Sask. lacrosse girls breaking new ground at national championship tournament
Girls aged 11 and 12 invited to compete at national tournament for the first time
The Canadian minor box lacrosse championships are underway in Regina this week and for the first time girls aged 11 and 12 are getting a chance to compete.
The under-13 girls division was added to the tournament after Lacrosse Canada approved a motion put forward by the Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association (SLA.) Now female athletes who are between the ages of 11 and 21 can participate.
"We are proud to welcome female teams competing in multiple divisions, fostering an environment of equality and empowerment," said SLA President Sheena Hubelit.
- Get the news you need without restrictions. Download our free CBC News App.
There are more than 1,200 athletes competing for 14 trophies at the 2023 national tournament. When the competition opened up to include the under-13 girls division, an overwhelming number of Saskatchewan athletes jumped at the opportunity.
"We thought, when we started this, we were going to be fighting for girls to come, but we had so many we had to end up making cuts," said Emily Auchstaetter, who coaches the under-13 Sask. group.
The girls hit the ground running at the tournament — starting off on a winning note with a 4-2 victory against Nova Scotia.
"This one felt even more special knowing that this group is new to the Team Sask. program and [for] most of them, it's their first year of lacrosse, so we have made great strides," Auchstaetter said.
The teams played a warm-up game on Monday and will play two more exhibition games before starting a round-robin with Ontario and B.C. on Thursday and Friday.
Team member Maedy Moen, 12, said it felt extra special to compete in front of a home crowd.
"The feeling that all of Saskatchewan, our family and friends are watching us and supporting us — that is just a great feeling stepping out on that floor."
Moen said her team is relishing the opportunity to be the first in this age group to compete for a national title.
"I think it's pretty awesome making history and I think we gotta make our province proud."
The games, which are taking place at the Co-operators Centre in Regina, will wrap up on Saturday as teams fight for gold.