Covy Moore/Rocky View Publishing

A member of the Big Country football team heads up field with the ball in the gold medal game against Zone 3 at the 2012 Alberta Summer Games in Lethbridge, July 29. Zone 3 defeated Big Country 44-0 to take the gold medal, but Zone 2 won the tournament's sportsmanship trophy.

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Big Country athletes bring home large medal haul

It was a successful weekend in the pool, on the field and on the court for the Big Country Zone 2 team, as it brought home 117 medals - 50 gold, 38 silver and 29 bronze, from the 2012 Alberta Summer Games in Lethbridge, July 25 to 29.

The team sent 300 athletes to the Games, and 51 of them were from Airdrie.

Two Rocky View riders carried on a strong tradition of medalling in BMX. Airdrie’s River Peacock took gold in the Male 13-14 race, while Cochrane’s Taylor Otterson captured silver. Peacock’s moment at the Games only lasted a few hours, but he said the four-day experience was a memorable one.

“It was exciting and lots of fun,” he said. “I enjoyed it and I’m bringing some pride by winning gold back to Airdrie. It was nice to be able to represent Zone 2.”

Erik Nusl of Cochrane, and Kayla Goruk and Reid Glatz of Airdrie were among the top swimmers for Big Country, combining for 26 medals.

Nusl, who was competing in his second Summer Games, took gold in the 50- and 100-metre backstroke, the 4x50-metre freestyle relay and the 4x50-metre medley relay. His three silver medals came in the 50-metre butterfly race, the 4x100-metre medley relay and the 200-metre individual medley.

A handful of other Rocky View swimmers also medalled at the race, including Melia St. Louis and Zac McLeod, each with five medals. Karissa Nolin won bronze in the athletics 4x100-metre relay. Stephanie Churcher of Chestermere, who also competed at the 2010 Alberta Summer Games, brought home three silver medals.

Big Country also had a strong showing in the team sports, taking a medal in all but two categories. Ryleigh Hamilton of Langdon was the lone Rocky View athlete on the women’s rugby team, which defeated Zone 4 12-10 in the gold medal final.

Jake Clubb of Cochrane was part of the men’s soccer team that defeated Zone 1 2-1 to win bronze, while the women’s soccer team went 0-3-1 in the tournament.

Caroline Batista, who grew up in Brazil and moved to Airdrie in 2009, represented Zone 2 on the women’s soccer team and said the tournament was an excellent opportunity for making new friends.

“It was really fun,” she said. “In all the games, we played really tough and we never gave up. At first, I didn’t know any of the girls except for the ones from Airdrie, but you start making friends and it becomes easier to play with them.”

It was a showdown for the female beach volleyball bronze medal final, with the Zone 2 fill team defeating Zone 2 two sets to one. The Zone 2 men’s beach volleyball team also took its final match to three sets, taking the silver medal against Zone 3.

It was a historic weekend for the Big Country football team, who were defeated 44-0 by Zone 3 in the gold medal final, taking home silver. Coming into the tournament, Zone 2 hadn’t won a match at the Games in 18 years. With a roster boasting 14 Rocky View players, team also won the sportsmanship trophy, which was one of its main objectives.

For more Summer Games results, visit www.albertagames.com