Cowichan Valley was brimming with athletes from across the province at last weekend’s 40th BC Summer Games and now the Coast is brimming with medals.
Coast athletes represent Zone 5 – Vancouver-Coastal and took home several medals over the course of the four-day event, which contributed to the zone placing third in the overall rankings. Those athletes include Gibsons’ Amber Maher, who earned three gold and three silver in her Athletics events in the Special Olympics division. Two other Gibsons athletes, Eillis Mackenzie and Aila Brampton, placed second in wrestling, while Koenn Sauer, also from Gibsons, was one of three captains of the Zone 5 girls volleyball team, which won silver. Seda Leandro of Sechelt competed on the Zone 5 Boys soccer team, which won bronze.
On the equestrian front, Roberts Creek’s Brianna Yellowley and her horse, Merlin, took home gold in dressage while Sechelt’s Sarah Marshall placed in the top 10 in her jumping events. Jessa Girard of Madeira Park earned a gold, silver and bronze in show jumping. Their combined efforts helped the equestrian team secure Team Bronze for Zone 5.
“It’s not typical,” said Jeanine Ellingham, head coach for Zone 5’s equestrian team who coaches at Mason Bluff Farm in West Sechelt. She has volunteered as a head coach for six BC Games and said it’s unusual for so many riders to hail from the Coast. “It’s knowledgeable coaches,” she said of the Coast riders’ participation. “Some areas don’t have even one certified coach, but we have [several] quality certified coaches.”
More than 2,300 athletes competed in 18 events at the games. The W.R. Bennett Award for Athletic Excellence went to rugby player Maggie Banks from Zone 6, who led her team to a gold medal finish this year.
Paralympians and Olympians Brent Hayden (swimming), Dave Calder (rowing), Sabrina Netty (athletics), Baeden Dolfo (athletics) and Richard Peter (wheelchair basketball) provided mentorship at the games, which are considered a launching pad for elite athletes. Ellingham said the competition mirrors the routine athletes experience at the Olympic Games, which includes an emphasis on team performance as well as independence. “The parents don’t get into it. It’s for them to stand on their own and handle themselves in a team situation with a leader,” she said. “It’s a really positive, healthy atmosphere.”
The next BC Games will be held in the winter of 2020 at Fort St. John.
