It was a season to remember.
SAMS fielded for its first time in school history, teams at the zones championships held in Prince George at the Otway Nordic Centre, Sat Oct 22. SAMS Junior Girls placed second, and Junior Boys were third overall.
The conditions were chilly with a bit of snow, which was perfect for XC running.
Here is a summary of the team’s achievements:
To qualify for zones the team had been training since early September, with many members of the SAMS soccer team joining to improve their fitness.
Last year was a trial for SAMS, and both Morgan Boileau then Grade 8 and Finn Carlson grade 12 tested the XC running waters with excellent results at Zones and Provincials which gave our team inspiration to try it again for 2022 to keep building our XC running program at SAMS.
The XC running program this year was based on personal improvement, training and motivation by being part of a team which helped all of our runners achieve personal bests.
The XC running team did their workouts after school on Klonnic Trails, and did a time trial race before zones to get some more experience. They were also expected to train on their own to keep building a solid foundation.
The XC running team also did a bottle drive fundraiser with the soccer team to help with trip costs and this also helped build team building.
At Zones, everyone gave it their best effort, and supported one another. It was super exciting to watch everyone try hard and push themselves, especially on the hills and to the finish line. For many, this was their first race, and just stepping on the line was their personal success and experience of that feeling of accomplishment at the end of a challenge.
Four SAMS runners ended up qualifying from Zones for Provincials including Morgan Boileau, Eli Hall, Tristen Sellars and Aubrey Pelletier.
Provincials were held in Victoria, Saturday Nov. 5 2022 at a beautiful course on the ocean with Hatley Castle and Royal Roads University making for a stunning setting and race. SAMS XC runners set new personal best times, and all were very happy with their races. There were over 250 competitors from around B.C.
Provincial XC running results in Victoria, B.C.
Morgan Boileau Junior Girls 4 km 16:55 69th
Eli Hall Junior Boys 4 km 16:03 156th
Tristen Sellars Senior Boys 5km 20:13 167th
Aubrey Pelltier Senior Boys 5km 20:32 178th
The SAMS XC running team is here to stay, and we are looking forward already to the track and XC running season next year. The XC running team would like to thank the following people and organizations for their awesome support.
Chaperones: Coaches Alex and Kerry Boileau, chaperones Steve Hodgson and Natasha Provost, School District 49, bus driver Leonard Kozak, SAMS principal Barry Squires, Kristina Knudsen, Brian Nemethy for organizing the Provincials bus and accommodation and Ken Barwise for hosting zones XC. Also shout out to volunteers Tanya Moren and Jayme Kennedy for helping out on team runs and to all the volunteers at both Zones and Provincials.
Members of the Junior Girls XC running team were Morgan Boileau, Isla Hodgson, Molly Moren, Alaina Legault and Shaylen Moody.
Junior Boys: Eli Hall, Nathaniel Schooner, Thomas Nguyen, Markus Hembruff and Ryder Provost
Senior Boys: Tristen Sellars and Aubrey Pelletier
Senior Girls: Lauren McIlwain and Chloe George-Evans
This article was submitted by the school