Parksville Qualicum Beach and area athletes took home medals from the recent BC Summer Games held in Prince George.
They were members of the Vancouver Island-Central Coast team that finished first overall with 59 gold medals, 54 silver and 52 bronze for a total of 165 medals.
Leading the medal haul were Special Olympic Oceanside swimmers Amanda Stewart and Brodie Stevens, who made a big splash in the pool. Both competed without their coaches but stuck with their game plan and went on to perform well.
Stewart competed in seven events and medalled in each of the races she entered. She took home five gold medals in the 50-metre freestyle, 50-metre backstroke, 100-metre freestyle, 100-metre breaststroke, and 50-metre breaststroke. She earned two silver medals when placed second in the 50-metre butterfly, and 100-metre backstroke.
Coach Jim McKinlay said Stewart came within two seconds of her personal best time in the 50-metre backstroke and the 100-metre freestyle.
Stevens also took home two gold medals, with his two first-place finishes in the 100-metre backstroke and 200-metre freestyle. He set a personal best in four out of the five events he was entered in — the 50-metre freestyle, 100-metre freestyle, 200-metre freestyle where he knocked 15 seconds off his former best time, and 50-metre back.
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“All in all, it was a fabulous meet for them, and we are so proud of their efforts and their results,” said McKinlay.
In other competitions, Qualicum Beach athletes Tristan Beaudry and Grant Coulthart won gold medals when the VI-Central Coast wrestling team finished first overall. Coulthart also collected gold in the 100 kg weight class, while Beaudry took home bronze in the 51 kg.
Grady Dragani of Coombs and Nanoose Bay brothers Ben and Max Jeffery of Nanoose Bay won gold as members of the VI-Central Coast towed sports team that won the overall title. In the individual events, Ben won gold and bronze in the 14-17 wake-boarding events, while Max bagged silver in wake-skate. Dragani earned bronze in wake-surfing.
Nanoose Bay’s Uehara Youna played for the VI-Central Coast girls rugby team and ended up with a silver medal.
Qualicum Beach golfer Mack Sanderson earned a silver when his golf team finished second overall in the team competition.
Trevor Holme of Nanoose Bay won a gold medal with the VI-Central Coast boys baseball team, while Rhys Galloway of Qualicum Beach collected a gold medal with the VI-Central Coast box lacrosse team.
— NEWS Staff