Track and Field Season!
The North Shore Secondary School Association (NSSSA) held its qualifying event in Espanola last week with Mustang and Wiikwemkoong High School Warriors competing! Both schools featured strong contingent of competitors. Here are, unfortunately just the top-five finishers of the events!
Mila Odjig, placed 2nd – Novice Girls 3000m; Jesse Dokum 2nd – Novice Boys 1500m, 3rd 400m; Tryton Kanasawe 3rd – Junior Boys 400m; Janelle Dokum 5th – Senior Girls 100m dash. Arabella Otosquaiob 1st – 100m, 1st – long jump; Rowyn Kasunich 3rd – long jump, 5th – 400m, Brooklyn Ferguson 1st – high jump; Kirsten Bowerman 2nd – high jump; Lexi Fisher 2nd – triple jump; Chloe Bowerman 5th – shot put; Morgan Dedman 1st – high jump, 3rd – triple; Sadie Bridgeman 1st – long jump, 2nd (by 0.05 of a second) – 200m, 5th – javelin; Autumn Davy 2nd – 1500m, 2nd – 800m; Alexandra Wilson-Zegil 5th – 1500m, 3rd – 800m; Fia Flanagan 1st – high jump, 5th – triple; Mya Balfe 1st – triple jump, 1st – discus, 2nd – long jump; Emery Watson 1st – javelin, 5th – discus; Alexis McVey 3rd – discus; Amy Smith 4th – javelin; Xavier Mara 1st – 1500m, 1st – 3000m, 2nd – 200m steeplechase; Wyatt Williamson – Wright 3rd – steeplechase; Collin Goodfellow 2nd – 800m; Sean Zembal 3rd – 3000m, 5th – 1500m; Roen Deschenes 3rd – high jump, 5th triple; Lucien Behm 4th – long; Spencer Cortes 5th – long; Charles Skippen 1st (by a meter!) shot put, 1st (by 4+m) discus; Lux Beam 5th – shot put, 5th – discus; Keegan Cranney 4th – discus ; Sebastian Mara 2nd – 1500m, 3rd – 3000m; Aven Edralin 1st – triple, 2nd – 100m; Shlok Gandi 4th – 100m; Isaac Quackenbush 2nd – 3000m; Ayden Hartley 5th – long; Ethan Ense 1st – shot put, 4th – discus; Chase Taylor 3rd – discus; Jonah Balfe 2nd – discus, 2nd – javelin; Jack Carter 1st – 100m, 3rd 200m; Rhyis Arthurs 2nd – 100m; Andrew Cooper 1st – 200m, 1st – 400m; Greyson Case 2nd – 200m; Dean Pandi 5th – 800m, 5th – 400m; Wyatt Williamson-Wright 2nd – 800m; Riel Beam 4th – 800m; Mathew Wilkin 4th – 3000m, 5th – 1500m; Cash Duchene-Milne 2nd – triple;
Manitoulin team relay teams also fared well. In the Novice Girls’ 4 x 100m the Mustangs finished third with Chloe Bowerman, Lexi Fisher, Zoe McCarville, Arabella Otosquaiob! Jack Carter, Greyson Case, Andrew Cooper and Rylan Lock won the 4 x 400m. In the 4 x 100m Greyson Case, Rhyis Arthurs, Andrew Cooper and Aaven Edralin!
Good luck to those and all the participants and now those moving on to this week’s NOSSA event!
Sudbury Rocks!
The Island’s runners were well represented at the popular race weekend, just passed. In the 10k race, Wiikwemkoong’s Aurel Fox-Recollet once again put himself at the front of the region’s race scene! Aurel ran away with the victory, clocking in at 36 minutes and change. Also running in the 10 000m distance was Little Current’s Laurel LeConte, Lucas Gonu, Leslie Marshall, Maxime Gervais, Chris Bentley, Shanna Harrington, Ben Marshall, Simon Fessenden. Lorilee McGregor from Birch Island, Mila Odjig, Michael Eshkawkogan, Pamela Manitowabi from Wiikwemkoong. Jennifer Delange from Mindemoya. Renee Cranston and Alayna Cranston from M’Chigeeng.
