An exciting gold-medal ringette match on the last day of the Orillia 2020 Ontario Winter Games was extra special for two sisters.
Coach Sarah-Lynne Begin and sister Kira, who plays centre, hoisted the trophy as their Eastern Region AAA team defeated Southern Region 6-2 at Rotary Place.
“Growing up, we were always super-close, but we’ve never been able to play together because of our age difference,” Sarah-Lynne said. “It’s so fun. When we get to the rink, she treats me like a coach and I treat her like a player.”
Kira, 18, would have preferred to be on the ice for Sunday’s final, but an earlier concussion meant she had to stay on the bench as she tries to take it easy in advance of the upcoming provincials in which she’ll be competing. It didn't make the win any less exciting, though.
Sharing the win with her sister made it “a lot more emotional and more meaningful,” Kira said.
The sisters have a history of success at the Ontario Winter Games. Sarah-Lynne was playing for the team when it won in 2014. Kira was on the winning team in 2018 and this year.
This year was Sarah-Lynne’s first time as head coach, and she had nothing but praise for her team, which outperformed Southern Region from the start.
“That was their best game all season,” she said. “When they use their speed, no other team can keep up with them.”
Sarah-Lynne and Kira said they enjoyed the experience they had at this year’s games and appreciated the attention it brought to their growing sport.
“It’s eye opening for a lot of people,” Sarah-Lynne said. “They always say, ‘I can’t believe how fast it is.’ Being able to be exposed to other sports is really cool.”
