HAMILTON—Sierra Pangowish of Wikwemikong High School set a new personal best at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) Cross Country Championships in Hamilton this past Saturday, November 3.
Sierra and coach Marcel Recollet left Wiikwemkoong at 7:30 am on Friday, November 2, exchanging pleasantries with the Espanola Spartans Team at the McKerrow Tim Hortons at 8:33 am making a brief stop in Port Severn for lunch where they met MSS coach Mr. Tallman.
“We then left straight to the course site: the Christie Lake Conservation Area for the course walk and jog,” said Coach Recollet. “We were registered and good to go for Saturday.”
“Saturday morning breakfast at the hotel restaurant and off we went to the running site: the race time for the junior Girls was at 12:15 pm,” the coach said. “The competition was ‘running’ a half hour behind schedule.”
The coach noted that there were many fans, including parents, grandparents, siblings and coaches filling the sky with roars and cheers.
“Our runner Sierra finished strong to the finish line,” Coach Recollet shared. “Her new personal best time is 23 minutes and 51 seconds. Her previous personal best time was 23 minutes and 58 seconds. Sierra placed 164th out of 284 runners in the junior girls’ division.”
There to greet Sierra at the finish line was her proud mother.
Sierra will be running in the senior division next year, hopefully closer to home in Sudbury, next year’s hosts of OFSAA cross country.
