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Spring Classic hits anniversary in style

One of the top minor lacrosse draws in the province is coming home. The Okotoks Raiders host the 15th annual Spring Classic tournament within the community after previously being held at the Subway Soccer Centre in the city.

One of the top minor lacrosse draws in the province is coming home.

The Okotoks Raiders host the 15th annual Spring Classic tournament within the community after previously being held at the Subway Soccer Centre in the city.

“It’s a big advantage (at home) for our kids. They know the local restaurants, can go get a bite to eat or go home and rest in between games,” said Trevor Forbes, coach of the Okotoks Peewee C Raiders. “It does give them a chance to get together with their buddies and relax a little bit in between games instead of being cooped up and bored at the soccer centre.

“We look forward to this one every year. It’s a great opportunity at the start of the year to figure out where we’re at.”

The Spring Classic also acts as a springboard for the campaign as the tournament runs just days removed from the start of the box lacrosse season.

It will be an introduction of sorts for the rookie-laden Peewee C Raiders who boast eight out of nineteen athletes brand new to the sport.

“At the Peewee C level they haven’t had a lot of experience, lots of players are new to this sport,” the coach added. “At this point they’ve had five or six practices under their belt and have just played one season game. It’s an opportunity for them to get familiar with the game, figure out how the game is played.

“The kids get to know each other and build that camaraderie between them and that’s huge as the season progresses.”

The competition features teams in Peewee, Novice and Tyke.

Okotoks entered eight teams in the field, three in both Novice and Tyke and a pair in Peewee with each team playing four games over the weekend.

“It’s also an opportunity for coaches to correct a lot of things in a short duration,” Forbes said.

“Having back-to-back games we can have a game and correct things and teach things at the facility.”

The tournament runs May 5-7 at the Crescent Point Field House and Murray Arena within the Okotoks Recreation Centre. The championship games run on March 7 with teams vying for the Banister, Robinson and Bow Mark Cups given to the first, second, third place finishers. The top two awards are named after Okotoks minor lacrosse founders Brad Banister and Dana Robinson.

The busy stretch continues for Okotoks minor lacrosse just two weeks later when it puts on the eighth annual Girls Rock Tournament – attracting teams both inside and outside the province from the Atom to Midget ranks as one of the largest scale competitions in Canada — from May 19-21.

For more information go to okotokslacrosse.com


Remy Greer

About the Author: Remy Greer

Remy Greer is the assistant editor and sports reporter for westernwheel.ca and the Western Wheel newspaper. For story tips contact [email protected]
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