THE GREAT EIGHT Winter Games major sponsors: Connor Sports, represented by Scott Wagner and Dominique Mevel, and Co-Vantage CU, represented by Katie Clark.

IRON MOUNTAIN — The 2017 Great Eight Winter Games involved fourth- through eighth-grade students from Forest Park, Iron Mountain, Kingsford, North Dickinson, Norway-Vulcan and West Iron County schools, along with Florence and Niagara, Wis.

Students competed in archery, basketball, bowling, chess, dodgeball, giant slalom skiing, snowboarding and volleyball.

The opening ceremony was in the Kingsford Middle School gymnasium. More than 900 participants from the “Great Eight” school districts, along with their families and school administrators, crowded the gym to kick off the day of competition.

The Kingsford Carpenter/American Legion Post 363 presented the colors. Singing the National Anthem, under the direction of Norway-Vulcan retired music instructor Dawn Kranz were Great Eight participants Crystal Leffler and Bailey Wilcox from Florence, Skyler VanOss and Delaney Wagner from Forest Park, Audrey Harrell and Arianna Presley from Iron Mountain, MacKenzie Smythe and Michael Riedl from Kingsford, Julia Brown and Makenzie Neuens from Niagara, Madaline Derke and Eleigh Stout from North Dickinson, Audra Johnson and Anna Karkanen from Norway-Vulcan and Samantha Herman and Calli Pellizzer from West Iron County

Master of ceremonies, Lyle Smithson, Kingsford High School principal, led the opening ceremony with the history behind the games. He offered words of encouragement and good sportsmanship to the participants. He thanked all of the sponsors and also the major sponsors, Connor Sports and CoVantage Credit Union for their many years of continued support of the Winter Games. Dominique Mevel from Connor Sports and Katie Clark of CoVantage Credit Union each spoke to the students wishing them well and firing them up for their day of competition.

Administrators in attendance representing the school districts were Florence MS/HS Principal Brandon Jerue, Forest Park Superintendent Becky Waters, Iron Mountain Superintendent Raph Rittenhouse, Breitung Township Superintendent Craig Allen, Niagara Superintendent Nate Burklund, North Dickinson Superintendent/Principal Angel Inglese, Norway-Vulcan Superintendent Lou Steigerwald and West Iron County Superintendent Chris Thomson.

Tim Anderson, of Nu-Salt Laser Light Shows International, provided a light show during the opening ceremony. His show included laser projections of each of the school names and mascots and also the logos of the major sponsors. Anderson is based out of California. He is a graduate from Negaunee High School and was thrilled to return to the Upper Peninsula to be a part of the games. This was his second opening ceremony performing for the games.

Each school district presented their school flag during the opening ceremony. The flag bearers for Florence were Sidney Tomczak and Peyton Prevost, for Forest Park were Aubrianna Ahola and Gabe Scarlassara, for Iron Mountain were Claire Mongrain and Luke Powell, for Kingsford were Emma Allen and Andrew Paupore, for Niagara were Haley Allred and Brittney Shipes, for North Dickinson were Karley Webb and Tucker Mattson, for Norway-Vulcan were Mackenzie Clifford and Jeffrey VanHolla and for West Iron were Maddie Anderson and Zoe Kolenda.

To honor the official start of the games, the torch was lit by North Dickinson eighth-grade student Colin Graham. The 2017 shirts were designed and printed by Chris Freeman and Advanta Print of Iron Mountain.

The organizing committee comprised of Karen Harrison of Florence, Bill Santilli of Forest Park, Joe Trudeau of Niagara, Mike Roell of North Dickinson, Brad Grayvold of Norway-Vulcan, Angie Williams of West Iron County, Chris Hartman, Carol Maloney, Al Unger and Julie Wonders of Iron Mountain-Kingsford Community Schools were pleased the day went smoothly and was enjoyed by the participants.

The committee is grateful for the many people behind the scenes that made the day a success — school administrators, supervisors, coaches, officials, timers, scorers, ticket takers, concession workers, custodians and also the parents of the participants. The committee also appreciated the many sponsors who donated to ensure the students were able to participate and enjoy a day of competition.

Sponsors of the games: Connor Sports, CoVantage Credit Union, Angeli Foods, Bacco Construction Co., Barb’s Café, Brouillette & Brouillette attorneys, First National Bank of Iron Mountain-Kingsford, First National Bank of Norway, Florence Hardwoods LLC, Florence Motor Sales Inc., Forest Park Sports Boosters, Forward Financial Credit Union of Niagara, G & G Lumber Inc., Hebert Construction Co., Jubilee Foods, Kiwanis Club of Iron County, LaChapelle Insurance Services, Inc., LaFaive Oil Company, Inc., Lud Stoor Agency/Miners State Insurance Agency, m-Bank of Florence, MBM Construction Co., Miners State Bank, M. J. Electric, LLC, Niagara Athletic Booster Club, Niagara Lions Club, Nordic Booster Club, North Dickinson PTO, Norway Dental PC, Norway Eye Care, Subway of Florence, TDS, Inc., U. P. State Credit Union and WIC Booster Club.

