The Innisfail Aquatic Centre was packed with parents, fans and water polo players from four communities as two Innisfail Hurricanes played on the second ranked Calgary Seawolves Atom Team during a big tournament on November 1 to 2.
The fall league includes the Edmonton T-Birds, the Calgary Seawolves, Calgary Wild A and B, Calgary Mako and the Okotoks/High River Dolphins. More than 150 swimmers competed over the course of the weekend. Final provincial ranking results were not available at press time.
“Our Innisfail players have been invited to play with the Okotoks/High River Dolphins as we don't have enough players to field our own team,” said Noble-Lee Valentine, president of the Innisfail Hurricanes Water Polo Club. “During the tournament, our bantam players (U-14) played with the Dolphins and on Sunday our atoms played with the Seawolves. (U-12).”
She added Bjorn Eggink and Nolan Williams placed second in the atom division with the Seawolves, while Kate Shokeir and Jessie Hall were part of the third-place Atom Seawolves girls squad.
“It was good to see them play well during the tournament, said Valentine.
Their combined win-loss record on Saturday and Sunday was four wins with eight losses for the atom male and female, and bantam male and female teams.
She said the event was an opportunity for the local swimmers to play teams from bigger centres.
“This was the first time they got to play against kids their own age,” said Valentine. “You could see them working together as a team and really using the plays they'd been working on in practice. It was so much fun to see.”
Dayna Christmas, the executive director of the Alberta Water Polo Association, said the weekend tournament held in Innisfail involved four communities, Calgary, Innisfail, Okotoks and Edmonton, and will be used for provincial rankings.
She said with the first of four tournaments leading up to provincials in December, the organization wants to get out and hold workshops for officials around the province.
The Innisfail Hurricanes team includes bantam team members Mika Eggink, Gerard Staple, Layne Danis and Robyn Ahn, and atom players Bjorn Eggink, Nolan Williams, Kate Shokeir and Jessie Hall. Quinn Layden and Emily Tulk are the coaches.
“We have fielded a team in the past, and hope to do so again once we have enough players,” said Valentine.
For more information on the Innisfail Hurricanes, go to www.hurricaneswaterpolo.ca
