A Chestermere athlete is proud to have represented Chestermere in the 2020 Alberta Winter Games by bringing home a bronze medal.
“We did pretty good, we came third in the tournament,” said Luca Dufour.
He added, “It was really fun, and I had a great experience.”
Dufour kicked off the 2020 Alberta Winter Games with the opening ceremonies on Feb. 14, and throughout the long weekend, he played multiple games.
“It was an amazing experience for the kids. It was pretty fun to watch, it was good hockey and a great experience,” said Luca Dufour’s father, Rejean Dufour.
“They came close to making the final game, but they lost in overtime in the semi’s, they were facing a tough Calgary team in the bronze medal game. They were down two nothing at the beginning of the game, but they came back and won it,” Rejean said.
“Luca was a good part of the win. He had a goal assist in the final game, and he played very well,” he added.
To prepare for the 2020 Alberta Winter Games, Luca trained four to five days a week by shooting pucks, working out at home, and playing his best during his regular-season hockey games.
“I think I played pretty well. I scored two goals in the first game, and two goals in the second. On the second day, I was feeling a bit tired, and I didn’t play as well,” Luca said.
“On the third game, I got a really nice goal, and then I finished the tournament with the bronze medal,” he said.
Playing in the 2020 Alberta Winter Games was the first time the athletes had met each other in person.
Prior to the games, the athlete’s sent introductory videos to each other and participated in ice breaker activities before stepping onto the ice.
“It was challenging to play with athletes you have never played with before. You don’t really know them very well on the ice, that was tough,” Luca said.
“I just tried to do my part and let the others do their part,” he said.
Dufour is confident that he will remain friends with the athletes he met over the weekend.
“They were all really nice and really good hockey players,” Luca said.
Moving forward, Luca is excited to help his Chestermere Lakers Pee Wee AA team go to play off’s.
“I’ll try to help my team to playoffs, then if we make it to playoff’s I’ll try to win it,” he said.
Throughout the 2020 Alberta Winter Games, Luca received a lot of support from community members, and from his Chestermere Lakers hockey team.
“He got tremendous support from the community. His team came to support him, and a lot of people in Chestermere came up. It was amazing,” Rejean said.
“Overall it was a good experience, it was good hockey, and he is going to remember this for a long time,” he said.