At the conclusion of each event medals were awarded to the following:

EVENT RESULTS:

Dodgeball — sixth grade boys: first place – Norway-Vulcan No. 2, second place – North Dickinson, third place – Kingsford No. 1, fourth place – Niagara, fifth place – Florence; seventh grade boys: first place – Iron Mountain No. 2, second place – North Dickinson, third place – Iron Mountain No. 1, fourth place – Norway-Vulcan No. 2, fifth place – Kingsford No. 2; eighth grade boys: first place – Iron Mountain, second place – West Iron County, third place – Norway-Vulcan No. 1, fourth place – Forest Park, fifth place – North Dickinson.

Volleyball — sixth grade girls: first place – Florence, second place – Iron Mountain Black, third place – Niagara White, fourth place – Niagara Purple; seventh grade girls: first place – Iron Mountain No. 2, second place – Kingsford No. 1, third place – Kingsford No. 3, fourth place – Forest Park; eighth grade girls: first place – Niagara, second place – Iron Mountain No. 1, third place – Florence, fourth place – Iron Mountain No. 2.

Basketball — fourth grade boys: first place – Kingsford, second place – Iron Mountain, third place – Niagara and West Iron County; fourth grade girls: first place – Kingsford, second place – Florence, third place – Iron Mountain and Forest Park; fifth grade boys: first place – Norway-Vulcan, second place – Iron Mountain, third place – Florence and Kingsford; fifth grade girls: first place – West Iron County, second place – Kingsford, third place – Florence and Forest Park.

Archery — fourth grade boys: first place – 28, Lucas Summerfield-Iron Mountain, second place – 21, Evan Mendini-Iron Mountain, third place – 19, Michael Dove-Iron Mountain, fourth place – 17*, Bryce Salo-Kingsford, fifth place – 17*, Toby Verley-Norway-Vulcan; fourth grade girls: first place – 30, Jenna Viau-Kingsford, second place – 28, Reagan Cram-Kingsford, third place – 25, Jade Miller-Kingsford, fourth place – 21, Mylee VanHese-Kingsford, fifth place – 15, Samantha Wilson-Kingsford; fifth grade boys: first place – 37, Robby Kishman-North Dickinson, second place – 31, Jeffrey Steinbrecher-North Dickinson, third place – 26, Taylor Bath-Kingsford, fourth place – 21, Carter Kassin-Iron Mountain, fifth place – 16, Dawson Laitinen-Iron Mountain; fifth grade girls: first place – 36 (46), Abby Windell-Florence, second place – 36 (45), Maggie Matson-North Dickinson, third place – 29, Sophie Anderson-Kingsford, fourth place – 24, Lauren Abraham-Kingsford, fifth place – 4, MacKenzie Lanning-Kingsford; sixth grade boys: first place – 37, Spencer Kegley-West Iron County, second place – 30, Omer Nevils-Kingsford,; sixth grade girls: first place – 40, Ava Peters-Kingsford, second place – 32, Linnea Grubb-Kingsford, third place – 31, Carolanne Schuirman-Florence, fourth place – 20, Marley Tobey-Iron Mountain (BBCS), fifth place – 11, Emily Theeck-Kingsford; seventh grade boys: first place – 41, Nick Abraham-Kingsford, second place – 40, Matt Wilson-Kingsford, third place – 36*, Adam Cavagnetto-Norway-Vulcan, fourth place – 36*, Liam Girard-Norway-Vulcan, fifth place – 33, Kodey Oliver-Kingsford; seventh grade girls: first place – 41, Paige Uren-Florence, second place – 38, Elizabeth Early-Kingsford; eighth grade boys: first place – 38, David Dobson-West Iron County, second place – 31, Kaiden Paulsen-Kingsford, third place – 25, Dayvid Swanson-West Iron County, fourth place – 17, Danny Prudhomme-West Iron County; eighth grade girls: first place -34, Karley Webb-North Dickinson, second place – 32, Madalyn Derke-North Dickinson.

