Team Alberta Looking Forward to State Wars
March 17, 2014
By A.J. Mike Smith
In it’s four years of existence, Team Alberta has competed in the AAU Junior Olympics in the past.
Now they are looking forward to a new challenge, the State Wars in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
A prestigious feel surrounds the State Wars tournament, as it brings the upper echelon of roller hockey players from all over North America to compete. It is a tournament with more competition; players heading down to Fort Wayne can look forward to playing against the top players from states such as Nebraska, California, New York, Arizona, Louisiana, etc.
Over 300 teams are set to compete in the 2014 edition of the tournament, within over 11 age divisions. The age divisions are different than in years past. They are made up of single birth years instead of the more commonly used two-year age groups. This allows less discrimination based on age, as there is no such thing as first years or second years.
The location of Fort Wayne allows for the State Wars to be the event in the area, with the focus purely on the hockey. It will attract bigger crowds, and give the athletes competing more of an Olympic feel. And the travel and accommodation costs make it easier for the majority of teams to make it out and compete.
College scouts will also be taking in the State Wars games, as the tournament is one of the best ways for them to recruit for their growing college roller hockey programs. Last year, two players from Ontario competing in the State Wars received scholarships to attend US colleges and play roller hockey for their respective schools.
Team Alberta has taken huge strides over the four years and feels that it’s athletes are ready to take on the challenge of going over to Fort Wayne and being competitive in the State Wars tournament, in all age groups.
Team Alberta is looking forward to sending eight teams to State Wars this year. Interested players are encouraged to register for try-outs sooner than later, and can do so online at www.amrha.com/high-performance.
