It’s a big weekend of school sports in West Prince.
Close to 950 runners expected for PEISAA championships
Organizers are expecting up to 950 runners from close to 60 P.E.I. schools to tackle the trails at the Mill River campground during the P.E.I. School Athletic Association (PEISAA) provincial cross-country championships on Saturday.
The Mill River courses are for runners in Grades 3 to 9. As many as 150 runners were expected for the juvenile and senior championships at Charlottetown Rural on Tuesday. Individual and team participants for the provincials were determined from the close to 3,000 runners at recent zone championships.
“The sport of cross-country is a very exciting sport to start off the school year,” says PEISAA cross-country commissioner Paul Goguen.
“Kids love to run; it’s a natural thing for them to do.
“Since the start of the school year students have been running at their schools. Some run at first recess, some run at dinner break and many run at home.”
Goguen acknowledges Mill River Experience for providing its campground and park facility as the venue for the Zone 1 and provincial championships. “The wide-open area at Mill River will give the competitors
three very demanding courses to run with its open fields, wooded areas, and many hills to overcome,” he noted.
PEISAA school sport director Phil Bridges noted the time runners and organizers put into
preparing for the provincial championships, extended good luck to all and a hope for dry conditions.
“It’s always a great thing for school sports to see so many young and older athletes from across P.E.I. take part in what the SAA has to offer,” acknowledged Bridges.