Manitoba wins in the overall and academic categories at the 2025 Kin Games
The annual games bring kinesiology students from across Canada to share their knowledge and passion
At the national Kinesiology Games, kinesiology (and other related programs) students from across the country gather to “do what they do best,” and show off their skills, knowledge and passion across a variety of categories from their field of study. Team Manitoba brought home gold medals in the overall and academic competitions at the 2025 games, hosted this year by Mount Royal University.
“In all my years of playing organized sports, I don’t think I have truly been a part of a team that worked as well as we did,” says first-year kinesiology student Jonathan Hiebert. “Not only were we all teammates, but we became genuine friends.”
Team captain and fourth-year kinesiology student Nicholas Klassen says the Kin Games are an opportunity to build a stronger community among students across the country. While the competition is the anchor of the event, he says the best part of the games is the chance to connect with students from schools they might never interact with.
“We made our team name known to all 28 other schools who came to compete, and winning first place overall was really only a small part of that,” says Klassen. “It is an amazing feeling that I know and have a connection with some of the future professionals across every province in the country.”
The Kin Games bring teams representing universities from across Canada to compete in four categories of challenges including academics, athletics, dance and spirit. While the categories remain the same each year, the events can differ. The team competed in events like dodgeball, speedball, capture the flag and more.
For the academic challenge, the team had to create a case study pre-conference, present an academic poster and play a kinesiology-based trivia game that also involved rock climbing.
“It was such a surreal feeling of accomplishment and pride that I will never forget,” says Millie Saccoh, team captain and fourth-year kinesiology student.
Saccoh says her final year at the games was “fulfilling and wholesome,” with the team captains working hard to build a sense of community within the team. Karine Boucher, team captain and fourth-year athletic therapy student, says the team becomes like a home.
“The team is my family and will always be. A fellow teammate is my bridesmaid and another will be my officiant at my wedding this summer,” says Boucher. “My team has been my motivation throughout the years.”
Naomi Hudson, a third-year athletic therapy student, says the Kin Games have been one of the best experiences of her time at the university so far. She says the team has helped her find a community in the faculty.
“Feeling like you’re part of a family and being so welcomed into a group of people is amazing,” says Hudson. “I took a chance by joining Kin Games and the people on the team each year have become some of my closest friends and helped me find my footing in university.”
Boucher says that events like the Kin Games strengthen the relationship between kinesiology-related fields by bringing people together to share in a common goal. She says you never know where your path might lead, but events like the Kin Games give you a cross-country community of friends to lean on.