In the 21.1 KM Half Marathon hats-off to Little Current’s Marilee Bentley and Ling Ramos Jacqueline Craig and Luke Armstrong from Wiikwemkoong.
Finishing the 5K distance, congratulations to: Morgan Hudson of Manitowaning, Sarh Odjig of Wiikwemkoong and Nicole Green of Little Current.
Well done, Manitoulin, I hope I did not miss any of our pats and expats!
FOMOS Golf!
Do you have a general, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)? Certainly then, don’t miss the Friends of the Mindemoya Old School (FOMOS) Golf Tournament on June 20th at the Brookwood Brae Golf Course in Mindemoya!
The limited spaces are already more than half-filled for the 18 Hole, best ball format event. A single ticket to play can be had for just $115 and includes a box lunch delivered to you on the course and then a delicious steak dinner at the clubhouse that evening.
This event is to raise funds to further their mission to renovate, retrofit and repurpose the historical Mindemoya Old School as an accessible senior centre and year-round hub for artists and artisans.
The event also still has some attractive sponsorship opportunities remaining with great name/product placement opportunities. For more info on playing or contributing you can contact Ian Mackenzie at 905-979-8712 or through ikmackenzie53@gmail.com.
Manitoulin’s Static Monster trains!
Recently, we highlighted long-time strength athlete, Dawna Chartrand as she embarks on another training goal, the invite-only, Static Monsters World Championships in Ireland this summer. The format of the Static Monsters is a pared-down strength competition requiring only two different lifts (Log Lift and Axle Deadlift modified with standard equipment). Simplified does not mean easier as the S.M. founders just wanted to stick with exercises that did not need a lot of equipment and/or judges and thereby scalable worldwide.
With a competition distilled down to such minimalism, one might think there is less effort. At this level, nothing could be further from the truth! Dawna has a private gym, many commercial facilities would be envy. To give you an idea of what level she is at, Dawna competed in a qualifier back in October 2024 to qualify and placed 16th in the world for Masters 40+ women! The invites are based on rankings and they make their way down the line. Good luck in your preparations, Dawna!
Manitoulin MTB!
The OCup Mountain Bike Series is Ontario’s premier cross-country racing series, featuring competitive events across the province for riders of all ages and skill levels. The second race of the series took place at Hardwood Hills near Barrie on May 17th and 18th. Over 250 riders from across the province participated.
Nathan Quackenbush competed in both the short-track and Olympic-distance races against a deep and highly competitive field that included some of the top riders in Ontario. He charged to a 6th-place finish in the short-track and an 8th place in the Olympic-distance race.
Bradley Slaght raced in the U19 Sport division, with a 5th at Hardwood Hills. Isaac Quackenbush joined the team at Hardwood Hills and completed his first race of the season, finishing 14th in the U17 Sport division.
The OCup series includes five races throughout the season, with the next two taking place in June in London and Sault Ste. Marie, and the Provincial Championships set for August at Horseshoe Valley.
For anyone interested in joining the team or trying out mountain bike racing, there is a regional series hosted by the Walden Mountain Bike Club with races every second Thursday starting June 19th and running through September.
Their first local event of the season is coming up at McLean’s Park in Assiginack on June 8th. Information and registration at www.breakawaymanitoulinevents.ca
If you’d like to join the team or want more information, feel free to contact them at manitoulin.mtb@gmail.com.
Manitoulin tennis arrives on the wings of blackflies!
Tennis coach and long-time promoter, Chris Theijsmeijer has established a small but dedicated group that contends with unique challenges. Players braved the courts at MSS for the annual Blackfly Tournament put on by the Manitoulin Tennis Club over the May long weekend. Play will now continue every Wednesday at 6:30 pm and Sunday at 10 am (weather permitting) from now to September.
