It's just about time for local lacrosse players to grab their sticks and get ready to play.
The season starts the weekend of April 14 with a series of league games in Red Deer.
"It kicks off with Ö the eyeopner," said Mandy Mitchell-Himer, the president of the Innisfail Minor Lacrosse Association.
Teams from the Central Alberta Lacrosse League, which stretches across the province, will descend on Red Deer for their first official games of the season. Mitchell-Himer said locally, practices will start at the beginning of April.
"What we're running into is we were hoping to get on the floors a lot earlier," she said.
This year Innisfail is fielding a mini-tyke, tyke, two bantam, one pee wee and one midget teams.
Mitchell-Himer said there is no novice team this year because of a lack of numbers. Interested players in that category have been sent to Red Deer or Olds.
The association had to declare its teams to the league earlier in March but there's a potential some extra players could squeeze onto a team.
"For some teams there is still room," Mitchell-Himer said.
Several local players finished up participating in a winter conditioning camp with Calgary Roughnecks captain Andrew McBride on March 20.
"Andrew McBride Ö is top notch professional," she said. "He really pushes them."
She said while the Innisfail teams play at the "B" level, five players have made it onto the "A" teams in Red Deer. One of them, her son, credits McBride's camp with helping him learn a lot.
Though the Innisfail teams are "B" teams, Mitchell-Himer said they're still competitive and two players from last year even went on to play lacrosse for team Alberta. At the annual Spirit of the Sticks tournament, all but one of the Innisfail teams medalled.
"For a small centre Ö we have wonderful lacrosse players," Mitchell-Himer said.
She predicted another strong year for the Phantoms.
"They'll be very, very good teams," she said.
Mitchell-Himer said the lacrosse association tries to make sure those of all skill levels are included.
"Our philosophy and our mandate is every child gets to play," she said.
For more information about the Innisfail Minor Lacrosse Association, check out www.innisfaillacrosse.com.
