OKOTOKS – Medal alert: Bow Valley athletes stood on the podium 24 times (nine gold, seven silver, eight bronze) at the 2023 Alberta Summer Games (ASG).
In the first provincial summer games since 2018, athletes aged 11-17 were back at it in Diamond Valley and Okotoks from July 20-23.
It was an opportunity for some athletes to get experience at a larger sporting event, while for others, like local swimmer Rhys Ashcroft, it was a chance to mine for gold.
Ashcroft won three gold (100m and 200m breaststroke, 400m freestyle), silver in the four by 50m relay, and bronze in the 200m medley in the category one boys events. He also placed sixth in the 50m backstroke.
Canmore’s Ethan Lake had a silver in the 200m freestyle, bronze in the 200m backstroke, and fourth in the 50m backstroke in category two boys.
Ashcroft said that although he wasn’t expecting the mountain of success, he was confident in himself going into the ASG. He had found his stride in recent months in the pool with the local club, Bow Valley Riptides.
The end result was a five medal haul and all of Ashcroft’s personal best times getting smashed in the short course (25m) pool.
“This year, I definitely stepped up the training quite a bit, I think I doubled it, and I started going to quite a bit more meets and I think that’s been quite a big factor in my recent success,” Ashcroft said.
In canoe-kayaking, another local standout who cashed in big was Jordy Munro, winning two gold medals (K-1 boatercross, slalom team), two silvers (C-1 slalom, K-1 slalom) and a bronze (canoe polo) in the 15-17 boys category, while Connor Page won gold (slalom team) and two bronze medals (canoe polo, K-1 boatercross).
Munro praised all his teammates throughout the competition. The biggest highlight for the 15-year-old water warrior was in the bronze medal match for canoe polo. With the ball in hand, Munro rifled the game-winning goal in the back of the net.
“We went into overtime for water polo and getting the final point was a big moment,” said Munro. “I scored the goal, but it was a big team effort.”
In football, Canmore’s Dawson Rodney and the Calgary Stampeders All Stars won it all, defeating the Edmonton Wildcats 21-5 in the championship game. Their gridiron opponents weren’t ready for the Stampeders, which went 3-0 in the tournament and outscored the trio of teams by a whopping 108-12.
Playing at wide receiver, Rodney was drafted to the golden squad and had a key role with its special teams. He led the squad in tackles and fumble recoveries in the tournament.
“My role on this team as a wide receiver was actually to block for slot backs and running backs, which is what helped us win games by me being able to give other guys room to go score touchdowns,” said Rodney.
With a love for the game, Rodney was named one of the top 64 players for his age in Alberta. He hopes to play post-secondary ball.
“I'm committed to playing with the Canmore Wolverines [this upcoming season], but then, in the winter, I’m playing for the U16 Golden Bears,” he said.
In track, Zoélia Labonté and her team placed third in the U16 girls’ relay. Meanwhile, Nya White just missed the podium twice, placing fourth in the U16 girls’ 80-metre hurdles and fifth in the 200m hurdles.
For the mountain biking portion, local cyclist Vera Heal took home two gold medals in U13 girls’ events, while Greta Dove earned two bronze medals, and Stevie Heal finished seventh and eighth.
In U15 girls, Charlie Pittard snagged two silvers. In U13 boys, Oliver Robins placed fourth and seventh.
In triathlon, Trillian Klinkhamer won a silver medal in the 12-13 girls’ individual event. She also won a pair of fourth places in duathlon and co-ed relay. Poppy Wheelhouse finished seventh in both the 12-13 girls’ duathlon and individual triathlon.
Canmore’s Varden Borggard’s zone 2 boys soccer team finished fourth.
Zone 2, which includes the Bow Valley, finished third overall in medal count with 120 (35 gold, 47 silver, 38 bronze). Calgary’s zone 3 (212) and Edmonton’s zone 6 (130) finished first and second, respectively.
