Britannie Ouimet is a national bronze medal-winning bantam lacrosse player.
Ouimet was a member of Team Alberta at the 2013 Canadian Bantam Midget and Junior Female Lacrosse Championships in Halifax, N.S. on July 23-28.
“It was quite the thing,” said Ouimet, 14, upon returning home to Westlock.
On July 24, Team Alberta won its first game 10-0 against Team Nova Scotia.
“It was a pretty easy win,” said Ouimet. “Then we played later (Wednesday) afternoon against Ontario, which is usually a powerhouse. We lost 3-2, but it was a really close game.”
The team’s success continued as Team Alberta once again beat Nova Scotia handily on Thursday.
“But on Friday, we played B.C. and we definitely didn’t play our best,” Ouimet said, adding her team lost 4-0. “Saturday was the big day.”
Team Alberta came up against Team Ontario on Saturday morning and posted a a 5-1 win.
“It’s the first time a female team from Alberta beat them, so I think that means we definitely could’ve won this tournament because Ontario ended up winning,” Ouimet explained. “It was definitely a confidence booster, and I think it put Alberta on the map as far as girl’s lacrosse goes — that win was definitely something to be proud of.”
But the team’s trail of success was jilted in the semi-final game against B.C., where the girls lost 4-0. The loss ultimately knocked Team Alberta down to a bronze medal game against Nova Scotia.
“We ended up in bronze game against Nova Scotia,” she said. “So, we played Sunday morning at 8 a.m. and we beat them 12-3 I believe. We’re done now.”
But it’s a summer the teen will never forget.
The Westlock native dedicated the month of July to the game she was wired to play. She even took the month off from a part-time job to focus on training.
“I had four hours of practice every Wednesday night and between Friday to Sunday, I travelled to Calgary and Red Deer,” Ouimet said. “We had about 10 hours of practices in total each weekend. After the weekends you’d come home and be pretty pooped out. I’d stay at home and relax for a day or go to the city for the day, but that was really it.”
