national championships, she battled to a silver medal in sparring and was asked to try out for Team Canada. Hamel attended a selection camp and made the team. She was chosen as team captain for junior girls and headed to Finland in the fall of 2023 for the International Taekwon-Do Federation world championships.
Hamel wore Team Canada colours in sparring, and the experience stoked her fire to go for gold in the future.
