Eight Kamloops Canoe and Kayak Club athletes were in action at the Canoe Kayak Canada Sprint National Championships, which wrapped up on Sept. 1 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Harris Hunter led the way for the Kamloops club, racking up five medals at nationals.
Mischa Grover, Leilani Vanderydt, Harris Hunter, Douglas Hunter, Damian Hickey, Corben Hickey, Nate Neuls and Liam Grover combined for six trips to the podium and many impressive finishes at the event, which included a field of 1,037 athletes from 41 clubs across the country.
Damian Hickey, Harris Hunter and Douglas Hunter belonged to the under-16 K4 team that won gold in the 1,000-metre and silver in the 500m. Peter Thompson-Whike of False Creek Racing Canoe Club rounded out the squad.
The Hunters are twin brothers.
"I mostly enjoy the racing in the moment," Douglas Hunter said, noting highlights included crossing the finish line with teammate Damian Hickey. "Getting the medals is kind of customary. In reality, I really enjoy doing the races with the people in the boat and developing together."
Harris Hunter won silver in the U16 K1 200m, silver in the U16 K1 6,000m and bronze in the U18 K2 500m, along with Adam Vetter of False Creek.
Mischa Grover, along with teammate Abby Charlesworth of False Creek, claimed silver in the U18 C2 1,000m.
Damian Hickey, Douglas Hunter, Corben Hickey, Nate Neuls, Leilani Vanderydt, Liam Grover and Mischa Grover earned fourth-place finishes at the event.
For more information on the club, go online to kamloopscanoeandkayakclub.ca. Club headquarters are at Shumway Lake.
Stan Marek joined the KCKC in 2013 and was head coach for 10 years before resigning and taking a job as technical director for Canoe Kayak BC.
"It's Stan," said Paul Hunter, the Hunter twins' father, when asked why the club is succeeding on the national stage. "He coached them to this point. He's developed these athletes — all of them in the present group."
