Students from six area schools gathered in Fawcett Sept. 26 for the annual Pembina Hills Divisional Junior High Soccer Tournament. Pictured, R.F. Staples’ Jolie Snow and Sebastian Hoblak run to get control of the ball.
Junior high students from six schools around the region participated in the annual Pembina Hills Divisional Soccer Tournament in Fawcett Sept. 26, aimed at getting kids outside and practicing a new sport in a less competitive format.
For the past four years, Mike Ivey, who teaches at Pembina North Community School, has been organizing the event, although he said it was running back when he was in junior high as well.
Although attendance changes almost every year, there are some regulars who have always sent teams out, but it all depends on scheduling, said Ivey.
This year, PNCS students were joined by their counterparts from R.F. Staples, St. Mary School, Fort Assiniboine, Edwin Parr Composite in Athabasca, Eleanor Hall School and Neerlandia Public Christian School.
“There’s no finals, it’s not too serious, but it’s a good chance for getting kids out and getting them to play another sport. They do have volleyball, basketball and badminton which are pretty competitive, they have final tournaments. Soccer is one that’s not really integrated in that sports system in junior high so we do a tournament at the beginning of the year … kids practice in phys-ed classes and come out,” said Ivey.
At the event they competed in three divisions: Grade 8 boys and girls, Grade 9 boys and girls and Grade 7 mixed.
Some schools send more than one team per division, St. Mary for instance had three Grade 7 teams.
“It was a pretty terrible forecast, a little chilly and a little slippery, but kids still seemed to have a lot of fun … We were pretty happy they didn’t get poured on all day, that changes the spirits,” said Ivey.
The opportunity was also there for students to meet each other and make new friends, since the format of the day was less formal and more fun-oriented.
St. Mary principal Vance Nakonechny agreed that it was a bonding experience for everybody involved.
“It’s a chance for them to all be together. I did talk to all the competing grades and all the kids seemed to have a lot of fun. The weather conditions weren’t the greatest, but I didn’t hear anybody saying ‘oh, the weather was awful,’ they all just talked about how much fun they had,” he said.
