Cowichan Valley athletes played a big role as they helped Zone 6 (Vancouver Island-Central Coast) finish second overall in the medal count at the BC Summer Games in Nanaimo on July 17-20.
Zone 6 finished a close second to Zone 3 (Fraser Valley) in both total medals (206-182) and gold medals (80-74).
Twelve of Zone 6's medals were won by Cowichan Valley athletes in the Cowichan Valley as towed water sports were contested on Quamichan Lake. The Zone 6 team coached by Jed Leech won the overall points total, and local athletes collected 11 individual medals.
Mason Shadlock claimed gold in boys 10-13 wakeboarding and wakeskate; Kyle Fredrickson won gold in boys 14-17 slalom; Tyler Lindsay took gold in boys 14-17 wakeboarding and bronze in jump; Jake Metcalfe collected silver medals in boys 10-13 slalom, trick and jump; Perry Desman earned silver in boys 14-17 trick and jump; and Deklan Shadlock picked up silver in boys 10-13 wakeskate.
In athletics, Luke Armstrong helped the Zone 6 team to gold in the boys 4x400m relay, while Denise Roy was part of the silver medal-winning girls 4x100m team. Queen Margaret's School student Madison Heisterman won double gold in the girls 800m and 1200m.
Nicholas Yu, Robinder Dhut and Gus Wilson won a bronze medal
in baseball as part of the Zone 6 1 team, and in basketball, Brendan Sullivan also won bronze with the Zone 6 squad.
In canoe/kayak, Andrew Chester won silver in the boys K-1 200m learn to train division. Alice Young was part of the Zone 6 team that took the silver medal in equestrian, while Daelen Cleugh won gold in para-equestrian dressage.
In field lacrosse, Parker Teufel, Jack Chicquen and Colton Lidstone were part of the Zone 6 team that claimed the silver medal, while Brian Robb, James Taylor, Mat Jung and Marc Gagnon helped Zone 6 A to bronze in box lacrosse.
Mariah Fontana, McKenzie Saysell, Hannah Morten, McKenna Haz and Avi Sharabi won a silver medal with the Zone 6 girls rugby
team. In girls softball, Tayler Green and Demi Rose helped Zone 6 to bronze.
Para-swimmer Tiegan McDevitt won bronze in the 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle. Also in the pool, Special Olympian Clara Kodweiss won gold in the 50m and 100m backstroke, and bronze in the 50m and 100m freestyle.
Triathlete Desirae Ridenour won gold in the triathlon, duathlon
and super sprint triathlon, and silver in aquathlon.
In volley ball , Danielle Groenendijk picked up a bronze medal with the Zone 6 team, and in wrestling, Kayden Dorma won gold in the boys 60kg class, Andrea Morris won silver in the girls 47kg division, and joined with Cowichan Valley Wrestling Club teammate Molly O'Donnell to help Zone 6 to team gold.