Yorkton futsal team staying positive following Saskatchewan Winter Games postponement
Mike Jakubiec continues to coach the U-15 girls' futsal team, even though they will not be playing at the Saskatchewan Winter Games next month.
"I think they've worked pretty hard to get into the games and it was going to be a good stepping stone to introduce them to the community, so it's kind of a disappointment that we don't get to participate this year,” Jakubiec said.
This was the first year futsal, a football-based variation of minifootball played on a hard court, smaller than a football pitch, was to be played at the provincial games.
Markus Reinkens who is the head development coach for Saskatchewan Soccer agrees with Jakubiec and adds that having futsal at the winter games would also help introduce the sport.
“I think having this as part of the winter games gave us a big opportunity to introduce it to a lot more people,” said Reinkens.
Players from the Parkland District team are disappointed, but understand the reasons behind the postponement.
"We were looking forward to playing in a different tournament,” said Hadiza Kasim, who plays as a center midfielder. “We usually don’t play against other teams.”
“(The game) is usually fast paced and everything,” said Kasim. “It is four-a-side, so there is less players on the field (that) makes it a bit more challenging but still really fun.”
Despite the postponement of the winter games, the team is trying to stay optimistic.
"Honestly, just the people we play (with and) the game,” said Paige Remezoff, who is a goalkeeper. “I have been hooked on soccer for a long time, I just love the sport.”
Suzy Switzer’s daughter is on the team and said news of the games postponement was hard for everyone.
"As a parent it’s so hard to watch because they have worked so hard and for it to be canceled a month and a half ahead of the games, it is pretty devastating for them,” said Switzer.
Although the games are cancelled, both parents and coaches feel the girls are still benefitting from practice.
"It's not just the physicality of it. It is the mental health of the girls,” said Switzer. They have such a strong bond as a team together and the fact they are able to come and do this, even if it is just practicing, they get to still come out and have fun together.”
The team will continue to practice in Yorkton as they prepare for provincials that are still scheduled to take place in early march.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.