A big opportunity is awaiting six PA Athletics teammates.
Bode Bissky, Emily Cole-Johnson, Rayne Cyr, Shelaine Pritchard, Anthony Rock and Storm Zablocki will all compete for Saskatchewan in Regina from July 12-14 as they take part in the Western Canadian Tri Province Championship.
“It’s a friendly competition between the prairie provinces that we also use as a building block for our athletes to meet athletes from other clubs,” Saskatchewan Athletics executive director Bob Reindl said.
“Not only does it give them an idea of what to expect if they go to compete at the Saskatchewan Summer Games or the Western Canada Summer Games, but it will hopefully develop into their first love when it comes to the sports as they begin to decide on what they want to focus on when they reach university age.”
The meet, which rotates hosting duties around Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan each year, features Under-16 and Under-18 squads in addition to a duel meet between Manitoba’s and Saskatchewan’s Western Canada Summer Games teams ahead of the main competition in Swift Current from Aug. 9-18.
Bissky, Rock and Zablocki are all on the men’s U16 team, while Cyr and Pritchard are members of the women’s U16 roster.
Cole-Johnson is the only PA Athletics competitor on the U18 squad.
“The Under-16’s had their tryout meet in Prince Albert on June 15 and 16, while the Under 18’s competed in Regina on June 22 and 23,” Reindl explained. “We identified kids to be part of our excellence program based upon their results at club meets and the provincial high school meet and they have the opportunity to come to a meet like this if they choose to do so.
“There’s a lot of talented kids around the province and I think you can see that with the number of different clubs that are on the teams. Our athletes are getting faster and stronger all the time and I think that shows with the results we see at national events like the Legions and with what the (Saskatchewan) Huskies and (Regina) Cougars are doing at U Sports meets.”
