If you want to watch the up-and-coming stars of lacrosse in this province, the Kin Centre will be the place to be this summer.
Prince George has been picked to host the midget (15-and-16-year-old) lacrosse provincial championships and that means the best teams in A1, A2, B and C divisions will be coming to the city July 22-26 to decide who will hoist provincial banners.
Six teams will contest the A1 title, while the A2, B and C divisions will likely include eight teams each.
The A1 tournament starts on Wednesday, July 22, and the other three divisions begin play on July 24. Prince George last competed at the A1 level nearly two decades ago, when the likes of future pros Jeff Moleski, Shawn Cable and Brandon Atherton were 15- and 16-year-olds.
The Prince George midget Posse has yet to declare what level of lacrosse it will compete at in the provincial tournament but it's expected the city's traveling midget team will be part of the B provincials
The A1 division is always ultra-competitive, with Vancouver-area and Victoria teams renewing rivalries that have existed for decades.
"There's very little difference between the teams at the A1 level, they're all very close skill-wise," said Myrna Cable, executive secretary for the B.C. Lacrosse Association.
"A lot of the kids will play both field lacrosse and box lacrosse so they have a stick in their hands a great part of the year. They have just phenomenal skills.
"A2 is the top of what's available for areas outside of the Lower Mainland, so if they decide to go A2, you're getting the kids who could play A1 if they had enough supporting players around them. What we like about the way these provincials are (scheduled) is that a player that traditionally plays B-ball or C-ball can watch the A1 or A2 players and compare that game to what they are doing. Then they get a better understanding of what they need to strive for and can set their goals for where they will be playing in the future."
The nine-member board of the Prince George Minor Lacrosse Association will be forming committees to schedule officials and scorekeepers and ensure there are enough volunteers look after change rooms and the tournament hospitality room.
Quesnel Minor Lacrosse Association president Lisa Scott has offered to take on some of the responsibilities, which Cable says will give that city a better understanding of what's involved in hosting a provincial tournament.
Quesnel, home of the Great White North League Zone 8 intermediate C champions last year, has enough midget-aged players to form a quality B team this year.
Vanderhoof, as the only city which represents Northwest Coast Zone 7, will get an automatic berth for the provincial tournament and will most likely compete in the midget C tournament. Vanderhoof is part of the Great White North midget house league, competing against two Prince George teams, Quesnel and Williams Lake. Mackenzie no longer has a midget team and players from that city have joined forces on the Vanderhoof team.
With the demise of the Great White North intermediate C league after just one season last year, the midget level is the highest calibre of lacrosse offered in the Prince George area. Local players who graduate the midget ranks will have to look elsewhere -- in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island or the Okanagan -- to find positions on intermediate or junior teams which will allow them to continue their minor lacrosse careers.
The midget Posse is in on the road this weekend in Richmond for a tournament.
