Players and coaches were all brand new to the sport of netball. Their relative inexperience didn't stop them from a strong showing at the B.C. Winter Games.
The Cariboo-North East (Zone 8) netball squad placed fourth at the Games, which wrapped up Sunday in Penticton. In the netball tournament - held in Summerland - Cariboo-North East earned a spot in the bronze-medal game but lost 31-21 to Thompson-Okanagan.
Team members - all from Prince George - are Kendra Potskin, Sara Sands, Nicole Watt, Izzy Zimmerman, Kate Arnold, Chelsea Madsen, Erin Cole, Kierstin Vohar, Jynessa Kaulback, Miceala Young and coaches Randy Potskin and Allison Sands. Netball has similarities to basketball but the ball can only be advanced by passing and the net has no backboard.
In the game for gold, Vancouver-Coastal beat Fraser River 36-35 in overtime.
In short track speed skating, Prince George Blizzard member Keanan St. Rose blitzed to gold medals in both his Under-14 boys 400-metre races, grabbed gold in the super 1,500m event race and also picked up bronze medals in the 200m pursuit and 2,000m points race. St. Rose was also part of the Zone 8 U14 team that skated to silver in the 3,000m mixed category.
Also in speed skating, Eric Orlowsky was golden in the U16 boys 1,500m distance, finished in bronze-medal position in his 500m race and got another bronze in the super 1,000m. Meanwhile, Robyn Barwise won a bronze medal in the U16 girls super 1,000m event.
In archery, Prince George shooters were on target for six medals.
Kaytlyn MacInnes led the way with a silver in girls match play barebow and a bronze in two-day aggregate barebow.
Other archery medal winners were Sean Williams (bronze in boys match play barebow and two-day aggregate barebow) and Allaina Procter (bronze in two-day aggregate barebow and two-day aggregate compound).
In Special Olympics basketball, Prince George athletes Lorne Dunn, David Dunn, Clayton Julliette, Marinka Van Hage, Christopher Zorn and Gwang Lee teamed up with Jerman Severeid, Brock Terlesky, Clayton Bauder and David Robson of Quesnel to win silver.
The team qualified for the final but fell 25-19 to Vancouver-Coastal.
In biathlon, Charlie Williams won silver in the junior boys super sprint, while Liam Connon was the bronze medalist in the junior boys individual race and claimed bronze in the super sprint.
In gymnastics, Jade Jacobs secured silver in the Level 7 uneven bars, just ahead of her Prince George clubmate Sydney Hamilton, who earned bronze.
In judo, Matthias Schenk was the gold medalist in the men's under-46-kilogram class and Tami Goto finished on top of the podium in the under-44kg women's category. Silver medals went to Ryan Russell (under-60kg men), Kurtis Cormack (under-66kg men) and Levi Price (under-73kg men). Nicolas Richards (under-73kg men), Hannah Gould (under-48kg women) and Ioan Frizzell (under-42kg men) all brought home bronze medals.
On the cross-country ski trails, Jordan Bax stopped the clock in silver-medal position in the juvenile boys individual start race.
In the final standings, Cariboo-North East finished sixth out of the eight zones with a total of 49 medals (16 gold, 14 silver, 19 bronze). Fraser River led the way with 107 medals (42 gold, 44 silver, 21 bronze).
