From managing administrative aspects of the City to representing her province on a national level, one Swift Current resident has the talents of a true leader. 

Lisa Hagen, the account payable supervisor for the City of Swift Current, has entered a new role for the week as the manager for the team Saskatchewan fencing team at the Canada Winter Games. 

Hagen explained that during the games, taking place in Prince Edward Island, she will be responsible for keeping the team running smoothly. 

“I will be making sure that the athletes are getting where they need to be, doing what they need to be doing, and, in general, keeping the team going in the right direction,” she elaborated. “I will probably be helping out a bit with the coaching aspect as well, as usually, we have two athletes competing at the exact same time, so it's a little tougher on our coach to be running back and forth.” 

Hagen, who coaches at the Swift Current Fencing Club, has been a fencing coach in Saskatchewan for 18 years, said that she is thrilled to have been chosen for the position of team manager. 

“It's pretty amazing,” she stated. “It's probably one of the bigger events that I've gone to with athletes. I had hoped to have gone to the last set that we were in, but unfortunately, I wasn't chosen. So, this time around, I'm just ecstatic.” 

She will be joined by team Saskatchewan coach, John Brunning, from Saskatoon, as well as six talented athletes that were chosen from across the province. 

“Our age group is under 17, so anybody 16 and under was able to qualify,” she stated. “We have six athletes from around the province, it's pretty much sprinkled throughout the province. We have two athletes from Regina, two athletes from Saskatoon, one athlete from the Asquith Fencing Club and one from the Swift Current Fencing Club.” 

Dane Block, from Abby, will also be representing the Swift Current Fencing Club as an athlete at the competition along with Abigail Bowles from Saskatoon, Alexandra Karamishev from Regina, Gage Keith from White City, Sebastian Turgeon from Delisle, and Xinzhu Zhang from Saskatoon. 

The team participated in their first event today, with the final team event taking place on March 3. 

To stream the Canada Winter Games, click here. 

For more information on fencing, email scfencing@hotmail.com, or check out their Facebook page ‘Swift Current Fencing Club.’