By Adam Eisenbarth
Several local athletes were in the spotlight of Alberta sports for the week of July 19 to 25.
The Alberta Summer Games were held in the Peace Region and this area was well represented.
The zone 4 female rugby team benefited from five talented Rimbey players. Bernadette Weiss, Christy Weiss, Janessa Matthew, Jalaine Anderson and Jennifer Anderson all contributed to a strong team. They made it to the bronze medal game but came up short as they were shutout by zone 1, 27-0.
In football, Tyler Wurmlinger contributed to a fifth-place finish. It was a strong finish, considering the team was shutout in their first two games.
“It was really fun. It was energetic. Everyone (on the team) thought it was really great,” said Wurmlinger.
The 15-year-old linebacker was a starter on the team and played regularly throughout the event. It was a challenge that has encouraged him to keep improving his game.
“(The biggest challenge was) going against teams that had way more experience than us.”
Wurmlinger doesn’t have any specific goals for his future in the sport but he plans on sticking with football and possibly appear in the next Summer Games. “I just want to keep getting better and better and see where football takes me.”
Tyson Maton of Winfield also played on the team.
Rimbey’s Darryl Trautman was a busy athlete in the Peace Region. The talented athlete participated in 10 events throughout the week.
The highlight for Trautman was his participation with the gold medal winning U17 medley relay. His team finished with a time more than six seconds better than the second-place team.
Other strong events for Trautman included a seventh-place finish in 300 m hurdles, 12th place in the 800 m race and 13th in 1,500 m race.
Cheyenne Argent was the only Rimbey participant on the soccer team. The zone 4 team just missed a medal, losing the bronze medal game 1-0 to zone 3.
“The ref called off our one goal saying it was a hand ball,” said Argent, who, like her teammates, was disappointed by the call. “We don’t even know why he called it a hand ball. It didn’t even hit her anywhere near her hand, it hit her in the chest. We were all pretty frustrated.”
Nonetheless it was a positive experience for Argent, who has heightened her goals in the sport. “I want to keep on playing soccer throughout my college years,” said the 14-year-old.
It wasn’t just Rimbey athletes on display in the Alberta Games. The zone 4 male softball team consisted of many Bluffton athletes. The list included Karsen Entz, Chad Lifton, Randy Maconachie, Logan Steeves, Wyatt Tennant and Brett Thompson. Buck Lake’s Chad Schenk also participated with the team, as well as Rimbey’s Mackenzie Stout.
The team would finish sixth in the tournament.
Kolton Hueppelsheuser went into the games with a good opportunity to showcase his talents. The Bentley athlete participated in six events.
His best event was the U15 200 m hurdles where he finished seventh. He also placed 11th in javelin throw and 12th in the pentathlon.
Erin Seater represented Bentley in the games. She picked up bronze medals in the U15 pentathlon and 80 m hurdles. She also posted strong results in the high jump, finishing sixth, and the 200 m hurdles, finishing seventh.
Hayley Lush also competed in the pentathlon and finished ninth, making for an impressive duo of Bentley athletes in the event.
About 2,200 athletes from throughout Alberta took part in the games, which featured 15 sports.