Innisfail students shone brightly through the falling snow during the Central West Alberta Junior High Athletic Association cross-country run Oct. 11 in Sylvan Lake.
Grade 9 Josh Gette snagged bronze after an impassioned race and sister Faith Gette, a Grade 8 runner, came in ninth, making for an impressive one-two family knockout punch. Grade 9 Elizabeth Maciborsky placed ninth while Nicolas Stauffer managed a respectable 17th.
“There's a lot of people who would have packed it in today,” said coach Dean Woroniuk. “I really appreciate the efforts that they gave today.”
The junior high championship may have been a chilly one, but organizers got the music blaring and the youth remained focused.
“They had to fight through it and they did,” he said.
Woroniuk got the students pumped up for the race with a little pep talk.
“You know guys it's the last meet of the year,” he said. “We want the people of Innisfail to be proud of us.”
Considering Josh Gette was up against 120 competitors, his star shone particularly bright.
“He just goes,” Woroniuk said. “It looks smooth; it looks effortless.”
Tina Chadwick coached 13 Grade 6 and Grade 7 students through their championship event.
“The course was slippery, so that causes a little bit of concern,” she said. “There were a couple slips and falls here and there.”
Among their successful runners included Grade 6 Brook Dyck who came in 12th place, Grade 7 Alexander Ramrattan who came in 17th, and Grade 7 Pacen Vandermeer who finished 18th.
At a qualifying meet in Red Deer on Oct. 10, Grade 10 student Emily Lucas took first place with Amy Severtson, also in Grade 10, right behind her. They were so swift the third place runner was half a minute back. They are now headed off to provincials at River Bend Golf Course on Oct. 20, along with Devin Chambers, a Grade 11 student who came seventh overall.
The K-6 fun run in Innisfail was the only cross-country run held on home soil this year, but it continues to attract more participants. In its second year the run attracted more than 1,000 runners and organizers were lucky the weather cooperated.
“It was a beautiful day,” said Patrick Adams, the athletic director at École Innisfail Middle School. “Lots of fun, lots of smiles.”
Students in grades 5 and 6 ran two kilometres, while those in grades 3 and 4 ran 1.5 kilometres and grades 1 and 2 students running one kilometre.
Adams says it's good to keep kids involved in active pursuits.
“As a phys ed teacher, 1,000 out doing something athletic is a huge bonus,” he said. “It gives them an opportunity to work on their fitness level.”
