Three Cold Lake volleyball players will be representing the city on a provincial stage later this month when they travel to Medicine Hat to participate in the 2016 Alberta Winter Games.
Arden Loeffelmann, Jayeden Johnson and Sydney Horyn make up a fourth of the Zone 7 Under-15 girls volleyball team that will be travelling south for the provincial tournament.
“I think it is a great opportunity to get the chance to go play and represent Zone 7,” said Loeffelmann, who has played volleyball for the past six years.
She and her fellow teammates attended a try-out camp back in November, which saw over 50 female volleyball players from around north eastern Alberta come out and compete for a spot on the roster.
“There were quite a few girls there. A lot of them were really good players,” said Loeffelmann.
Joining the Cold Lake girls on the squad are six players from Bonnyville, one from Dewberry, one from St. Paul and one from Fort McMurray.
Camille Dumont, one of the six Bonnyville girls on the roster is also ecstatic about the chance to go play in the massive tournament.
“It is an honour. I think it is really exciting and cool to represent Zone 7,” said Dumont.
The 12 players, along with the coaching staff met at Dr. Brosseau School in Bonnyville for practice on Jan. 30 to prepare for the tournament.
While it was the first time some of the girls were playing together and getting familiar with each other's playing styles, Loeffelmann felt it went well.
“I thought it was a good practice. We talked about finally going to Medicine Hat so it was exciting, it gets you a little amped up,” said Loeffelmann.
The group of 14-year-old girls will be making the trek down to Medicine Hat this weekend, Feb. 13-16, for the tournament.
“We have to go up against the bigger cities and they get to select from quite a few more girls than our zone, but I think we are going to be pretty good,” said Dumont.
In 2014, the last time the Alberta Winter Games were held, the Zone 7 girls volleyball team finished in second place after losing the gold medal game to Zone 8.
“We are hoping for a top four finish, that is the team goal,” said Dumont.
The Alberta Winter Games began as a government initiative to support amateur sports, providing an opportunity for all Albertans to participate. The first Alberta Games were held in Banff in 1976 and have been hosted in communities throughout the province every two years since.
This year's event will see athletes aged 12 to 18-years-old convene in Medicine Hat and compete in a variety of winter sports.
