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Local athletes finish strong at the Alberta Summer Games

Lakeland athletes proved they’re a force to be reckoned with at the Alberta Summer Games. Grande Prairie hosted the four-day event from July 19 to 22.
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The Zone 7 lacrosse team, which included players from the Bonnyville/Cold Lake area, finished in fourth at the 2018 Alberta Summer Games.

Lakeland athletes proved they’re a force to be reckoned with at the Alberta Summer Games.


Grande Prairie hosted the four-day event from July 19 to 22. The province-wide competition brought young contestants together to compete for their zone in a variety of sports, from lacrosse to track and field to beach volleyball.


Zone 7, which encompasses the Lakeland area, came in sixth for overall medals at the event with 13 gold, 18 silver, and 23 bronze.


Bonnyville had 19 athletes competing at the games, and won 10 of the medals for Zone 7.


Track and field athlete Alese Sartain captured gold in the 100-metre dash, and took home bronze in the long jump and relay.


She noted the amount of athletes competing was different from what she was used to, but she was only intimidated for the first day.


“Once I got there, I was really relaxed and I just wanted to have fun,” she said. “I ended up doing really well, better than I thought I would.”


Mason Sartain and James Wiatr also made the Zone 7 track and field team. All three noted how close they became with the other members of the group.


“By the time the first day was done, we were all really close and having a great time,” Alese explained. “I don’t think there was a day that went past that we weren’t laughing and having fun.”


Wiatr said he thought everyone would be doing their own thing during their down time, and he was surprised at how close the group got.


“Our team was way more tight than the other ones, and we became the fun zone at the tournament,” he recalled.


He noted that previously competing alongside the other athletes was a major factor for the how well the team meshed together.


For Mason, having the team together in their down time was a change from other competitions he’s participated in. The size difference between his hometown team the Yellowjackets and the Alberta Summer Games team was a new experience for him.


“It’s different to have 40 people at a meet compared to the five that normally go with the Yellowjackets,” he explained.


While the size of the games was a bit nerve-wracking for Mason at first, he calmed down once he realized a lot of his competition were athletes he had already faced earlier in the season.


Mason brought home gold in the 200-metre dash, the 100-metre relay, and the long jump. Despite a rough start, he won silver in the 100-metre dash.


“I messed up my start,” he explained. “I can’t really complain, because it’s still second at the Summer Games.”


Wiatr received the gold in shot put, and bronze in the discus and javelin throw


Winning gold in shot put was a great experience for him, beating out a competitor he usually places behind.


“I normally get beat by a guy from Medicine Hat, and it felt really good beating him at the games,” he said.


In the team sports, a number of local players were chosen to compete, including Travis Gibbons on the lacrosse team. Head coach of the Zone 7 lacrosse team Nick Brown said the fourth place finish was a best for the sport.


“This was my best finish as a coach at the games, and all of the players should be proud of themselves for making history for Zone 7,” he said.


Nate Wolgien, Isaiah Watters, Mike Pomerleau, Jayden Larocque, Dylan Dumais, Tanner Dadey, Jaren Conrad,  Luke Craft, and Cameron Craft qualified for the Zone 7 soccer team, which placed fifth overall.


The football team finished sixth during the games. Logan Church, Kelton Mcauley, and Brendan Smith made the team from Bonnyville.


Leanne Deabreu, Makenzie Gibbons, and Cadence Lowe were the members from Bonnyville on the Zone 7 basketball team.

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