Table Tennis North is proud to congratulate Darren Woodland, who has been selected as the Team Northwest Territories Table Tennis Manager for the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Québec City.
Darren has become increasingly involved with Table Tennis over the past year, bringing enthusiasm, curiosity and, perhaps most importantly, a genuine love for the sport and the people who play it. For Darren, joining Team NT is another opportunity to support sport in the North, help young athletes have a great Games experience and continue growing a sport he has quickly come to love.
The 2027 Canada Winter Games will take place from February 27 to March 14, 2027, as the Games return to Québec City 60 years after the first Canada Games were held there in 1967.
Chess at 100 Kilometres per Hour
Ask Darren why he loves Table Tennis and his answer captures the sport pretty well. “Table Tennis is an awesome sport that combines speed, agility, finesse, and strategy. It’s chess at 100 kph,” he says. Then comes the important clarification. “Maybe only 40 kph when I play, but still fast.”
That enthusiasm is a big part of why Darren accepted the opportunity to become Team NT’s manager. The Canada Games give him another way to support sport in the Northwest Territories while helping grow Table Tennis. And the more time he has spent around the sport, the more he has come to appreciate just how many different people can find a place within it.
A Sport for Everyone
For Darren, one of the greatest things about Table Tennis is its accessibility. A young child barely able to see over the table can play. Parents and grandparents can play. People with disabilities can play. Someone who has not picked up a racket since high school can walk into a gym and start again.
Darren has seen all of them. At the club, he has met young children trying the sport for the first time, adults returning after years away, athletes preparing for the Arctic Winter Games and Canada Games, older adults looking to stay active, recreational players and people searching for a little competition. “It’s through my involvement with Table Tennis in the North that I get to share my love of the sport with so many different people.” That sense of belonging is something Darren hopes Team NT’s young athletes will experience too.
Making the Games Worry Free
Darren is also very clear about what his role at the Canada Games will be.
Head Coach Akiko Iwase will lead the coaching and athlete development side of the team. Darren sees his job as supporting Akiko and making everything around the athletes and coaches as smooth as possible. “As team manager I hope to make the experience worry free for our athletes and coaches. If I do my job well, the only things they’ll need to focus on are training, competing, and enjoying the Games.”
Sometimes the most important work at a major multi-sport Games happens away from the competition table. There are schedules, transportation, communication, equipment, meals, meetings and all the little things that allow athletes to simply be athletes. If nobody notices Darren doing those things in Québec City, he may have done his job perfectly.
A First Trip to Québec
The Games will also bring a few firsts for Darren. He has never been to Québec, and the opportunity to experience Québec City is something he is looking forward to. There may be some genuine Québec cuisine involved, and if the schedule allows, Darren hopes to explore some of the city’s history, including the Citadelle of Québec. Of course, Table Tennis comes first. Probably.
Success Beyond the Scoreboard
Darren would certainly enjoy seeing Team NT win some matches in Québec City. “A medal or two would be great,” he admits. But his definition of success goes much further than results. He wants to see Northwest Territories athletes compete hard, enjoy themselves and come home wanting to continue playing. “For me, seeing athletes continuing to play Table Tennis and enjoying the sport long after the Games are over would be the ultimate measure of success.”
That might be the most important part of Darren’s journey too.
Over the past year, he did not simply become more involved in a sport. He found a community, started giving back to it and is now preparing to help the next generation experience one of the biggest sporting opportunities available to young athletes in the Northwest Territories.
From club nights in the North to Team NT in Québec City. Not bad for a guy playing chess at only 40 kilometres per hour. Congratulations, Darren. We cannot wait to see you wearing Team NT colours in Québec City!