Bowling — fourth grade boys: first place – 186, Blake Flaminio-Kingsford, second place – 183, Dave Nanninga-Kingsford, third place – 159, Tanner Finley-Norway-Vulcan, fourth place – 110, Jack Wilinski-Kingsford, fifth place – 107, Mason Holmes-Niagara; fourth grade girls: first place – 153, Rachel Walker-Niagara, second place – 126, Kaitlynn Davis-Florence, third place – 121, Libby Vross-Kingsford, fourth place – 119, Alexandra Hansen-West Iron County, fifth place – 117, Addison Wheeler-Niagara; fifth grade boys: first place – 192, Blake Holmes-Niagara, second place – 185, Peyton McConnell-Kingsford, third place – 146, Nate Olsen-Niagara, fourth place – 135, Blair Adams-Niagara, fifth place – 111, Noah Tate-Niagara; fifth grade girls: first place – 140, McKenna Trulock-Kingsford, second place – 117, Lylian Bunker-Kingsford, third place – 105, Kristina Gauger-Kingsford, fourth place – 97, Zoey Cowling-Kingsford, fifth place – 92, Paige Krone-West Iron County; sixth grade boys: first place – 182, Gavin Holdaway-Niagara, second place – 178, Tony Phillips-Niagara, third place – 168, Dylan Hart-Norway-Vulcan, fourth place – 112, Isaac Hingos-Forest Park, fifth place – 87, Braedan Bal-Norway-Vulcan; sixth grade girls: first place – 184, Crystal Leffler-Florence, second place – 132, Lexie Vross-Kingsford, third place – 126, Madison Paul-Kingsford, fourth place – 117, Bailey Broecker-Kingsford, fifth place – 107, Olivia Oliver-Kingsford; seventh grade boys: first place – 304, Tyler Dumke-Forest Park, second place – 275, Brock Taff-Florence, third place – 237, Brady Behnke-Niagara, fourth place – 236, Marcus Doucette-Kingsford, fifth place – 194, Levi Fiorucci-Kingsford; seventh grade girls: first place – 209, Hailey Spigarelli-Kingsford, second place – 204, Cassie McMahon-Kingsford, third place – 110, Jenna Bal-Norway-Vulcan, fourth place – 67, Chloe Pokovich-Norway-Vulcan, fifth place – 39, Neveah Goad-Norway-Vulcan; eighth grade boys: first place – 261, Logan Galbraith-Kingsford, second place – 224, Jon Phillips-Niagara, third place – 204, Mike Riedl-Kingsford; eighth grade girls: first place – 284, Alexis Jacko-Kingsford, second place – 167, Saedra Stanton-Kingsford.

Chess — fourth grade boys and girls: first place – TIE, Mireya Kalcec-Norway-Vulcan, first place – TIE, David Madigan-North Dickinson, second place – Avaneesh Choragudi-Kingsford, third place – Izayah Reed-Kingsford; fifth grade boys: first place – Andrew Larsen-Iron Mountain, second place – Christopher Burie-Kingsford, third place – Douglas Dabb-Norway-Vulcan, fourth place – Colton Weber-Niagara, fifth place – Lucas Engman-Kingsford; fifth grade girls: first place – Zoe Osborne-Norway-Vulcan, second place – Kimberley McCallister-Kingsford, third place – Zelda Osborne-Norway-Vulcan; sixth grade boys: first place – Riley Gauthier-Iron Mountain, second place – John Goupell-Iron Mountain (BBCS), third place – Owen Jenness-Kingsford, fourth place – TIE, James Cain-Kingsford, fourth place – TIE, Isaac Olson-Kingsford, fifth place – Samuel Holroyd-West Iron County; seventh & eighth grade boys: first place – Levi Stoor-Forest Park, second place – Kaden Branam-Kingsford, third place – Sam Bilgreen-Kingsford, fourth place – Luke Ruble-Iron Mountain; eighth grade girls: first place – Brianna Olson-Iron Mountain, second place – Sarah Kulas-Iron Mountain.

Giant Slalom Skiing –fourth grade boys: first place – 27.04, Eli Heathman-Iron Mountain, second place – 40.06, Liam Pomroy-Kingsford, third place – 40.90, Ben Fornetti-Iron Mountain, fourth place – 43.33, Paolo Occhietti-Iron Mountain, fifth place – 53.14, Joshua Casey-Williams-Kingsford; fourth grade girls: first place – 1:08.61, Sydney Johnson-Kingsford, second place – 2:23.82, Clara Anderson-Kingsford; fifth grade boys: first place – 31.97, Quinn Premo-Kingsford, second place – 40.07, Bryce Leffler-Florence, third place – 43.33, Logan Thompson-Florence; fifth grade girls: first place – 28.81, Ella Rizzo-Kingsford, second place – 30.35, Megan Bittinger-Kingsford, third place – 51.99, Leia Lacy-Kingsford, fourth place – 54.99, Hayden Johnson-Kingsford; sixth grade boys: first place – 33.35, Ethan Schahczinski-Kingsford, second place – 1:00.41, Tino Occhietti-Iron Mountain (BBCS); sixth grade girls: first place – 28.80, Maria Fornetti-Iron Mountain (BBCS), second place – 36.77, Peyton Johnson-Kingsford; seventh & eighth grade boys: first place – 26.45, Jake Munn-Kingsford, second place – 31.69, Ethan Gribble-Kingsford, third place – 44.46, Michael Occhietti-Kingsford; seventh grade girls: first place – 25.53, Brooke Bittinger-Kingsford, second place – 28.62, Gabby Carey-Iron Mountain.

Snowboarding — fourth and fifth grade boys: first place – 50.16, Conner Hansen-Kingsford, second place – 1:09.16, Dylan West-Forest Park; sixth grade boys: first place – 42.76, Kristofer Burmeister-Iron Mountain, second place – 43.55, Hunter Loehr-Forest Park, third place – 44.80, Payton Woollard-Forest Park, fourth place – 47.61, Logan Couillard-Kingsford; seventh grade boys: first place – 48.03, Remington Cripe-Forest Park, second place – 58.74, Gabe Hautamaki-Norway-Vulcan.