Three Summerland athletes will compete at the B.C. Summer Games later this month.
The games will be held in Nanaimo July 17 to 20 and will feature some of the best young athletes from around the province. The games are held every two years.
Hunter Dufty, a track and field athlete, will compete in shot put, javelin and discus.
In order to compete, Dufty had to place first in a qualification meet.
At that meet, she took the top spot in each of the three events and the hammer throw. “I was really trying to get first in each one,” she said.
Athletes may compete in no more than three events at the B.C. Summer Games, so after discussions with her coach, Dufty decided to drop the hammer throw and concentrate on the other three events.
Dufty, 14, has been a track and field athlete since she was nine years old.
She said she enjoys the field events in which she competes because of the technical skill involved.
“They’re very difficult to learn,” she said. “I like the challenge.”
Haley Berrisford, a triathlete, will compete in aquathon, duathlon and triathlon at the games.
Aquathon involves a 300-metre swim followed by a one-kilometre run.
Duathlon has a one-kilometre run, a three-kilometre bicycle ride and another one-kilometre run.
Triathlon has a 400-metre swim, a 10-kilometre bike ride and a three-kilometre run.
Berrisford, 14, has done triathlons since she was five years old.
“I’ve always enjoyed it,” she said. “I love racing and competing in any sport.”
She added that the B.C. Games will have a high level of competition in all her events.
Of the components which make up her events, she said her strongest skill is in swimming and her weakest is in running. As a result, she anticipates the duathlon will be her biggest challenge.
Myah Nackoney will compete in swimming at the games.
She has done well in fly and freestyle, and she expects to compete in a few relays as well.
She has ben involved in swimming for the past eight years.
Earlier, her older sister Payton also competed in swimming at the B.C. Games.
There are a total of 26 athletes from the Thompson/Okanagan region on the Zone 2 In addition to the three Summerland athletes, Blair Dufty of Summerland will be one of three coaches on the team.
Provincewide, more than 3,200 participants have registered for the games.
This number includes 2,500 athletes, more than 500 coaches and 200 officials.
The athletes will compete in 19 sports.
