Fort Nelson to have strong representation at upcoming BC Summer Games

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The upcoming BC Summer Games will have a presence from the northern community of Fort Nelson.

Fort Nelson will send track and field athletes representing the Cariboo-North district, Zone 8, at the event scheduled to start on Wednesday, July 22, in Kelowna.

Additionally, Cedar Wechlin, Dwayne Legge and Heather Sparshu will be on hand during the games as coaches.

Both Legge and Wechlin will mentor Zone 8 athletes, while Sparshu will handle track coaching duties for a Vancouver-based team.

Wechlin, a former collegiate softball player, will coach the U-15 Zone 8 softball team, composed of players from Quesnel and Prince George.

Wechlin described the opportunity as ‘the grand stage’ for the participants in a conversation with Energeticcity.ca.

“The BC Summer Games and the Winter Games are bringing all the top athletes from across the province to compete,” said Wechlin. “The process of just getting kids from Fort to qualify for their zone team is a task in itself.”

“Our kids do not have a lot of exposure to what actually may be higher competition or what a higher level of play looks like.”

According to Wechlin,  track and field athletes in the town qualified at the BC School Sports Track and Field Provincials in Langley in June.

Wechlin credited  Legge and Sparshu, who were able to chaperone an entry from Fort Nelson Secondary School to compete.

“[Legge and Sparshu] put in the time and the money to put those kids on a bus here from Fort Nelson,” said Wechlin. “They drove all the way to Vancouver to go to provincials, get those [qualifying] times, and that’s what’s allowed them to be a part of the BC Summer Games.”

Having athletes compete in the games may allow them to continue their athletic pursuits after high school, according to Wechlin.

It may also inspire them to develop more rigorous training regimens to improve their chances of being recruited by colleges or universities.

“That allows our kids here in Fort Nelson to be able to compete against the province’s best,” said Wechlin. “It also allows coaches, scouts and recruiters down south to see our kids and potentially recruit them to go to the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and other colleges and universities.”

“We do not know what our expectations are when these kids get to go down to Kelowna and compete against other parts of B.C. Their expectations for themselves are going to go up, because now they know what the higher level of competition looks like.”

The BC Summer Games began in 1978, with the first games in Penticton. The first BC Winter Games were held in Kamloops the following year.

Organized by the BC Games Society, the 2026 Summer Games will take place from Wednesday, July 22, to Sunday, July 26.