NORWESTERS OFF TO CANADIAN NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

12 Junior NorWesters/West Van Track cross-country athletes are off to compete in the Canadian Cross Country Championships on Saturday December 4th at Sunnybrook Park in Toronto. The men’s team will be comprised of Chris Winter, taking time out from his studies at the University of Oregon, Kyle Clegg, the top North Shore finisher at the recent BC High School Championships and fellow NorWester athletes Roberto Phillips, Michael Adair and Matt Mueller. The girl’s team of Chantelle Groenewoud and Jessica Smith who were 3rd and 4th at the Provincials will also include Ali Hudson, Stacey Dennis, SFU athlete Casey Berardo, and West Van athletes Emily Farnan and Katherine Shoults.

“While most of these athletes are younger than the junior age (18 – 19) they will be strong contenders in Toronto,” stated coach Frank Reynolds who will accompany the team along with Ashley Weber.

“Chris has had an outstanding season as a Freshman at Oregon cracking the scoring 5 on his team. This is an exceptional achievement. He is pumped and hoping to crack the top 6 in Toronto and be chosen to represent Canada at the World Cross Country Championships next March in France. With Chris right up at the front and Kyle likely finishing in a strong position, we should fair quite well. It all depends on how strongly each athlete grabs onto the team concept and gives it everything they have” added Reynolds.

“In the girls race we have a very strong team and I expect a much better result than we had last year. Chantelle and Jessica have burst onto the cross-country scene and there aren’t too many better in Canada. I think we will score well with this team.”

Cross-country is unique in the sport of athletics because it epitomizes the team concept more than any of the individual track and field events. The values and attitudes the athletes gain through participation in cross-country are something they can use in other aspects of their lives. The weather forecast at the moment is for snow next weekend. The strongest mentally will prevail on the muddy course at Sunnybrook. Reynolds feels the conditions the athletes face in their training on the North Shore will serve them well. In fact the worse the conditions the better we will perform Reynolds maintained.

Other North Shore athletes traveling to Toronto to compete will be perennial Canadian Masters champion Rob Lonergan, strong women’s master Cindy O’Krane, who also helps Reynolds and Weber in coaching the NorWester/West Van distance athletes and Ryan Weber, Ashley’s younger brother who will vie for honours in the Senior Men’s race.