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Melissa Hollingsworth, Colin Fraser and Sean McIntyre torchbearers for Canada Winter Games

The torch for the Canada Winter Games will make its way through the area on Feb. 5, 2019
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Over 100 inspiring Canadians were named as torchbearers in the national MNP Canada Games Torch Relay. During a press conference last week, the 2019 Canada Winter Games Host Society unveiled the first round of torchbearer names.

“Congratulations to these outstanding leaders in youth, sport and community across our nation who are making an impact in our communities,” said Lyn Radford, 2019 Canada Winter Games board chair.

Over 900 torchbearer nominations were received and reviewed by the committee between May 14 and June 30

The torch relay begins on Oct. 4 in Ottawa from the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill. It is planned the torch will visit 50 communities across the country before ending its journey in Red Deer on Feb. 15, 2019.

“The MNP Canada Games Torch Relay is an exciting opportunity to bring communities across the country together to celebrate the spirit of the Canada Games movement and recognize the accomplishments of these deserving individuals,” said Radford.

Additional torchbearers will be announced in the coming month. Torchbearers for the Red Deer torch relay are announced starting in January 2019, with the final torchbearers revealed at the Opening Ceremony on Feb. 15.

the torch will pass through the are on Feb. 5, 2019 and six people from the Sylvan Lake and Eckville area have been chosen as torchbearers.

Colin Fraser, Melissa Hollingsworth, Sylvan Lake Mayor Sean McIntyre, Tegen Readman and Vinnie Taylor have all been named torchbearers.

“I feel very excited to be among those named as torchbearer,” McIntyre said in a Facebook post.

“We were part of supporting our neighbours during the “Red Deer is Ready” campaign four years ago, and now it is very exciting for Sylvan Lake to be part of the Canada Games movement as part of the first Coast to Coast torch rally for the Canada Games.”

Hollingsworth said in a Facebook post that it felt like everything has come full circle after being announced as one of the torchbearers.

“When I was 15-year-old every flame my eye would catch I’d dream of representing Canada at the Olympics. Now I get the honor of representing my community as a torchbearer,” she said.

Both Hollingsworth and McIntyre have expressed their need to begin training, as February will come quickly.