Ray (left) and Los are also Faculty of Kinesiology & Recreation Management graduates. Ray earned a bachelor's degree in Recreation management & community development last spring, and los is a '03 kinesiology-athletic therapy grad.
U of M connection to Canada Winter Games
The 2019 Canada Winter Games will have a Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management feel this year.
University of Manitoba Bison Athletic Therapist Mandy Los [BSc/00, BESS/03] and Recreation Services’ Kyla Ray [BRMCD/18] are part of Team Manitoba’s mission staff at the Feb. 15 to March 3 edition of the Games in Red Deer, Alta.
Featuring 19 sports, over 150 events and a major cultural festival, the 2019 Canada Winter Games will welcome up to 3,600 athletes, managers and coaches and more than 20,000 visitors.
Team Manitoba is sending 208 of the province’s top under-18 athletes.
Los, now entering her sixth Canada Games, is the squad’s medical liaison. She’s responsible for ensuring the games’ medical staff are briefed and informed on an athlete’s injury and medical history should they require treatment.
“I’m essentially our athletes’ advocate and to make sure our team stays healthy,” Los adds.
Ray will be also have her hands full during the games. She’s a key member of the sport mission staff, overseeing the logistics—and everything in between—for the province’s ringette and trampoline teams.
The games are filled with moving parts, and even the best laid plans require last minute audibles, says Ray. She’ll be ironing out details with transportation, meals, and other important procedures related to athlete well-being and safety.
“I’m there to provide any resources the athletes need so they can focus purely on their event,” Ray says, who was also a part of the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg.
Los, who works extensively with Bison student-athletes in her role at U of M, says the games are filled with future Bisons.
“I’ve seen a number of Canada Games athletes go on to be athletes here, so that’s pretty neat,” adds Los.