Fleming College has earned a top honour at the national FireFit Championships, for the second year in a row.
The school won for Top School overall, and the relay team of Eric Fergonas, Danny Grant, Nathan Vanderpoel, and Lucas Manders won a silver medal in the relay event.
Six students — five men and one woman — were fast enough to earn an invitation to the national finals held on Saturday for the individual division.
“Only the very fastest of all competitors during the wild card days during the week get an invitation to this event,” stated Shawna Coulter, team coach.
“As well, two of our guys achieved incredibly fast times: 1:30 (Danny Grant) and a 1:29 (Eric Fergonas) placing them on par with the elite level and seasoned competitors who have been competing for many years.”
In addition, Fleming’s women’s relay team placed fifth overall nationally, and two teams qualified for the relay finals on Sunday.
“Again, very few teams get the invite from that day to finals,” Coulter added.
About the value of the FireFit Challenge, Coulter said, “Participation in this sport not only fosters a solid commitment to a very high level of firefighter fitness but also encourages our team members to approach any challenge with a new-found belief in their own capabilities. Training and competing at this level requires as much mental strength as it does physical, directly influencing career readiness and success rates of our past members in securing and excelling in firefighter careers.”
The competition was held in Ottawa from Sept. 6 – 11.
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