A look back at a few of the top sports stories in Langley in 2016.
Ten athletes with ties to Langley wore the Maple Leaf for Canada in Brazil this past summer at the Rio Olympics in August and the Paralympic Games in September.
Lisa Roman represented her country as part of the Canadian women’s rowing team while another local athlete, Dan Jansen vanDoorn, was part of the men’s volleyball team in Rio.
In fact, Jansen vanDoorn was one of four former members of the Trinity Western Spartans men’s volleyball program who wore the red and white for Canada. He was joined by Rudy Verhoeff — who now calls Langley his off-season home when not playing professionally in Europe — and Abbotsford’s Steven Marshall. And Chaim Schalk (Red Deer) made the switch from indoor to beach volleyball.
Another former TWU student, Adam Froese (Abbotsford) was on Canada’s field hockey team.
The Paralympics saw four other local athletes represent Canada.
Tessa Popoff and Danielle Ellis, both originally from Surrey but now Langley residents, were on the women’s sitting volleyball team.
And Aldergrove’s Lauren Barwick and Surrey’s Ashley Gowanlock, competed in paraequestrian events.
