Players from all over B.C. are heading to Halifax, N.S. Aug. 11-15 for box lacrosse nationals, including a U13 girls squad that includes players from Surrey, White Rock, Vancouver Island, Castlegar and everywhere in between.
They'll be joined by other teams as well ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½” a U13 boys/coed team (girls are allowed to play on boys' teams), a U15 coed and a U15 girls team, and a U22 girls team. This year, the U17 boys and girls teams are going to this summer's Canada Games in St. John's, Nfld., noted BC Lacrosse Association executive director Jill Krop.
With B.C.'s U13 and U15 girls' teams being the reigning gold-medal champions, of course, it would be nice to see a repeat, she said.
"Who doesn't want to win a national championship?" she said, noting B.C.'s U17 girls also won gold last year, along with the U17 boys, while U13 and U15 boys, and the U22 girls, all won silver.
But more than winning, the whole experience is a fantastic one for the athletes as well as any family members who choose to travel with them, Krop said.
"It's a really fun week of kids and families who love box lacrosse, and there's just a wonderful atmosphere at the event ... making new friends, meeting new people, making new memories," she said. "There is a tradition of exchanging gifts the first time you play a team ... typically pins or hats or lanyards, that the kids will exchange."
The BCLA program focuses on the entire individual, not just sport, Krop noted.
"What I love about our program is that we're not just here to improve and grow kids' lacrosse skills, we're also helping to grow awesome people who know how to travel, as a group, as a team, and (to) be respectful when travelling ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½” for a lot of the kids, this might be their first time on an airplane, or the first time at a hotel without their parents," she explained, adding the association has a fully chaperoned program, with four coaches and one manager for each team.
"On top of it, you get to see a little bit of the rest of the country, and so it's exciting to be going all the way to Halifax this year. There's just so much more history there and, and while they'll be really busy playing lacrosse, they'll at least get a little glimpse."
The competition's final, gold-medal matches will ne played on the Friday, and they don't leave until the Sunday, so there's at least one free day for the teams to explore.
"We're hoping (everyone) can do a little tiny bit of exploring in Nova Scotia, whether that's Peggy's Cove or a beach or the Citadel, which is right in the centre of Halifax," Krop, who used to live in Nova Scotia herself, said.
The U13 girls team will play Saskatchewan first, followed by Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario.
Visit for more details.
