Over 3,000 participants are preparing to gather in Maple Ridge for the 2024 BC Summer Games.
The competitions will run from July 17 to 21, bringing in people from 177 communities across the province.
One such participant is Cranbrook’s Russell Sheppard, who is the head coach for the Kootenays’ (Zone 1) lacrosse team.
“I think our zone’s level in lacrosse has increased in the last 10 years. I’ll be excited to see how we do against some of the powerhouse zones,” said Sheppard.
“We have strong players and a deep team. It’s probably one of the better teams I’ve seen come from our zone. I’m hoping we can put some points on the board.”
Zone 1 includes communities from Golden, to the Elk Valley to Grand Forks, which presents some logistical challenges for those training in team sports.
“We don’t have the ability to have weekly practices, so our training regiment has involved going to a tournament in Calgary on Canada Day as a team for some initial exposure,” said Sheppard.
“Starting on Sunday (July 14), we’re running a three-day training camp at the Memorial Arena in Cranbrook with multiple on-floor sessions.”
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