Richard Wigmore of Elora played on a global stage recently at the World Ball Hockey Federation championship in Russia, from June 12 to 17.
Wigmore, 28, played for Great Britain, which finished fifth in the tournament.
He said a friend he plays ball hockey with said he should try out for the team.
“I never even heard of (the federation) to be honest … I went and tried out and then I realized it was a lot bigger than what I thought it was,” said Wigmore.
He ended up making the Great Britain team, as players can compete for any nation with which they have a familial connection.
Wigmore is a goaltender in ice hockey but plays forward in ball hockey.
“We train very similar; you still need to be explosive, you need to focus on agility, your speed, your power, your endurance,” he said.
Wigmore started playing ball hockey when he was young.
“I loved it, I loved playing outdoors. I started playing on the street, and wore NHL jerseys when you’re like five, six, seven years old,” he said.
He added he picked the sport up again when he was older and found leagues to play in.
Wigmore said playing internationally was “incredible, adding, “I remember my first shift was just so intense, I had no idea what I was expecting.”
In the first game against Russia, he said he remembers stepping out on the floor with his heart racing.
“Everybody was so fast, it was so rough, I was just like, man this is serious. … during that game I was like man, we’re playing for a gold medal,” he said.
Although Great Britain ended up last in the tournament, he said it was a great feeling to compete and score his first international goal.
Team Canada was also in the tournament and placed second.
Wigmore, who co-owns RT Health Company in Elora with Taylor Rawson, said he remains competitive in Sports to relate to his clients.
“I want to show them that I truly practice what I preach and I can help them get to the next level as well,” he concluded.
