After seeing a need in the Pembina Valley, local hockey coach Morgan Mullin took the lead and started an all-female hockey school. That was five years ago, and Born to Play has grown quickly.
"It'll be my fifth year this year and we had to actually expand," said Mullin.
Being able to acquire a bit more ice time from the recreation centre after registration filled up within 30 minutes, Mullin says they were able to expand to add a fourth group.
Ninety players from across the Pembina Valley are registered for next week's Born to Play all-female hockey school.
"It is an overwhelming number, but it is a humbling number, and it's just an awesome number," Mullin said. So many girls were so excited to be there and just have a great time. The energy is just unreal."
Female hockey players from Altona, Winkler, Morden, Rock Lake, Notre Dame, and Winnipeg will be participating in the five-day school.
Being involved in the coaching scene in the Pembina Valley for almost 20 years, Mullin said she knew there were a lot of people interested in female hockey.
Coaching girl's hockey is something Mullin said she just needs to do. That's what prompted her to start Born to Play, along with the knowledge that people were looking for something,
"You know, we'd go to camps and girls would be one or two girls out of all these boys. And you know, it was kind of ohh, I wish somebody would do something. And so I was happy to be that something and that someone."
The Born to Play skills and development hockey school will run from August 14th to 18th at the Access Event Centre.
- With files from Ronny Guenther and Daemon Parent -