The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Two local athletes have made their way onto the provincial rosters for soccer and basketball. Hapnot Collegiate students Delaney McIntyre and Caitlin Ticzon have earn spots on the Manitoba girls' teams for their respective sports. McIntyre was successful in trying out for the 16-and-under girls' soccer team, while her friend Ticzon made the 15-and-under basketball team. Soccer tryouts were held last October. McIntyre, along with 21 other players from Manitoba, now meet once a month to hone their skills as a team. Though that doesn't seem like very often, the Grade 10 student says it does the trick. Since playing together, McIntyre says the team has "come together more and we bonded." The team recently came back from tournaments in Kansas as well as Iowa. Winning all of their games in Kansas, the girls tied their first match-up in Iowa, but came back to win the rest. Ticzon recently made a trip to Winnipeg to try out for the girls' provincial basketball squad. Competing with and against 140 other players, Ticzon was one of 13 players named to the team. With 12 listed players and one practice player to be chosen, Ticzon says the weekend was "nerve-racking" at first. "It was nerve-wracking with 140 (girls) out there, but they were really nice. You forgot you were there to try out and (you) did your own thing," says the Grade 9 student. This is the first time both Ticzon and McIntyre have tried out for a provincial team. While Ticzon has her name on the roster for sure, McIntyre is waiting to see if she will be one of the 18 chosen players to compete this summer in Newfoundland. While the soccer team currently has 22 players, the selection for the top 18 doesn't have to come from that roster Ð the players can come from anywhere in Manitoba. As McIntyre waits to find out whether she will continue her season, Ticzon is preparing for hers. Since the basketball team is set to practice once a week in Winnipeg come May, Ticzon will be moving to the city for the summer. Once the summer months hit, she says, the team will begin practicing three times a week. The team will prepare for the Nike Tournament in Chicago in July before ultimately heading to Toronto for Nationals. The basketball season for the provincial team runs from May through to August. Before heading to Nationals, the girls will compete in a tournament in Saskatchewan. As her favourite sport, McIntyre tried out for the soccer team after hearing about the opportunity through her father. As the only northern athlete, she joins a team made up of athletes from the Winnipeg area. Tony Ticzon, Caitlin's father, said it's pretty exciting that both girls made their teams. "Being friends, it's unique for them to achieve their goals and play provincially," he said.
