Local lacrosse talent Liam Steele, 11, has been chosen to play for the Calgary Jr. Roughnecks during an Ontario-based tournament at the end of August.
The sixth annual tournament being held in Oakville, Ont., features youth clubs representing the National Lacrosse League teams from the U.S. and Canada.
The list of participating teams includes the Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, New England Black Wolves, Rochester Knighthawks, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock and Vancouver Stealth.
This year marks the second year that the Calgary Roughnecks have offered the Jr. Roughnecks program.
Steele is excited about the opportunity and considers this the highlight of his five-year lacrosse career so far. He is pumped about the challenge that the tournament presents.
When asked what excites him most about his upcoming trip, Steele said, “just playing against higher-intensity teams and higher-calibre kids.”
Steele, who is in the peewee age group, attended a tryout in Calgary against other players in his age bracket.
“There were about 100 kids in his age group that tried out in Calgary over three weeks,” Kathy Steele the mom of the young athlete said. “They just kept cutting kids until he made the team.”
During this past lacrosse season, Steele played with the Olds Peewee B Stingers. They went undefeated and won a Central Alberta Lacrosse League championship.
Steele and teammate Jace Dolinski shared the team spirit award.
Steele is passionate about lacrosse. He likes the level of skill that is required to play the game and hopes to continue pursuing it into the future.
When asked what he enjoys most about the sport, Steele said, “the intensity that some of the games can get (to) and the level of skill you need in order to play.”
While the tournament only lasts four days and is the primary focus of the trip, Steele and his family will remain in Ontario a little longer to tour the Hockey Hall of Fame and to experience a live Blue Jays game.
A donation bin has been set up for Steele at the Olds Bottle Depot for people to support him for this trip.
