In a surprise twist of luck, biathlon was raced on snow at the BC Games after all this year, and an Island racer brought home a silver medal.
The lack of snow in the province this year meant organizers were asking cross-country skiers to bring running shoes in case they did not have enough snow. However, Vancouver Island Biathlon Club coach Jonathan Kerr says they got enough of a dusting in Quesnel to run it on snow.
“We were really worried going into it because of the lack of snow they had in Quesnel and the area,” said Kerr. “Luckily, they had enough snow for the athletes to ski and they were really lucky and happy to do that.”
The following event saw many top 10 finishes from Vancouver Island. Kerr mentions that Zachary Mills from Comox took fourth place in the Individual Boys category and Victoria Milner finished ninth in Individual Girls.
His son Tobin, however, would bring home silver in Individual Boys. Kerr says the athletes’ efforts were very inspiring, especially to see their hard work pay off in the long run.
“These athletes, they’re 13 and 14 years old, they train four times a week all year ‘round, in the summer they’re on roller skis and running,” said Kerr. “That’s in addition to all of the other sports that they do within school and outside of school.
“Seeing it all come together for Tobin at the biggest race of the year was really a wonderful moment.”
“It was pretty awesome, it was a great experience, and it was nice knowing that all the hard work paid off and I was happy that we got to ski,” added Tobin.
“It was definitely tough to stay calm because after hitting 10-for-10 coming into my last shooting, I knew that I could go clean, and I had to stay calm.”
Following the games, athletes are gathering in Whistler for the BC Championships and their final races of the season.
Kerr and Tobin want to thank all the organizers at the BC Games who worked to make the event possible.
“Definitely all my coaches and my dad and all the volunteers as well for putting on the event because it was an amazing experience, the whole weekend,” said Tobin.
Tobin adds he is “definitely” looking forward to competing again soon.
