A Springbank athlete has the unusual opportunity to compete in two sports at the 2020 Alberta Winter Games.
Twelve-year-old Felicity Geremia, a Grade 7 student at Edge School, qualified for both the Zone 2 (Big Country) futsal team and snowboard team. However, due to a scheduling conflict and a lack of venue availability, the snowboarding competition did not take place during the official Games weekend – Feb. 14 to 17 – and will instead be held in March at Mount Norquay.
“It’s very cool, and good to get that kind of experience,” said the multi-sport athlete, who has already secured one medal at the Games, as the Zone 2 futsal team came in second.
For most of the winter, Geremia plays indoor soccer for the Chinook Soccer Club, competing for the U13 girls’ Tier 1 team. Because she plays at the Tier 1 level, Geremia’s club team competes in a seven-vs.-seven format during the indoor season at a facility in southeast Calgary.
For the Winter Games, she had to switch her playing style from turf to the gymnasium.
Futsal, which was played at the Alberta Winter Games for the first time this year, is played on a basketball-sized court with a ball that is smaller – but heavier – than a regular soccer ball. The sport emphasizes quick passing and technical skills.
“It’s way faster, because it’s such a small court,” said Geremia, who played futsal last winter for her club team.
Zone 2 head coach Karen Tereposky, who coaches for Springbank Soccer Club, said Geremia contributed plenty of offence throughout the weekend.
“She likes to get the ball and shoot really hard,” she said. “She probably gets a ton of shots every game. If she puts them on net, they’ll go in.”
The Zone 2 team, comprised of athletes from Airdrie, Cochrane, Rocky View County, Chestermere and other nearby communities, started the tournament in explosive fashion, winning its first three games by a combined score of 40-9.
“We passed really well and we took a lot of shots,” said Geremia, who contributed 12 goals throughout the weekend.
Zone 2 concluded the round robin Feb. 16 with a 5-4 loss to Zone 3 (Calgary). With a 3-1-0 record, the Big Country squad qualified for the gold-medal game – a rematch against the unbeaten Calgarians.
The final game provided be a case of déjà vu; the match, played in front of a packed crowd at Bert Church High School, ultimately went down to the wire before the Calgarians once again came out on top 5-4.
Despite falling just short of the top spot, Geremia said it was an honour to play for the gold, in front of a raucous crowd.
“It was fun to play with all the noise in the gym,” she said. “I just tried to keep my eyes on the court and not look at the crowd.”
With the regular Alberta Winter Games weekend all wrapped up, Geremia will shift her focus to the freestyle snowboard competition in March.
As a boarder, Geremia specializes in half pipe and slope style. She said she took up the sport early, joining freestyle snowboarding club Riders on Board when she was just six years old.
Last winter, she won gold medals in the girls’ U13 age category in the two events at the Junior Nationals snowboarding championships. Despite only being 11 years old at the time, she also earned bronze in the half pipe for the U18 age group.
However, there will be no half-pipe competition for the Alberta Winter Games – instead, she’ll compete in the banked slalom race and slope style events.
“It should be very fun,” she said.
While the snowboard season is just getting started, Geremia has already made the podium in 2020 after winning a provincial competition in January. She said she will compete in further provincial competitions, as well as the Western Canadian Championships in early March.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
