Four Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) cross-country athletes will be heading to Eagle Butte near Medicine Hat, Oct. 19 to compete in the Alberta Schools’Athletic Association (ASAA) provincial championships.
Michelle Kettler, Jasmine Eisner, Bryn Hill and Henrik Quintilio earned the right to compete at the championships during an Oct. 9 zone qualifying meet in Athabasca by finishing in the top 18. The distances the senior high athletes ran varied, with the girls running four kilometres while the boys ran five. In the junior high age group categories the course was two kilometres long.
BCHS coach Lisa Schonknecht said she was extremely pleased with the team’s performance.
In addition to having five athletes crack the top 18, Hailey Brand (14), Simon D’Raene (12), and Henrik Quintilio (junior) placed first, second and third in their respective age categories.
“It was a tough course. The terrain was quite varied with a lot of hills, but despite its difficulty, I think the kids enjoyed it. It was very scenic,” Schonknecht said.
Unfortunately, she said there was very little they could do to prepare for the course as Barrhead’s landscape doesn’t have the same features. The squad started training in September at the start of the school year, practicing three days a week, most of the time in Cecile Martin Park.
However, Schonknecht said what she is most proud of isn’t how well each of the 16 members of the team performed. (Which was exceptional) but by how much they grew together and supported each other.
“Even though running is an individual sport, the way they cheered and helped each other the entire season, as a teacher and a coach is something to see,” she said, using the example of how one of the members sacrificed placing higher to help a teammate.
One of the BCHS girls was having trouble with her vision and one of her teammates slowed down and ran with her making sure she was OK, Schonknecht noted.
