Bow Valley athletes showed their strength at the 2024 Alberta Winter Games (AWG) in Grand Prairie from February 16 to 19.
The Alberta Winter Games is the province’s most prestigious multi-sport event. Athletes ages 11 to 17 compete across 18 sports, ranging from speed skating to archery.
A total of 49 athletes from Banff, Canmore, and the MD of Bighorn took part in seven sports at the 2024 AWG.
Zone 2, which includes Bow Valley athletes, earned an impressive collection of 85 medals, including 28 gold, 25 silver, and 32 bronze medals.
The Bow Valley athletes’ medal count earned Zone 2 third place, behind Zone 6 (Edmonton) with 89 medals and Zone 3 (Calgary) with 149 medals.
Who says country folk can’t compete with city folk?
In addition to finishing in the top three, Zone 2 athletes earned four more medals than at the last AWG in 2020.
Can’t Stop Canmore
One of the top performers was 15-year-old Lily Fochuk, a talented speed skater from Banff, who won a medal in every race she participated in.
She won gold in the 14-15 girls’ 3,000-metre relay, silver in the 500m, and bronze medals in the 1,500m and 1,000m events.
“I feel like the girls that I was racing against kept it really unique and interesting. They pushed me and also gave me some good times,” said Fochuk.
One of her highlights was achieving a personal best of 48.5 seconds in the 500m race.
In addition to speed skating, Zone 2 biathletes also showed their skills, winning 22 medals, including 10 golds, five silvers, and seven bronzes in events that combine cross-country skiing various distances with rifle shooting.
In the U17 boys’ sprint, Toben Luders from Canmore was a speed demon, clinching the gold medal in the event.
He also won bronze medals in the mass start and pursuit races. Canmore’s younger biathletes refused to be outdone by Luders.
Oliver Robins proudly represented the town and took home gold in the U15 boys’ sprint, mass start, and pursuit races.
On the girls’ side, Charlie Pittard won two gold medals in the U15 girls’ pursuit and sprint and a silver medal in the mass start event.
Yvaine Preece was close behind Pittard, finishing second in the pursuit and sprint events. Preece overtook her fellow Canmorite in the mass start event and won the gold medal.
Canmore’s U17 girls were just as impressive. Sonija Rapcewicz earned gold medals in the mass start and pursuit events and a bronze medal in the sprint event.
Rhea Verhulst won gold in sprint, silver in mass start, and bronze in pursuit.
Skates To Skis
Bow Valley athletes also shined on the slopes.
At 13 years old, alpine skier Madeline Wickins from Banff clinched gold in the girls’ giant slalom and was overjoyed by her accomplishment.
“I think it was the best race I’ve ever performed in because it was the first gold that I’ve ever gotten, and I was pretty happy about that,” said Wickins.
The athletes faced challenges adapting to different terrains, especially those used to mountainous Banff compared to the flat grounds of Grande Prairie.
To compensate, the clever Bow Valley athletes adjusted their technique by pushing themselves out of the gate and using their poles to gain speed faster.
In cross-country skiing, local athletes won five team medals in relays, including one gold medal, showing great teamwork and determination.
The U16 boys’ cross-country relay team of Olin Baergen, Grant Simson, and Larix Hallett earned the gold medal.
These are just a few of the golden performances put on by Bow Valley athletes at the 2024 AWG.
Zone 2 may not have placed first, but the young athletes made their communities proud.
