For multiple athletes from Williams Lake the B.C. Summer Games were an opportunity to test their skills against the top competitors from around the province.
The Games, which began July 19 and wrapped up July 22 in Surrey, featured 22 athletes from the Williams Lake area competing in various events.
Triathlete Kyleigh Williamson of Williams Lake said the Games were an amazing experience. She finished 11th overall in a time of 45 minutes and 22 seconds.
“The Summer Games were an awesome experience,” she said. “On the second day we had two races — the first an aquathon and the second a duathlon. It poured rain! The third day was the big triathlon and it was sunny.
“I had an amazing swim which put me in great position for my bike and run.”
Kyleigh said her next goal is the Apple Triathlon in Kelowna in August where she hopes to place in the top 10.
“I’m very much looking forward to the 2014 BC Summer Games where I definitely want to compete again,” she said.
In box lacrosse Williams Lake’s Benn Taylor, Riley Lawryk, Garret Taylor and Tristan Sailor combined to make up part of the Cariboo-North East Zone (Zone 8), placing fifth overall after an 11-4 win over the Kootenay zone in the consolation final.
Field lacrosse players Jesse Wallace-Webb, Colton Springer, Leonard Frittenburg, Jared Yuill and Daryl Springer finished sixth after a 16-3 loss to the Thompson-Okanagan Zone in their last game.
Biathletes Tanya Vigeant and Emma Davidson placed 11th with a score of 55 points.
Meanwhile, Cariboo-North East Zone boys soccer players Ethan Alexander and Tanner Dyck joined a team full of Prince George residents to make up the Zone 8 squad, taking sixth place following a 3-0 loss to Vancouver Island-Central Coast.
Ethan, 11, described the Games as “really fun and enjoyable.”
“My dad told me about the BC Summer Games and got me involved,” he said, noting he thinks they could have placed higher if they “passed the ball more and worked together even further.”
Girls soccer players Bronwyn Pocock, Kassidy Herrick and Samantha Taylor took seventh after beating the North West zone 3-0 in their final game.
In golf Williams Lake’s Derrick Walters, Brett LaBossiere and Ryan LaBossiere teed off placing seventh in the team competition as part of the Cariboo-North East Zone. Walters and the LaBossieres joined players from Quesnel, Fort St. John and Tumbler Ridge to form the team.
In the individual portion of the golf event Derrick finished 14th overall, firing a two-round score of 156. Right behind him in 15th place was Ryan, shooting a 157. Brett placed 25th with a 168.
The Cariboo-North East Zone was also well represented by local swimmers Madison Blusson, Danika Robson, Kara Zavitz and David Russell.
The BC Games cauldron will be lit again in 2014 in Mission for the BC Winter Games and in Nanaimo for the BC Summer Games.
For complete results and zone medal counts visit www.bcgames.org.