On Sept. 16, one of the last official days of summer, students at Nakusp Elementary School (NES) gathered at the soccer field for the annual beginning of year triathlon.
Participants ranged from Grade 4 to Grade 7, comprising mainly of groups of three.
“It’s kind of hard to make some of the events long enough, big enough, and challenging enough for our Grade 7 kids, and still not too hard for Grade 4,” said Brenda McQuair, a teacher at NES and one of the triathlon’s organizers. “I think going down to the younger grades, it would be really hard.”
Before starting the event, a brief warm up was done, and McQuair went over the rules.
One team member would run in the first part of the race through an obstacle course, which spanned one end of the playground to the other. They would then tag their teammate waiting for them at the far end.
Once tagged, that team member would bike around the wooded area of the school until they reached the starting point of the triathlon.
While all this is happening, a third team member jogged around the wooded area in the opposite direction until also reaching the beginning of the triathlon, and all three teammates would run to the finish line together.
Fresh fruit and water were available after students had completed the triathlon.
About 75 students took part in total.
Many students said having the triathlon was a good thing for the school.
“It’s important because they want to have fun, and it’s good to compete sometimes,” said Savannah Olson, a student in Grade 7.
Fellow student Quinn Scambler agrees.
“We all need exercise, and it’s a really fun thing to do.”
While the triathlon is good for the students, many feel it’s also good for the community.
“We had a lot of parents present today, and we had students from Nakusp Secondary School coming over to help,” said Joseph Baron, principal of NES. “It’s just a nice way for the community to work together.”
Baron feels that not only is it a good way to bring the community together, it’s a great way for the younger and older students to get to know each other.
“You kind of break those grade boundaries,” he concluded. “It’s a nice opportunity to get outside, and be active, and enjoy each other’s time.”