Fifty YHS Junior School Tigers, their coaches and parent supporters gathered on the field of Quilchena Park on the morning of Wednesday, October 29th. They were not alone — almost 800 young runners representing 13 independent schools from the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island had come together for the ISEA Cross-Country Championship!
Early in September each young Tiger made a commitment to train — not only to improve her overall fitness and endurance, but also to develop the mental toughness to compete in cross-country. Training involved coming to three practices each week and competing in races on Saturdays throughout the Lower Mainland. Supported by a huge team of staff coaches, parent assistants and supportive families, the Tigers were given excellent conditions to focus on their training and to be at their best for the ISEAs. The girls were also very motivated and inspired by meeting with a former Yorkie, Rachel Cliff ’06, an elite runner who most recently won the 2014 Vancouver Sun Run and has competed in many other international athletic events.
October 29th was a day to celebrate and compete. Numerous girls achieved personal bests, many received ribbons awarded to the top runners in each grade, and all gave their very best as they competed for their school. Each Tiger played an important role in scoring points for their school both during their race and as they stood on the sidelines cheering for their fellow Tigers.
The school team should be very proud of their second place finish — a great achievement against a highly competitive field of athletes! In the individual grade division, the Grade 5 and 7 teams each received a second place finish, and the Grade 6 team received a third place finish (with only 4 runners!). Grade 4s, were fourth overall, and Grade 3s were fifth.
Congratulations to the individual runners who received ribbons: Madeleine W. (12th) in Grade 3; Abby W. (6th), Kaila N. (9th) in Grade 4; Sophie F. (1st), Sophie K. (5th), Laura K. (13th) in Gr. 5; Sophie F. (3rd), Isobel M. (8th) in Grade 6; Akash G. (3rd), Jacqueline S. (10th), and Alexa D. (10th) in Grade 7.
Many thanks to the staff coaches, parent helpers and the support of all families! Staff coaches: Kimberley Ryerson, Lisa Tomlinson, and Kiera Pearkes from the Little School, Sandra Richardson, Madeleine Abbott, Monica Regan, Celine Foucher, Sheilagh Martin, Natalie Bosco, Lela Ling, and Jason Camp from the Junior School, and Alison Waterhouse from the Senior School. Special thanks are given to Karm for her fabulous movie highlighting the ISEAs. Go Tigers!
Lela Ling
Head Coach