With the Cowichan 2018 BC Summer Games just around the corner, B.C.’s best emerging high-performance talents have registered and are ready to be part of this celebration of sport and community.
Athletes from the Shuswap who qualified will compete as part of the Thompson-Okanagan regional team. The official participants’ list reveals a good crop of athletic talent from Salmon Arm and surrounding communities who will be competing in the Games, which run July 19 to 22.
Related: Strong showing for Salmon Arm in BC Winter Games
Natasha Kociuba, Lys Milne, Julianne Moore and Meaghan Kujat will be part of the athletics team, competing in track and field events.
Finn Rodwell will be joining the Thompson-Okanagan five-on-five basketball team.
Brandon Jacobsen of Sorrento and Caden Peters of Salmon Arm will competing as part of the regional box lacrosse team.
Esita Qiodravu and Hannah Tarzwell will be a part of the girls rugby squad.
Kyprian Knopp will play alongside the regional boys soccer team, while Phoebe Barnes and Gabriella Torrie will be playing with the girls soccer team.
Talia Brown will be swimming, cycling and running in the triathlon competition.
Mason Netowaysin and Brianna Billy of Chase will both be a part of the regional softball team.
And finally, Jake Bartels will represent Salmon Arm on the Thompson-Okanagan boys volleyball team.
The 2,373 athletes competing in the Games are from every corner of the province and have trained to earn a place to represent their zone. Competing in 18 different sports, the athletes are an average of 14 years old and, for most, this will be their first experience at a multi-sport Games. These athletes will be supported by 453 coaches and 246 officials who have earned their certification in order to provide the best knowledge and expertise to the athletes and the competition.
Athletes with a disability will compete in athletics, canoe/kayak, equestrian and swimming. A recent partnership with the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (ISPARC) will see new opportunities for Indigenous athletes to compete in canoe, kayak, basketball, and box lacrosse.
“The Cowichan Valley is known for its warm hospitality and culture including an energetic sport community that is prepared and ready to welcome the province,” said Kelly Mann, president and CEO of the BC Games Society. “The athletes, coaches, and officials will have the opportunity to compete at high-quality sport facilities throughout the valley and experience all that these multi-sport Games have to offer as they pursue their dreams of future national and international level competitions.”
Volunteers in the Cowichan Valley have been preparing for the past two years to host the Games, and more than 2,500 will be on hand during the event.
The BC Summer Games has been the starting point for many athletes who have gone on to higher levels of sport such as the Canada Games and Olympic and Paralympic Games. Thirty-five BC Games alumni competed for Canada at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games including Georgia Simmerling (cycling), Kirsten Sweetland (triathlon), Jamie Broder (beach volleyball), Evan Dunfee (race walk), and Byron Green (wheelchair rugby).
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