Fourteen-year-old local Chase Griffin is in Spain with his Airdrie indoor soccer club for training this week.
It will be his first trip outside of the province for soccer, after playing for 10 years.
ìI'm excited. It's going to be a really good experience and a once-in-a-lifetime trip,î said Griffin.
The team landed in Madrid, where they will train and have the opportunity to tour for a few days.
After that they will be taking a speed train to Barcelona.
The team will be gone for 10 days, from March 8 to March 18.
Griffin has lived in Sundre for four years and has played outdoor soccer in town every season since.
However, because Sundre doesn't offer indoor soccer during the winter, Griffin travels to Airdrie for his soccer fix three to four times a week.
He has been playing for the Airdrie FC club for three years, wearing jersey number 7.
ìI've played indoor and outdoor and I'm pretty sure I've never missed a season,î said Griffin.
He said he likes playing both because when he plays indoor soccer, he is able to bounce the ball off the boards but when playing outdoor soccer, he is granted more room.
He was born in Medicine Hat and moved to Sundre when he was 10.
Although it takes up a lot of his time travelling back and forth to Airdrie during the week, he says the dedication is worth it.
He is currently attending Grade 9 at Sundre High School, so he does his homework before soccer each night.
In between seasons he plays soccer in his backyard, he said.
He has played in the Southern Alberta Summer Games before, which allowed him to travel for competition within the province.
ìI hope to get a scholarship and maybe see what I can do with it,î he said.
ìI'd love to be a professional soccer player.î
"I've played indoor and outdoor and I'm pretty sure I've never missed a season."Chase Griffinsoccer player
