Totally Awesome Soccer

CHESTERMERE – Normally when you get a bunch of teenage girls and boys together, they’re frequently like motor mouths and you’d be looking for the OFF switch sooner rather than later. Not the case when I met this group of teens for a soccer practice at the Chestermere High School. They were mostly quiet, but a well-mannered group of kids who had one thing on their mind and that was their awesome trip to L.A. (Lethbridge Alberta). Although Lethbridge is often referred to LA it does not resemble the well-known Tinsel town in California. But the L.A.- 2 hours south of Chestermere does hold a special significance for these girls and boys. The Alberta Summer Games are being held in Lethbridge on July 26 to 29, 2012, and these kids are there to win the GOLD in their soccer division. Alberta is divided in to 8 zones and the kids are guaranteed to have at least 4 games. They are truly focused and riding high about the trip. Their coach Pat Loria has been coaching soccer for about 7 years and is excited about their chances of coming home with a shiny medal. The girls as well as the boys come from different teams within their division and went through a 4 day try out in April to become eligible to be on this team. You see why they are so focused; they have worked hard to get to this point – and they want the win. Most of the kids themselves have been involved in soccer for 8-9 years and are truly dedicated. “This is their lives” said one Mom, “They often “play up” for other teams and sometimes several days of each week”. They also play indoor soccer so the ball and pitch is their constant companion.
Below, the list of the girls, their coach and assistants from Chestermere:
U-13 Girls – Coach Pat Loria and Assistant Coach Katelyn Piotto, Team Manager Tanya Gaskell
Kylee Gaskell, Jenna Zimmer, Kianna Toews – Goalie, Amy Rodriguez, Payton McLellan, Paige Ficaccio, Cassie Liel, Justine Rea.
The U-13 Boys team members from Chestermere – Coach Steve Thomas (Airdrie)
Ryan Wolff – Goalie, Kevin Easterbrook, Ethan Monaghan, Devon Klein, Jarrett Kind.
It is unusual that both of the goalies for the boys and girls are both from Chestermere.
The team would like to give a special thanks to Conservative Metal Fabricators and the Chestermere Soccer Club for their generous support.
There will be at least 15 different sports played at the Summer Games; everything from Soccer to Baseball, Basketball, Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Swimming, Canoe/Kayak, BMX & Mountain Biking, Athletics, In-line Hockey, Softball, Triathlon and Beach Volleyball just to name them all.
The Alberta Games and Alberta55 Plus Games are the province’s premier multi- sport events.
They provide many benefits to both the host community and to thousands of Albertans who participate at local, zone, and provincial levels. We wish you well in the Games kids – LET’S BRING HOME THE GOLD
http://www.2012albertasummergames.ca/