Top notch canoe polo players hit the Innisfail Aquatic Centre for what has become a choice event on the circuit.
On Jan. 12 the Innisfail Invitational Kayak Polo Tournament festivities began with provincial slalom coach Mike Holroyd from Calgary running timed races.
This portion of the day featured athletes racing head-to-head doing figure eights around slalom gates from one end of the pool to the other. This was the first year that both slalom and polo athletes were able to compete in their preferred sport together at the tournament. This section of the competition was dominated by the provincial and national level slalom athletes who took part.
The polo portion of tournament began at 10 a.m. and involved 37 participants from Edmonton, Calgary, Sundre and Innisfail. Nine teams and played a four-on-four round robin. Competitors included several under-21 national team men and women players as well as national team members from older age divisions. Provincial coaches of both slalom and polo also got in on the games, which were quite competitive. Many teams were backstopped by one national level player and a mix of slalom and polo players of a variety of age and skill levels. The tournament was not just competition but allowed younger players to benefit from the expertise of high calibre athletes from both polo and slalom disciplines.
At the end of the evening, the final standings were as follows:
First place: Katrina Wagers (U17 ladies' national team prospect); Alexander Ramrattan and Darius Ramrattan (provinicial team slalom kayakers) and Keegan Smith (U21 ladies national team coach)
Second: Mike Holroyd (provincial slalom coach); Adele Hamilton (Calgary club); Levi Severtson (provincial slalom kayaker); Shane Paterson (Edmonton club);
Third place: Scott Allan (men's national Team); Shylo Hendrickson (U21 ladies' national team); Hidde Geurts (local club); Matthas Hamilton (Calgary club); Courtney Stolz (Edmonton club);
This is the third consecutive year this tournament has been hosted in Innisfail. There was a lot of fun enjoyed by all involved, thanks to the friendly atmosphere and quality of competition.
The tournament was a huge success thanks to the number of volunteers that stepped forward to help out with numerous tasks that come with such an undertaking.
