Track tandem sizzles in Snohomish
Ella Brown and Tyra Gilbert faced extreme wind and cold but still achieved super results at a high school track and field meet in Snohomish, Wash. last Saturday.
Both athletes train with Ian Cameron, head coach of the Pleasant Valley Secondary team and the Vernon Triple A Track and Field Club.
Brown, a Grade 12 student, went in the triple jump ranked No. 1 in a group of 21 jumpers, and she won with a leap of 11.24 metres, a personal best.
She was fifth out of 34 entries in the long jump with a PB 4.95 metres. It was only her second competitive try at long jump.
Gilbert, a Grade 11 student, won her heat in the 100-m hurdles in a PB 15.89 seconds, and finished sixth in the final.
“For both these girls to go to the first meet of the year and come away with personal bests in all the events they entered, under extremely adverse weather conditions, is a phenomenal achievement,” said Cameron. “They’re excited to see what the rest of the track season holds for them.”
Bennetto boosts Team B.C.
Leena Bennetto of Vernon helped Team B.C. defeat Alberta in the Under 10 B.C. vs Alberta Tennis Challenge last weekend in Kamloops.
The Tennis Canada event featured the top-eight boys and top girls from both provinces compete in mostly singles matches. Bennetto, who is ranked third in B.C., won three of five matches. She was the only player from the Interior to represent B.C.
Bennetto finished ahead of No. 7 Alex Jewitt, fourth-ranked Stefanie Silva and No. 8 Sydney Baffoe. Leena and her 11-year-old brother Ryan, both Kidston Elementary students, train regularly in Vernon and at Kamloops Tennis Centre.
Emmons capitalizes in call-up duty
Vernon’s Dylan Emmons of Vernon was called up to pitch with the Okanagan Athletics Premier baseball team Sunday and made a difference.
Emmons, 15, went four innings, striking out four, walking three, giving up three walks and allowing two runs as the Athletics grounded the Coquitlam Reds 6-2 at Elks Park in Kelowna.
Emmons joined his Junior Premier team for the matinee game at Edith Gay Field in Rutland. He played two innings in right field and three at third base.
He took to the mound in the seventh and shut down White Rock, recording the save in an 8-7 win. Emmons is a Grade 10 student at VSS.
B.C. Seniors Games calling for athletes
The B.C. Seniors Games Society is putting the call out to Okanagan-Similkameen athletes wanting to compete in this year’s Games, Aug. 20-24, in Kamloops.
Any resident 55 years of age and older can participate. There are 25 events, both passive and active, including golf, tennis, bridge, cycling, swimming, bowling, floor curling, track and field and pickleball. Typically, more than 3,500 seniors participate every year.
There are zone playoffs in some of the events in May and June, depending on the sport. For more information, visit www.bc.seniorsgames.org, or contact Marsha White at 250-558-1555.
Quotable…
Nick Fotiu, a premiere NHL brawler during his 13-year career, coached Link Gaetz for a year with the East Coast Hockey League’s Nashville Knights. “In practice, I used to tell the goalies to let him score. I’d tell players not to take the puck from him. If they did, he’d run them. I’ve seen him crosscheck kids in practice and knock them cold. I’ve seen him put people out with one punch. He’d win fights and wouldn’t stop. I’d have to yell, ‘No more!’”
