A special cross country event last week showcased the tremendous spirit of West Coast students, teachers and volunteers – and the value of sport to their communities.

The 2017 West Coast Primary School Cross Country meet was held at Kumara Racecourse in perfect conditions. Over 300 athletes representing 25 schools raced either two or three kilometre events over a 1km loop that included farmland and the race track. 

The event is run by Kumara School (enrolment: 31), which makes a fantastic effort to coordinate volunteers from the community, schools and other organisations including the Cancer Society, Sport Canterbury and the Kumara Racing Club. These volunteers ensure smooth delivery of an event that is very special to local students and their families.

The commitment of schools to provide opportunities for their students was awesome with schools travelling from as far afield as: 

• Haast in the South (309km/4hrs) 
• Karamea in the North (220km/3.15hrs) 
• Murchison inland (190km/ 2.5hrs) 

“We applaud the schools involved for their commitment to making this possible,” says Sport Canterbury West Coast Regional Office Manager Jack O’Connor. “The distance from Haast to Karamea is precisely the same as from Wellington to Auckland."

With eight titles at stake, honours were shared between seven different schools with Westport South taking out the coveted Year 8 Boys and Girls titles. 

Results: 

Yr 5 Girls: 1. Sophie Love (St Marys) 2. Samara Shaw (Westport South) 3. Molly Flintoft (Murchison) 

Yr5 Boys: 1. Archie Volckman (Karamea) 2. Payton Guthrie (Paroa) 3. Caleb Beri (Kokatahi-Kowhitirangi) 

Yr6 Girls: 1. Tara Harper (Murchison) 2. Skye Bass (Reefton)  3. Reagan Hannah (Awahono) 

Yr6 Boys: 1. Kurt Berry (Paparoa Range)  2. Callum Brown (Grey Main) 3.Antonio Verhoeven (St Patricks) 

Yr7 Girls: 1. Ruby Hewitt (Westland High) 2. Maia Grosser (St Marys) 3. Sami Donaldson (Paparoa Range) 

Yr7 Boys: 1. Tarris Ormiston (Reefton) 2. Keir Barry (Westport North) 3. Kobe Brownlee (Westport South) 

Yr8 Girls: 1. Eilis Neilsen  (Westport South) 2. Molly Williams (Karoro) 3. Erin Smith (Westport South) 

Yr8 Boys: 1. Heath Lyon (Westport South) 2. Mac Gibson (Paroa) 3. Ethan Hart (Westport North) 

The top five finishers in each grade qualify for the upcoming Canterbury Primary cross country championships, providing their school is affiliated to Primary School Sports Canterbury.