Bonnyville will be well represented at the 2017 Alberta Challenge.
Local hockey player Ali Macaulay has secured her spot on the North Yellow roster and will be heading to Olds for the four-day tournament. With games running May 4-7, six teams (three from the north and three from the south) will be battling it out to see who is the best in the province.
“It was a long wait to see if we made it or not, so it was just a relief to find out that all the hard work you put into the season and the tryouts (paid off),” Macaulay said about finding out she made the team. “It's a big deal. There were 160 girls trying out; to make it and know that everything I've done to get myself this far has put me in a good place.”
The 15-year-old Bonnyville Centralized High School (BCHS) student has been playing hockey since she was young. Starting in initiation, she took a short break from the sport before getting back into it in atom. For the past two years, Macaulay has been making the trek to Lloydminster, last season playing forward for the AA bantam Lloydminster Jr. Steelers.
“She was a very strong, dynamic player. Her skills are at a very high level, she shoots and handles the puck well,” said Morgan Mann, bantam Jr. Steelers assistant coach. “It was a pleasure to get to know and coach Ali this year, I've coached against her for a couple of years so it was nice to be on the same team as her. I'm very proud of her; her and her family make the commitment to drive sometimes four times a week to Lloydminster all winter. When you put that kind of work into something, it's really nice to be rewarded for that effort.”
For Macaulay, the Alberta Challenge offered a chance to test her abilities against other highly-skilled female players from across the province. So, she headed to the north team tryouts at the beginning of April.
“It was nerve-racking. There were 160 girls there so I was really nervous, but once I skated a few times it got better,” said Macaulay. “I thought I had a pretty good chance. It was just an opportunity for me to play with some new girls and meet some new people.”
The Alberta Challenge is held alternating years from the Alberta Winter Games. The journey to the tournament begins in March, when tryouts start. Each of the six rosters are comprised of 20 female athletes born in 2002-2003.
Each team is guaranteed four games before the final day of the tournament on May 7, when places first through sixth will be determined.
“Of course, I'm a little nervous, just not knowing the people I'm going to be playing with. It's going to be good meeting some new friends,” said Macaulay. “I'm just going to keep working out, stay in shape, and mentally prepare myself.”
Getting a roster spot for the Alberta Challenge is just one more step in the right direction towards Macaulay's ultimate goal of one day playing for Team Canada.
