East Three hosts first soccer tournament of 2018

Inuvik kicked off soccer season with its first tournament of 2018 at East Three School April 13-
14.

The tournament comprised 12 teams and approximately 120 youth and adult players from Inuvik
and Fort McPherson, according to organizer Colin Pybus. He said the tournament went well.
"It's a good turn out for the tournament," said Pybus. "It's a tough time of year for soccer because
it's jamboree season, it's really nice outside, so it's hard to pull people inside. But it's still doing
really well. It's awesome that we get the number of teams that we do."
The tournament's fees were covered by Municipal and Community Affairs. Sport North and
Aboriginal Sport Circle donated swag for prizes.
Pybus said the tournament also serves as a warm-up for students who will be attending the Super
Soccer tournament in Yellowknife in late April and early May.
"Super Soccer is the territorial soccer championships for the high school and elementary
students," he said. "The tournament is a warm-up for our school team that will travel down to
Yellowknife to compete in the Super Soccer tournament. It's an experience builder for them,
being in formal games rather than casual scrimmages."
The tournament also provided a fundraising opportunity for students to raise money towards the
tournament fees through the snack bar they ran during the tournament.
While there won't be another soccer tournament in the near future, Pybus said there is a drop-in
league that takes place after school in the East Three gyms, and community organizations are
welcome to put together soccer tournaments if they choose to.
"We have one of the best gym facilities in the entire territories, so let's utilize it as much as we
can," he said. "Tournaments provide awesome opportunities for Delta youth and Delta adults to
get a level of competition that they don't usually get within their own home communities."

FACT FILE
Open Adult Division Winner: Fort McPherson Wolverines
Junior Division Winner: The Radioactive Reptiles
Women's Recreation Division Winner: The Shin Guardz