麻豆社区

Yukon team sports and winning on the big stage are a rare combination.

Generally, teams from the territory are found at the bottom of the standings in national-level competitions. Such is life for the jurisdiction with one of the country's smallest populations.

So when a program like the Junior Selects comes along encouraging athletic excellence at an early age, the efforts of both players and organizers need to be recognized and applauded.

This weekend, I was able to board a plane and head Outside the territory to watch some local youngsters test their skills and training against the boys from the big city.

While off-field time with the Junior Selects was spent doing what 10- and 11-year-olds do (challenging their adult chaperones to arm wrestles, measuring vertical jumps on building walls, etc.), the boys' on-field prowess showed maturity beyond their years.

In three of four games played against the top Vancouver-based players in their age group, the boys didn't just hold their own, but often out-played their opponents en route to victory.

It is a testament to both the coaches' passion for soccer excellence and the young players buying in to the message they're preaching.

The youngsters' drive and determination remained innocent, with the most difficult pre-game decision often concerning whether they should sport their long- or short-sleeve jerseys 鈥� a choice which typically came down to a democratic players' vote conducted by captain Joe Hanson.

Of course, a program like this wouldn't be possible without a troupe of dedicated parents willing to shell out time and money for valuable competition Outside the territory.

This weekend, it was Dave Weir and Mike DeCook who played the role of waterboy, flagman, chaperone and superfan for the young team.

As for the coaching staff, it's safe to say the program is in the right hands. When it comes to soccer knowledge, you can't get much better than Hanson (who garnered Olympic attention from Team USA in 1994), Derric Lewis and Victor Lavanderos.

Hanson freely admits that the Jr. Selects program is intended to try and "shoot the moon,鈥� with early attention to detail and soccer skills hopefully paying off as the boys grow up into young men.

The Jr. Selects got a first-hand glimpse at the opportunities the future holds for them Saturday night, when they served as ball boys at a home game for the Simon Fraser University men's varsity team.

Comments like "Wow, they can kick far!鈥� and "Man, that guy can run fast!鈥� came from the wide-eyed group as Canada's only NCAA-level soccer program did battle with the Western Washington University Vikings under the lights.

Post-game, a member of the SFU Clan took time to address the boys and stress the message 鈥� success is a direct result of hard work and dedication.

That message wasn't lost on Jr. Selects co-captain Ben Kishchuk, a Grade 5 student at Whitehorse Elementary School, who admitted he feels lucky to be part of the program.

"I feel lucky there's a group of such competitive guys in my age group,鈥� he admitted. "We hope to be competitive for a long time.鈥�

If hard work pays off, then the future's looking bright.