It's going to be a very special experience for a number of Steinbach football people as they get set to head out to Nova Scotia to be a part of U18 Canada Cup.
Offensive line coach Stephen Fedus says it's great but there's a lot that goes into making the team. "It's a lot for the kids, we started this process back in April, actually. There was the Blue and Gold camp and games put on by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, that kind of kicks off the start of the tryout process. From there, the U18 team, we went down to 120 kids, then we cut that down to 80, then 40 in early June. Since then, the kids have been practicing together every weekend. We've had something like 12 or 14 practices over the last three weeks as we get ready to leave on Monday. So, it's been a long process for the kids, they have one more practice before we go, and they're looking forward to playing somebody. We're looking forward to it, the kids have progressed a lot, and we're looking forward to seeing how they stack up against other provinces."
Fedus is one from the SRSS that is going, but he's not the only one. "We've got Ryder Wallace and Eric Barnard, they'll be playing offensive line. Both are going into grade 12, and they've worked really hard in the offseason, been in the gym, getting themselves in a position to make the team. We're looking forward to them starting for us in this tournament, and they should represent themselves and the Sabres program very well."
Also going is Steinbach's Kadez Penner, and Fedus says all of them are looking forward to representing the community on a bigger stage. "I think it's a big thing for the kids from this area. If you look at all the provincial teams this year, we've had quite a few kids from this area representing, whether it's the U16, U17 or Indigenous team. With the U18 team, Steinbach Christian's Penner is also on the offensive line. A lot of these kids grew up in the Eastman Raiders program, and that has helped us at the SRSS. The success of that program and the success of the high school program is getting recognition at the provincial level. Hopefully, these kids will serve as inspirations to other kids in the program that are younger, proving they can do it, that they don't have to be from one of those programs inside the city to make these teams. There's good coaching here and outside the perimeter and opportunities to develop their game at a higher level."
There is a level of expectations heading to Nova Scotia, as Fedus says they have the talent on the roster to make some serious noise. "This is a stronger talent year for Team Manitoba, for sure. I've been involved in the program for quite a while now. We're playing Alberta, which is a bigger province, four times the population of us, but we'll see where we stack up. The thing that we find here is that the first quarter can be a bit of a shock, so hopefully we can get over that fast. Hoping the kids can get acclimatized that everyone on the field is as good as us. That might be the biggest adjustments the kids have to make, every rep is a battle, you have to play your best to win your rep. You can't go 80% or 90%, you have to go 100% if you want to win your rep."
As they get ready to head out east, Fedus says it'll be great for the kids to see that part of the country, but it also comes with challenges. "It's a double edged sword," he says with a laugh. "There's extra responsibilities bringing the boys out there. It's really good, though. You get to see more of their personalities then you would at school or even just in the football context. Meals together, getting to see different parts of them as people, what they find humourous, it's all a good experience. Some of these kids haven't really travelled, so when you think about them being close to men, this trip reviles that they're still kids and need that support from family."
Team Manitoba heads to Nova Scotia on Monday and they'll leave the province with communities from all over cheering them on.