A pair of Bashaw Rebels athletes were challenged in the representing the central zone and their school at the recently held Alberta Schools Athletic Association cross country provincial championship.
Samantha Stewart and Catharina Brosinsky travelled south to compete at the event hosted at Echo Dale Regional Park near Medicine Hat on Oct. 19.
Stewart ran in the 5 km senior girls race, winding up with a time of 33 minutes and 25 seconds. Meanwhile, Brosinsky competed in the intermediate girls 5 km event and finished with a time of 27:46.
The course was extremely difficult, as the runners had to navigate a number of large hills.
“Cross country provincials was such an amazing experience to have in my Grade 12 year,” said Stewart in an email.
“The venue was beautiful, the event was well organized and the course was one of the most challenging I have ever seen in my entire running career. I am proud to have been able to represent Bashaw School and Community at this wonderful event.”
As for Brosinsky, the Grade 11 student explained in an email that the course and the people were just superb.
“It was the most difficult cross country course I have ever ran. Despite the steep hills, it was a beautiful setting. The course was designed to challenge runners to dig deep,” she stated.
“Organizer Darrel Smith welcomed Sam and I with open arms and encouraged us during our races. He truly made us understand what it takes to be a provincial athlete. One of the greatest joys of cross country running is the athlete support for one another. Overall, I enjoyed this wonderful and inspiring experience at provincials.”