An upcoming volleyball Team Saskatchewan will feature Battlefords talent.
Six athletes have been selected to compete on provincial teams in a tournament taking place in Richmond, B.C in July.
North Battleford Comprehensive High School students Abbey Neufeld, Jolene Cooke, and Kiara Clarke are on the female U16 team, and Taryn Hannah is on the female U15 team.
John Paul II students Declan Mercer and Cole Fransoo have been chosen to play on the U15 team.
The athletes compete at their respective high schools and with the Battlefords Volleyball Club.
Jana Friedenstab has coached the girls, and has been involved with their development since about Grade 6. Friedenstab said the girls had to go through two different tryout camps, and Neufeld and Cooke played last year. The boys had been seen at various competitions.
Friedenstab, who started the Battlefords Volleyball Club, said the volleyball scene in North Battleford has gained popularity since BVC began. Volleyball has proven to be especially popular among girls, while boys “seem to drop out of the sport,” Friedenstab said. BVC directs efforts toward developing boys.
Competing for the province, Friedenstab said, is important.
“Not a lot of kids get this opportunity,” said Friedenstab, who has played on a provincial team. “It's pretty big that we have this many kids from our community participating in this kind of program.”
