Three students attending Sundre High School (SHS) are sports stars in the community.
Raised in Sundre, brothers Joris, Jelmer and Jitse vanden Hadelkamp each take pride in their athletic abilities.
Joris, age 17, enjoys playing basketball because it is challenging, he said. He has been playing for three years.
He plays for the SHS team during the basketball season, but also in Calgary four times a week for the CYDC Panthers.
“I consider myself one of the most dedicated players at our club and coaches have told me that,” said Joris.
There are 25 players on the team and he is one of the teammates that attends nearly every practice.
“It's a lot of driving and budgeting of valuable time but it's worth it,” he said.
“The coaching I receive there is beneficial and I see myself getting better with every practice I go to.”
His goal is to play basketball in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). Outside of basketball he also enjoys running the 1,500 metre and 3,000 metre in track at SHS.
Second-eldest Jelmer, age 16, is proud of his accomplishments in track at SHS.
He runs the 1,500 metre and the 3,000 metre and says he “loves to run”. His goal is to make it to nationals.
“I started running club track last year. I've been running track for quite a while now,” said Jelmer.
He participates in track at SHS and in his own time, he also runs indoor track during the winter.
He has been awarded a gold medal in cross-country high school zones, fifth place in cross-country high school provincials and a bronze medal in cross-country club provincials.
As well, he was 2012 junior cross country athlete of the year and 2012 junior track and field athlete of the year.
Younger brother Jitse, age 14, enjoys playing soccer and has played for about seven years.
He has several medals and has placed fourth in provincials twice, he said. He takes after his father, who also played soccer for many years.
Outside of soccer he also participates in track, running the 1,500 metre and the 3,000 metre.
He plays both indoor and outdoor soccer, travelling to Red Deer for indoor play that runs from September to March.
“I am proud of my accomplishments,” he said.
