The 2012 Alberta Summer Games took place in Lethbridge from July 26 to 29 with a number of competitors travelling from the Lakeland area to compete.
Youth athletes from north east Alberta made up the Zone 7 team and brought home a total of 26 medals, according to the Summer Games website. Zone 7 took a total of nine gold medals, eight silver medals, and nine bronze medals at last weekend’s events.
Zone 3 – Calgary – took the most medals at 139.
Local athletes who excelled at the games include Jayden Foley from Glendon who took gold in the U17 male discus throw; Nicole Kitt from St. Paul who took silver in the U17 female 3,000m; and Jocelyn Laramee of St. Paul who took a silver in the U15 female javelin throw.
Kitt was happy with her performance, noting she was leading throughout the race and was overtaken just in the end. She had competed a couple of years ago at the Alberta Summer Games, but this year offered her a different sort of experience.
“Before, it wasn’t as big a deal to compete, because I wasn’t as good,” she said, adding she used to finish races closer to the end of the pack. Medaling changed the game, making the experience more “meaningful,” she said. Kitt is next setting her sights on doing well at the annual St. Paul Rodeo Mile, hosted by her club, the Northeast Alberta Track (NEAT) Club, which takes place Sept. 1.
Fifteen-year-old Brian Boucher traveled to Lethbridge to play with the Zone 7 football team, and said it was quite an experience, mostly because of “all the new people you meet. It is something I would recommend to other athletes.” He noted that there are many people who aren’t even aware of the opportunity to try out for the games. For Boucher, it was an experience he sought out, after looking at Football Alberta’s website and hearing about the event.
The level of competition was intense and the Zone 7 football team ended up losing the first three games. It won its last game to come in seventh out of eight teams. “We were in over our heads, to tell you the truth,” said Boucher, noting many players from the cities have up to ten years of experience under their belts and are capable of playing at a more competitive level. Still, testing his skills against these other players was fun, he said.
Boucher, who is originally from Fort McKay First Nation, said he also appreciated the support and sponsorship of the band and Fort McKay Group of Companies.
Other medals for Zone 7 included bronzes for the lacrosse team and the female softball team and silvers for the male softball team and male beach volleyball team.
