The 2023 year was a memorable year of sports on many different levels when it comes to North Bay area teams and athletes.
Like the old Wild World of Sports adage "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" certainly was prominent in the last calendar year.
A panel of BayToday staff with help from your votes will decide the 2023 Sports Story of the Year.
On the victory side, North Bay's Jaimee Bull continued her dominance on the water claiming her second straight Waterski Slalom title in the fall of 2023.
Bull defended her title battling through some challenging conditions at the 2023 International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) World Waterski Championships held in Groveland, Florida in mid-October.
Corbeil's Ben Gaudreau captured gold with Team Canada at the 2023 World Juniors. That victory may be appreciated a little bit more considering Canada's early exit at the 2024 event in Sweden.
Gaudreau, who played in goal for Team Canada in two preliminary round games including a 5-2 loss to Czechia in the tournament opener and then a perfect shutout win as Canada blasted Austria 11-0.
Gaudreau had an interesting year. The former Trapper requested a release from the San Jose Sharks to allow him to re-enter the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He did not get drafted but he was invited to the Tampa Bay Lightning main camp. Gaudreau came back to Sarnia for his overage season in goal but was traded in the fall to the Erie Otters where he plays for former Battalion head coach Stan Butler in Pennsylvania.
Gaudreau's former team, the North Bay U18 Trappers had a memorable season as the local squad which finished second in the Great North U18 standings last season upset the first place Soo U18 Greyhounds 8-5 in the Great North U18 Tournament of Champions final in Sault Ste. Marie last March.
The U18 Trappers unfortunately could not find the same success as they went 0-5 at the OHF U18 tournament in Windsor.
The team had an interesting season as in the fall of 2022, the team's bus was destroyed in a fire along Highway 11 north as the team was returning from a road trip to Kapuskasing. No one was injured but all the player's clothing and hockey gear was destroyed in the blaze.
It was also a golden year for West Ferris Trojans track and field athlete Fiona Madigan.
The grade 9 West Ferris student captured gold in the OFSAA track and field novice long jump event at the event held in Ottawa in early June of 2023.
Madigan won gold in the long jump event and then broke a NOSSA record by finishing first in the Novice Women's Triple Jump with a 10.69 m jump; nearly a full metre further than the second-place finisher.
Madigan also placed second in the NOSSA 100 M sprint event but failed to medal in that event at OFSAA.
Of course the North Bay Battalion road to the OHL championship was well documented. For the second year in a row, the Troops made it to the final four. After being swept in the 2022 OHL Eastern Conference finals by the then Hamilton Bulldogs, the Troops were only one win away from reaching the OHL championship as they were edged in heartbreaking fashion in seven games by the eventual OHL champion Peterborough Petes.
The Lakers varsity women's hockey team, the 2022 sports story of the year, were silver medalists in the McCaw Cup finals for the second year in a row. They lost in the consolation semi-finals at the Nationals to finish off another successful year for the club led by Darren Turcotte.
Wheelchair tennis player Rob Shaw had a memorable visit to England as Shaw and his partner Heath Davidson finished second in the quad doubles final at Wimbledon.
The North Bay Bantam Bulldogs had an impressive season making it to the OSFL final in Windsor before falling to the Waterloo Jr. Warriors. That team was led by 2023 OSFL All-Stars in Linebacker Gage Campaigne, Defensive back Jack Fiddler, Safety Evan Smetana, and Defensive end Ethan Zapcic.
North Bay's Ryan Hunter, who plays for the Toronto Argonauts, was named a CFL All-Star.
Astorville's Briir Long has had an exciting 2023, the 16-year-old was selected in the 10th round of the OHL Priority Selection by the Brantford Bulldogs and then took off as a rookie with the St. Thomas Stars of the Greater Ontario Junior B Hockey League. Long has been one of the league's top scorers and that impressive start led the Bulldogs to sign the talented forward who is playing with his older brother Kaedyn in St. Thomas.
Powassan Voodoos coaches Peter Goulet and Josh Hardiman had a memorable last month of 2023. Goulet and Hardiman were named assistant and video coaches respectively for Team Canada East which won silver at the World Junior 'A' Challenge in Truro, Nova Scotia. Team Canada East fell in the gold medal game to their competitors from Team Canada West.
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