Sunday morning marked the end of the Junior Tri VI season, which is a series of multi-sports events for kids ages 5 to 15 that is hosted by the Virgin Islands Triathlon Federation (VITF). It was a perfect morning at the Chenay Bay Resort for the competition.
The Splash ‘N Dash (aqua-thon) brought out many competitors, regular and first-timers alike. For the final event the race featured a parent/child category after which special awards were given to the parent/child team with the lowest combined time. Matt and Kai Tanguay were the fastest in the 5-6-year-old category; Claudia and Helen Collins were the fastest team in the 7-8 category; Jay and Kaeden Gleason won the 9-11 category; Nataki and Brice Richards were the winners of the 12-15 category.
The small group of 5-6-year-old athletes was the first to jump in for their 25-meter swim. Kai posted the fastest swim split, but Stephen Gomez overtook him on the .25-mile run and won the gold medal. Kai was second and Henry Collins was third. Diella Maynard was close behind and took first place for the girls. Emma D’Amour finished second.
The 7 to 8-year-old group completed a course that was double the distance of the youngest group’s race. Good Hope Country Day School (GHCDS) student Joseph Freeman emerged in a fast 1:01 for the 50-meter swim and held on to his lead for the .5-mile run for first place. Connor Bass, no stranger to the podium, crossed the line in a solid second place finish. Aden Rojas, of AZ Academy, was third. Helen Collins was the first female to finish. Isabel Hoover, in her first Junior Tri VI event, was the second to cross the line. St. Croix Montessori classmates Ella Evora and Bell Davis-McCarthy crossed the line together for third place.
The large serious group of 9-11 athletes were anxious for the start of their race, which included a 100m swim and a .5-mile run. GHCDS student Kaeden Gleason set a fast pace from the start and worked hard to stay ahead of classmate Mason Lambert. Mason suffered a side stitch and was unable to make up any time on the leader. They finished in first and second, respectively. Classmate Jackson Archambault was third. Lydia Wilson, who was the third finisher overall, won in the girls’ division. Kirra Lambert overtook Maria Wilson on the run to finish second; Maria posted a strong third place finish.
The smallest and final group was the 12 to 15-year-old athletes. The race course was lengthened at their request, so the three boys covered a 400m swim and a 2-mile run. Mikey Dizon-Bumann couldn’t shake off Dominic Pugliese in the water and was hoping for a larger lead than 10 seconds. These two GHCDS Cross Country teammates ran together until the final loop of the two-mile course. Dominic arrived at the finish line 10 seconds ahead of Mikey. Teammate Brice held a consistent distance behind them on the swim and run, and he finished third.
With all the children cheering from the shoreline, nine parents with varying abilities fearlessly jumped in for their 200m swim. After their one-mile run, the race committee compiled the finish times and offered a high five. Race organizer, Theresa Harper, said that the reason for the parent/child category was to show good sportsmanship and to demonstrate that racing is not always about winning.
“Leading by example is the best way to teach a lesson,” Harper said. The competitors walked away with big smiles on their faces.
