By Brett Bonderud
Black Press
Chanell Botsis put in two A-plus efforts as she grabbed gold in girls discus and javelin (Zone 3) at Bear Creek Park on Saturday.
The 14-year-old Coquitlam athlete won the discus throw in the morning, then charged ahead to a first- place finish in the javelin later that afternoon.
Saturday's twin gold combined with Botsis's win in the hammer on Friday to make her three-for-three at this year's BC Summer Games competition.
Then came her really big prize Sunday, when she was presented with the W.R. Bennett Award for Athletic Excellence at the closing ceremonies.
Botsis beamed at making a personal best of 43.06 m in javelin. Sporting a temporary red maple leaf tattoo on her biceps, Botsis said she loves the sports she competes in and the practice involved.
The young athletetrains four days a week without complaint. It's a lot of hard work, she said, but it's well worth it.
"I love it.It's all I want to do," she said.
Her coach and parents, Jacqueline and Nick, have high praise for Chanell's work ethic.
"She's good at everything," said her discus and hammer throw coach Richard Collier.
Botsis also shines in the classroom. She is a straight 'A' French immersion student, who particularly enjoys science and math.
She loves collecting pins as well. She started collecting them during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Botsis excels on and off the field, and has trained with Canadian Olympian Curtis Moss, but she also remains humble.
It is a quiet confidence, her parents said, and something Botsis will carry with her on the road to nationals next month in Prince Edward Island, and as she looks ahead to the Youth Olympics in China in 2014.
The Fraser Valley (Zone 3) girls basketball team - replete with Tri-City players and coaches - collected gold at the Games via a 44-32 victory Sunday over Vancouver Island-Central Coast (Zone 6) at Cloverdale Recreation Centre.
Port Coquitlam players on the squad included Alexandra Antignani, Shaelynne Sanchez, Amanda Matsui, Jessica Castillo, Cathleen Redmen and Talia Tvergyak. Coquitlam players were Rachel Peters, Sara Knowles and Shanta Borrego.
Also, the squad was coached by Paul Langford of the storied Riverside Rapids senior girls high school program, with his daughters Kelli of Coquitlam and Caitlin of PoCo serving as his assistants in a true family affair.
Kris McCrea of Port Moody teamed with Surrey's Irvan Brar to capture gold in boys beach volleyball for Fraser Valley (Zone 3) at the Games.
Meanwhile, another Fraser Valley (Zone 3) duo, Mathew Guidi of Coquitlam and South Surrey's Jake Hagen, earned bronze.
-- With files from Marisa Babic and Fatima Beatty
