When it comes to outstanding mountain bikers it seems that Squamish is a haven, as proven at Saturday's (May 26) provincial high school championship mountain bike race held at Sechelt's Halfmoon Bay.
The overall top school at the event was Don Ross, followed by Howe Sound Secondary (HSS) and Whistler Secondary. "It was a great day, and it was very exciting," said Don Ross team coach Anne Bracey.
"All the kids were amazing, even though a lot of them were struggling with the flu. We had a lot of support, tons of parents came out and they did a fabulous job on the Sunshine Coast with a barbeque and tons of prizes."
According to Bracey, the event was a true test for a few local kids. Howe Sound Secondary student Zac Gartside competed despite a painful back injury.
"He went in it anyway. He's one of these guys that just doesn't ever give up, he's a strong athlete and shows no fear," she said. "Allie McKellar is another outstanding athlete - she was fighting the flu, but she pushed through and came out on top. She shows a lot of perseverance and dedication."
As the race took place on the same day as Howe Sound Secondary's grad celebrations, organizers rescheduled races to allow Grade 12 students Lauren Hughes and Miranda Miller to catch a floatplane from Halfmoon Bay back to Squamish in time to prepare for the party.
The added pressure didn't deter the riders' determination however. Top finishers included Hughes, securing outstanding rider for female, and Philip Cairns, also of HSS, taking outstanding rider for male. The duo also each won first place for Grade 11/12.
The schools won numerous first place awards, including Brad White for boys' heavy bike division Grade 11/12, Alison MacKellar in the Grade 9 girls division and Lauren Rosser in the Grade 8 girls division.Eden Imbeau took second place for Grade 10 girls while Zac Gartside won second place for Grade 10 boys.
Third place went toHayden Drygas and fifth place to Jacob Melville.
Toby Nolan-Paterson took fourth place for the Grade 9 boys division with Kristen Drygas in second in the girls Grade 9 division. Mo Lawrence came in second in the Grade 8 boys division, followed bySummer Griffin in fourth.
