Big Country came up big at the Alberta Winter Games in Canmore/Banff this past weekend.
The Zone 2 (Big Country) team hauled in the most medals at the Feb. 6-9 competition, with Big Country athletes earning 40 gold, 31 silver and 37 bronze. The Zone basically has Banff on its west edge, goes as far north as Olds, as far east as the Saskatchewan border and south to High River, but excludes Calgary which makes up Zone 3.
Cochrane athletes were spread across Zones 2 and 3.
In wrestling, Cochrane Cowboys members Danika Cook, Brendan Mckeage and Connor McNeice all took gold. Rocky Mountain Raiders Kara Kondrat, Taylor Sawka, Jenna Wasylik and Amanda Zeglen won gold in female hockey along with Megan Campbell. Valerie Cote won gold in youth female freestyle moguls skiing and Ava Holman won gold in midget (13-14) female cross-country skiing. Kate Bullis and Drew Dostaler took silver for Zone 2 in ringette while Jake McBreen won two silver in fencing in men’s epee and the team event.
Cochrane Cowboys’ Brendan Loeppky won bronze in wrestling while Bow Valley Timberwolves Connor Bouchard, Antoine Leclerc, Kash Rusmussen and Ethan Strang won bronze in the male peewee hockey tournament. Noelle Cote won bronze in youth female freestyle moguls skiing and slopestyle skiing.
Bragg Creek’s Daniel Coles won gold in wrestling, with Miliana Giesbrecht and Lily May Bell taking gold in cross-country skiing. Dylan Holloway won bronze in peewee hockey.
Cochrane’s Brielle Burdett won gold in synchronized swimming competing in Zone 3 (Calgary). Sara Faupel won silver in the female dual-slalom skiing team event and Benjamin Morrish claimed bronze in the male dual-slalom skiing team event.
Meaghan Foley took bronze in speed-skating relay.
