Members of the Cottonwood Kayak Club Canoe Youth Polo youth team are national champions.
During the weekend of July 4th to 6th, six Innisfail area athletes, brothers Darius, Alex, and Nick Ramrattan, Hanna and Katie Hendrickson, and Shannon Wagers, took to the water in Edmonton and compiled a four and two record to earn their way to the medal match.
“We played the Edmonton White Buffalo for the final and beat them 6-3,” said 14-year-old Alex Ramrattan. “During the round robin, the Buffalo beat us 4-3 in a close match.”
During the four-game round robin, the local junior team beat the Wapiti Y team 6-1, the Wapiti P team 5-1, the Berkeley Junior Rhinos 4-2, and lost to both Edmonton teams, the White Buffalo 4-3 and the Junior Ninjas 6-4.
The semi-final saw them beat the Rhinos 5-3, which put them into the final match against the White Buffalo.
National team member Katrina Wagers served as coach for the junior team. The athlete also competed with a U-21 team during the weekend.
“I am very proud of the team and they had to work hard for the gold medal,” said Wagers.
Kayak polo, also known as canoe polo, is a cross between soccer and basketball, with players throwing the ball into a net suspended one metre above the pool level. The defensive team can stop the offensive team by using their oars to block shots. Teams play two 10-minute halves and have five players in the water at a time.
“We are busy preparing for the Alberta Summer Games in Airdrie, which run July 24th to 27th,” said Narsh Ramrattan, a Cottonwood club executive. “Our club is representing zone four for the games and we have begun practices. Katrina Wagers and Jesse Gillies will be our coaches for the games.”
The Cottonwood club is part of the Alberta Whitewater Association under its closed deck category. The 20-year-old club continues to produce world level athletes in all categories of closed deck, which includes slalom, freestyle, and kayak polo.
To get more information about the Cottonwood Kayak Club, contact Julie Ramrattan at 403-227-1135 or email her at [email protected].
