Dan Falloon
A year after winning the East St. Paul Summer Soccer Classic’s ‘B’ flight in the first year of the program, the Emo under-13 boys’ squad is looking to expand its roster and gear up for another run.
Tryouts for the team, coached by Martin Williams, are slated for this Saturday (May 15) at 10 a.m. and again Sunday (May 16) at 2 p.m. at the Emo Sports Field.
Each tryout is expected to last anywhere from 60-90 minutes.
“They’re jumping up a year older this year, and they’ll be playing on a bigger field, and playing on a bigger field means we need some more players,” noted organizer Lori Shortreed.
“We’re hoping to draw some interest from across the district,” she added.
“We’re hoping we can draw a few more in from Fort Frances and surrounding areas, too.”
Last year’s team primarily was made up of players from Emo, although some from Devlin and Fort Frances rounded out the roster.
The 2010 edition is looking to take 13 or 14 players, as it ran into some trouble keeping fresh legs on the field under the blazing Prairie sun last summer.
“Last year, we were there and it was probably the hottest weekend of the summer,” Shortreed recalled.
“When you weren’t used to playing in the heat at all last summer, and you had to all of a sudden play in 25-degree [Celsius] weather, the boys appreciated being subbed off every once in a while,” she noted.
There is no cost to attend tryouts, and Shortreed estimated the cost for joining the team to run about $100.
“We’re trying to keep it under that,” she stressed. “We don’t want it to be too expensive.”
Shortreed suggested the team may be a good fit for players who have graduated from the local under-12 program.
“It’s a good opportunity to do something a little more competitively with soccer,” she explained.
“There are kids who might still want to have that competitive opportunity.”
The team will practise once a week during the summer months in preparation for this year’s East St. Paul tournament, held just outside of Winnipeg.
Each team is guaranteed four games, but Emo played six with its title run—culminating with a 4-3 victory over the Dryden Arsenal in the Tier II ‘B’ flight final.
“It’s an amazing tournament, very well-run, very well-organized,” enthused Shortreed.
“We didn’t know too much about it, but we went in there last year and the boys had such an amazing time.
“We got a beautiful trophy, and the boys all got individual trophies, too, so that was really nice, as well,” she added.
Shortreed is hoping to gear up for the tournament with a slate of exhibition games. Last year’s opponents included Fort Frances and Kenora.
“We also play a few exhibition games throughout the summer, as well,” she remarked.
“Last year, we played the Fort Frances U12 team, and we’ll hopefully do the same thing again, even though there’s a year’s difference.
“It’s always good to have a few games under your belt,” she reasoned.
Those interested in trying out, or looking for more information, can contact Shortreed at 482-1002 or Williams at 482-1417.
