Years of hard work paid off in the form of a national medal for an Okotoks lacrosse standout.
Okotokian Mikayla Reschke took full advantage of her first time in the national limelight in earning a bronze medal in her debut with Team Alberta at the 2016 Midget Female Box Lacrosse Championship Sunday at Calgary’s Max Bell Centre.
“This was my number one goal for three years to be on Team Alberta,” said Reschke, a Foothills Composite student. “I was working outside of lacrosse, I went to a sports school in Grade 9 getting fit for it. This was one of the goals I was trying to reach for a super long time and I found out I was going two days after my birthday.”
For the 16-year-old member of the Okotoks Raiders, the competition lived up to the hype and years of determination in the sport.
“It’s one of those memories you always want to hold onto and never want to forget,” she said. “I know the team is going to keep in touch.”
Team Alberta centralized in the weeks leading up to the competition, including a week-long stint in dorm rooms, as a means to bond as a team and shut out any outside distractions.
Featuring players from across the province, Reschke had the benefit of a couple friendly faces in club teammates Daely Keith and Kylie Porter – both from High River.
“We went to Gull Lake twice for a mini-camp, did team activities,” she said. “Our coaches were saying this year our team gelled the most of the three years they coached.
“Within the first couple practices we were all friends and basically sisters in the end … It allows us to trust each other on the floor.”
The team bonding paid early dividends for the squad.
Alberta posted a pair of wins on day one of the tournament, cruising past Nova Scotia by a 7-1 score before shocking the eventual gold medal winning Team Ontario by an 8-5 mark.
“It was super nerve-wracking going into an elite tournament with elite players,” Reschke said. “We had our players that were already on the team before that helped us out and told us what we needed to do.
“That (Ontario) game we all got equal playing time, all cheered each other on. It was positive from the beginning of the game. We thought we’ve got this.”
The teams renewed acquaintances the following morning with the Heartland Province earning a measure of revenge in a 5-3 triumph.
Team Alberta finished round-robin with a record of 3-3 and moved on to play Nova Scotia for the bronze medal in what was a competitive tilt between friendly foes.
Alberta scored three times in the third period to dispatch the Maritimers by a 6-1 count.
“We actually became pretty close with the Nova Scotia team off the floor, we hung out with them on our off day,” Reschke said. “It was a lot of fun, playing people we knew and we did come off with a big win. Both teams were super positive with each other.”
Team Alberta were winners in the Senior division and earned bronze in Bantam at the week long tournament in the Stampede City.
Transitioning from Midget to Junior next season, the Okotokian will take more than a bronze medallion away from the experience.
“More than lacrosse, it’s also life skills,” she said. “You learn to live with people for a week, adapt away from home and be ready to be alone.
“You learn to like your own company, like the people around you and deal with pressure situations.”
