The BC summer games will begin on July 19 and run until the 22. During this time over 3,000 youth from across British Columbia will be competing for gold in many different events.
The Thompson Okanagan area will be sending 1 local competitors to the event, all of whom seem very inspired to receive the honour.
Fourteen-year-old Skyla Eberle says that while she was excited to find out she would be going to the competition, she is looking at it as just one more challenge.
“It feels awesome,” says Logan Pilias, who will be competing in swimming. “I am glad that I get to represent my zone in the BC Games. There will be a lot of other athletes there that I will get to see, and compete against. I think it is going to be very exciting.”
It wasn’t easy for these young athletes to meet the qualifications and standards needed to compete in the BC Games.
Justin Backus, Paul Beevor-Potts, Sean MacDonald and Adam New all had to undergo a series of challenging tryouts against many other midget players from across the region.
After qualifying, the teens had little time to celebrate, as many went straight into weeks of hard training to prepare for their competitions.
Thomas Flahr is just one of the athletes who spends hours training everyday. Flahr’s routine at this point, involves four days of water training alternated by dry land training.
The work may have paid off, as many of the athletes feel they are now ready to go head-to-head with the province’s best.
An-mei Andreassen and Maya Pereira are more excited than nervous about the competition, explaining that they will make their trip to Surrey early Thursday morning.
While the BC Games are known for gathering together the province’s best athletes, they try to make the experience a more meaningful one. The event is based around camaraderie, team building, and having fun.
For a few athletes, being able to compete in the 2012 BC Games is an honour in itself that many find hard to describe. “It is just a good feeling to know that people have faith in me,” says Eberle
Shuswap contingent
Eleven locals will be heading to Surrey this week to compete for gold, make friends, and create many life long memories.
The BC Summer Games is one of the largest multi-sporting events for youth throughout the entire province.
The event, which will run from July 19 to 22, features a wide range of events.
Shuswap athletes participating include:
•Glynis Sim (Canoe), will be competing in the age 14 to 15 category of track and field.
•Riley Jepson (Salmon Arm) is set to compete in the U16 category of Baseball.
•An-mei Andreassen (Salmon Arm) and Maya Pereira (Salmon Arm), will be teaming up to compete in the rowing competition in the Under 17 division.
• Skyla Eberle (Sicamous), Thomas Flahr (Salmon Arm), and Logan Pilias (Sorrento), will be heading to Surrey to swim in the under 15 competition.
• Sean MacDonald (Salmon Arm), Adam New (Salmon Arm), Justin Backus (Enderby) and Paul Beevor-Potts (Salmon Arm), will all be competing in box lacrosse in the 15 to 16 category.
