School District 47 students turned out in significant numbers to participate in two qathet region cross country running events in October.
Dean Thorsell, one of the coordinators of the cross country meets, said the first one was at Kelly Creek Community School, after school, on October 13, and the second was at Henderson Elementary School at 1 pm on October 27. More than 260 participants from grades two to seven ran in the pouring rain at Henderson.
“We get quite a bit more runners during the school day,” said Thorsell. “We had a great number at Henderson, especially in the grade two and three races.”
In all, four cross country meets are held during the year, with two more scheduled for April at Edgehill and James Thomson elementary schools.
Thorsell said that in addition to School District 47 schools, also invited are students from Assumption School, Powell River Christian School and Ecole Côte du Soleil.
“It’s about the kids; it’s about getting them out there and having the most participation,” said Thorsell. “What we are after is having students be healthy, doing something that’s good for their bodies, and to have them participate in some sort of sporting activity that they might be able to do for the rest of their lives.”
Students, depending on their grades, run different courses. For the youngest students, in grades two through five, the run is typically about 800 metres, while for the older students, grades six and seven, it’s more like 1,600 metres.
“They’re great lengths for the runs,” said Thorsell. “It’s a nice run for the students and kids are wiped at the end.”
Thorsell said the cross country meets attract students of all abilities. The goal is to get as many students as possible being active, he added.
“It does not matter whether they are the all-star athlete,” said Thorsell. “It just matters that they are there and participating, having fun and moving their bodies in healthy ways, because that will, in turn, develop healthy lifestyles. The more opportunities they get to participate in something like this, the more likely they are to be participating as adults.
“If we’re able to offer a wide variety of sporting activities, students get to participate and know this is an option for them. Getting out and being active is all part of it.”
Thorsell said coordination of the cross country meets requires a lot of help, with a number of school district staff coming forward to assist.
“It’s definitely a team effort, with multiple teachers coming together,” said Thorsell.
He said the events even draw some retired teachers, with Gerry Aasen and Dave McMaster, who were typically at the finish lines of races for many years, coming out to reprise their roles.
“Teachers and principals come out to cheer their students on,” said Thorsell. “They motivate the students to come out and they are familiar faces when the students are there as well. It’s also great to have parents out there as well, cheering them on, from the first person to the last person. Everyone receives a ribbon and it’s great that all the kids get congratulated.”
Henderson results
The following are the results for the Henderson cross country meet. Students came from the following schools: Henderson Elementary (H), James Thomson (JT), Ecole Côte du Soleil (ECS), Assumption Catholic School (ACS), Westview Elementary (WV), Kelly Creek Community School (KC), Edgehill Elementary (EH) and Powell River Christian School (PRCS).
Grade 2/3 girls: first, Anna Goebel H; second, Davida Hughes-Adam JT; third, Hazel Barfoot JT.
Grade 2/3 boys: first, Ted Barfoot JT; second, Micah Culos WV; third, Nelson Bratseth ECS.
Grade 4 girls: first, Cora Parsons EH; second, Genevieve Hill JT; third, Molly Culos WV.
Grade 4 boys: first, Kohen Louie KC; second, Ewan Naylor KC; third, Luke Gerhart ACS.
Grade 5 girls: first, Sophie Green KC; second, Dru Boyd H; third, Audrey Pike KC.
Grade 5 boys: first, Owen Van Egteren KC; second, Charlie Winchell WV; third, Brayden Messner H.
Grade 6 girls: first, Tilly Cocksedge-Hamilton JT; second, Dana Brown H; third, Willa Venselaar ECS.
Grade 6 boys: first, Tiernan Vasseur WV; second, Alex Dowding WV; third, Robert O,hea KC.
Grade 7 girls: first, Téa Nordman H; second, Lindsay Sloan WV; third, Olivia Sarrasin WV.
Grade 7 boys: first, Rupert Thoms JT, second, Gino Russo KC; third, John Carlson JT.
The following are the results from the Kelly Creek cross country meet:
Grade 2/3 girls: first, Anna Goebel H; second, Sydney Koslovski ACS; third, Scarlett Venselaar ECS.
Grade 2/3 boys: first, Nelson Bratseth ECS; second, Micah Culos WV; third, Ted Barfoot JT.
Grade 4 girls: first, Cora Parsons EH; second, Molly Culos WV; third, Ayla Ciarnello KC.
Grade 4 boys: first, Alex Devlin WV; second, Rohan Botha PRCS; third, Brayden Boettger PRCS.
Grade 5 girls: first, Sophie Green KC; second, Dru Boyd H; third, Briley Shaw KC.
Grade 5 boys: first, Calyx Kerohan ACS; second, Abraham Kachaluba JT; third, Tye Doxie WV.
Grade 6 girls: first, Tilly Cocksedge-Hamilton JT; second, Willa Venselaar ECS; third, Izzy Coatta PRCS.
Grade 6 boys: first, Tiernan Vasseur WV; second, Robert O'hea KC; third, Mac Gerhart ACS.
Grade 7 girls: first, Téa Nordman H; second, Zoe Mol ACS; third, Sierra Keller H.
Grade 7 boys: first, Gabriel Mussellam ACS, second, Gino Russo KC; third, Damien Trowsdale EH.
