The first half of the 2024 Saskatchewan Summer Games in Lloydminster started with the Opening Ceremonies on Sunday, July 21 and the first three days of events occurred from Monday to Wednesday, with competition in archery, canoe-kayak, golf, male soccer, female softball, Special Olympics bocce ball, swimming, tennis, and male and female volleyball.
Prairie Central won 13 medals including a dominant performance by swimmer Bella George (Cupar) winning three gold (200m, 100m, 50m breastroke) and one bronze (100m backstroke).
Warman’s Dane Giesbrecht had a strong second day on the links to pull away from competitors to earn gold in male golf. This top score helped the Prairie Central male team take the silver medal.
The girls softball team earned a gold medal by defeating South East 3-2 in the semi-finals and South West 13-6 in the championship game. Among team members were Zoie Valette (Warman), Sierra Douglas (Vanscoy), Brooklyn Rann (RM of Dundurn) and Jemina Klassen (Shields).
Theo Boehmler (Corman Park), Luc Boutin (South Corman Park), Philip Shorte (Warman) and Cohen Gasper (Bruno) won a swimming silver medal in the 4X50 medley relay.
Osler’s Payton Harms won a bronze medal in the female archery compound division.
The girls volleyball bronze medal winning team included Warman’s Harper Lawrence, Taya Chatfield and Clavet’s Scarlett Dobchuk.
Other Prairie Central winners were Colonsay’s Bailey Butler (gold, female archery recurve division and Humboldt’s Melissa Hinz ( silver, Special Olympics Bocce).
Team Lakeland won nine medals in the first half. Neuanlage’s Mariah Weber led the way with three silver medals in swimming (female 50m free, 100m free and 50m back).
Meanwhile, the girls volleyball team won a silver medal. Among the team members was Lexis Therese-Marie Chaplin of Rosthern and Waldheim’s Emmitt Foster Willems was part of the boys volleyball team that won bronze.
Other Lakeland medal winners were Prince Albert’s Tanner Swenson (gold, Special Olympics Bocce) and Gage Malentfant (silver, archery compound) and Shellbrook’s Brett Ethier (silver, Special Olympics Bocce). The girls softball team won a bronze medal.
The second half, from July 25-27, featured athletics, male baseball, male and female basketball, beach volleyball, girls’ soccer and triathlon.
Hepburn’s Corbin Unruh earned a trifecta of medals, winning gold in high jump, silver in triple jump and a bronze in long jump for Team Lakeland.
Other Lakeland winners were Shellbrook’s Marcail Philp (gold, female 3000m), Cole Smith (silver, male discus), Spiritwood’s Alex Tkachuk (silver, male 3000m), Shell Lake’s Emeri Ava Simonar (bronze, female, 3000m), Prince Albert’s Sasha Zarichny (bronze, male 300m), and Tisdale’s Zenek Chapman (bronze, male javelin).
Bronze medals were won by the male sprint medley and male basketball teams.
Langham’s Nick Srok earned a gold medal in the pentathlon and a silver medal in pole vault for Prairie Central. Beaver Creek’s Emily Hirschfeld added to the zone’s total with a silver medal in the female pole vault. Martensville’s Rosalie Braun won bronze in female 400m.
Other Prairie Central winners were Outlook’s Sarah Leverton (gold, female long jump and silver, 100m), Reise Dolan (silver, male shot put), Humboldt’s Maya Mortensen (bronze, female shotput), Colin Stock (bronze, male 3000m), and Muenster’s Sarah Loehr (bronze, female javelin).
This gave Prairie Central eight gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals.
The team received the Joe Griffith Memorial Award for the Most Improved Zone during the closing ceremonies.
