The U14 Celtic boys soccer team from Athabasca had a pair of successful showings at recent tournaments.
On the first weekend in June they were in the city for the Slurpee Cup, where they went all the way to the final and won the gold medal.
The team played four games over the weekend, tying the first two and winning the last two, including their 2-1 triumph in the final.
It was a challenge for the team, which moved up a level of competition this year, and coming out on top was a big achievement.
“The guys felt pretty excited to know they could play at that level and actually win the tournament,” said coach Greg Elgert.
The boys didn’t have much time to rest as they were involved in the Camrose Night Classic this past weekend, where they finished second.
“It was very well played,” said the coach. “The game we played Saturday night, we lost 3-1. We were up at the half, and it was a very physical game. The guys hung in there the whole game.”
The team has just played tournaments and exhibition games this year. The coach hopes to line up a few more such games before the season comes to an end. A big focus has been practice, and though the team hasn’t had a lot of games, they’ve still been on the field quite a bit.
“Our emphasis has been a little more on practices and improving our skills,” said Elgert, noting they often practice as much as six hours a week.
“I think the effort level with this group has been fantastic. They’re all pretty dedicated. It’s not the easiest thing to practice as much as they have this year.”
The coach gave lots of credit to his players for their success throughout the season, but he also had words of thanks for the sponsors who have helped them throughout the year, including jersey sponsor Perpetual Energy and tournament sponsors JAWS Mobile Heatwash (Wanda and Jay Parker) and Athabasca Heating (Nadine and Ken Kaminski).
The team may have another exhibition game or two to play, but even if they played their last game on the weekend in Camrose, the coach has seen everything he needs to call the year a complete success.
“From the start to now, we’ve seen a huge improvement in skill and teamwork and that’s what our goal was when we started,” he said.