April 23rd Junior Tri VI St. Croix Splash ‘n Dash at Chenay Bay
5-6 year-olds: 25m swim and .25 mile run
Place/Name/TOTAL time/Swim time/Run time
1 Stephen Gomez 0:03:26/ 0:01:22/ 0:02:04
2 Kai Tanguay 0:03:27/ 0:01:02/ 0:02:25
3 Henry Collins 0:03:33/ 0:01:25/ 0:02:08
4 Beckett Archambault 0:03:38/ 0:01:09/ 0:02:29
5 Diella Maynard 0:03:41/ 0:01:04/ 0:02:37
6 Emma D’Amour 0:04:07/ 0:01:25/ 0:02:42
7-8 year-olds: 50m swim and .5 mile run
Place/Name/TOTAL time/Swim time/Run time
1 Joseph Freeman 0:04:47/ 0:01:01/ 0:03:46
2 Connor Bass 0:05:11/ 0:01:22/ 0:03:49
3 Aden Rojas 0:05:29/ 0:01:13/ 0:04:16
4 Daryan Maynard 0:05:47/ 0:01:17/ 0:04:30
5 Helen Collins 0:05:52/ 0:01:28/ 0:04:24
6 Ajhi Briscoe 0:06:07/ 0:01:22/ 0:04:45
7 Sawyer Holley 0:06:08/ 0:01:34/ 0:04:34
8 Devon Davis-McCarthy 0:06:11/ 0:02:06/ 0:04:05
9 Isaiah Wilson 0:06:16/ 0:01:32/ 0:04:44
10 Teague Gleason 0:06:33/ 0:01:37/ 0:04:56
11 Isabel Hoover 0:06:55/ 0:01:24/ 0:05:31
12 Ella Evora 0:07:06/ 0:01:40/ 0:05:26
12 Bella Davis-McCarthy 0:07:06/ 0:01:42/ 0:05:24
14 Mykal Piper 0:07:15/ 0:01:35/ 0:05:40
15 Chaney Smith 0:07:15/ 0:01:59/ 0:05:16
16 Allegra Ferreras 0:09:58/ 0:01:30/ 0:08:28
9-11 year-olds: 100m swim and .5 mile run
Place/Name/TOTAL time/Swim time/Run time
1 Kaeden Gleason 0:05:32/ 0:02:06/ 0:03:26
2 Mason Lambert 0:05:44/ 0:02:10/ 0:03:34
3 Lydia Wilson 0:06:29/ 0:02:15/ 0:04:14
4 Kirra Lambert 0:06:35/ 0:02:45/ 0:03:50
5 Jackson Archambault 0:06:37/ 0:02:42/ 0:03:55
6 Maria Wilson 0:06:47/ 0:02:25/ 0:04:22
7 Nate Roth 0:07:00/ 0:02:41/ 0:04:19
8 Joey Croney 0:07:00/ 0:02:56/ 0:04:04
9 Scott Roth 0:07:31/ 0:03:00/ 0:04:31
10 Gaby Evora 0:07:39/ 0:02:33/ 0:05:06
11 Candace Felix 0:08:04/ 0:03:28/ 0:04:36
12 Malia Richards 0:08:41/ 0:03:40/ 0:05:01
13 Amon Walcott 0:10:00/ 0:03:28/ 0:06:32
14 Kina Wilkins 0:10:08/ 0:02:57/ 0:07:11
15 Nesara Walcott 0:11:02/ 0:03:34/ 0:07:28
16 Lu Joseph 0:13:02/ 0:02:58/ 0:10:04
12-15 year-olds: 400m swim and 2-mile run
Place/Name/TOTAL time/Swim time/Run time
1 Dominic Pugliese 0:19:30/ 0:07:07/ 0:12:23
2 Mikey Dizon-Bumann 0:19:40/ 0:06:57/ 0:12:43
3 Brice Richards 0:22:03/ 0:08:28/ 0:13:35
Parents: Total/ 200m swim and 1 mile run
Place/Name/TOTAL time/Swim time/Run time
1 Matt Tanguay 0:11:47/ 0:03:59/ 0:07:48
2 Jay Gleason 0:12:04/ 0:04:05/ 0:07:59
3 Ian Collins 0:12:11/ 0:05:02/ 0:07:09
4 Megan Lambert 0:13:21/ 0:05:18/ 0:08:03
5 Claudia Collins 0:14:23/ 0:05:02/ 0:09:21
6 Carl Holley 0:15:15/ 0:05:43/ 0:09:32
7 Matt Hoover 0:16:29/ 0:05:46/ 0:10:43
8 Nataki Richards 0:17:12/ 0:06:24/ 0:10:48
9 DeeAnne Davis 0:19:15/ 0:06:07/ 0:13:08
Parent/Child Combined
5-6 Category Matt and Kai Tanguay 0:15:14
7-8 Category Claudia and Helen Collins 0:20:15
9-11 Category Jay and Kaeden Gleason 0:17:36
12-15 Category Nataki and Brice Richards 0:39:15
