Local resident Kyle Stroeder has earned provincial recognition once again.
Stroeder will be heading to Wolfville, Nova Scotia next month with the under-18 Team Saskatchewan football squad. 2010 will be Stroeder’s third year serving as a defensive line coach with a Saskatchewan entry in the Football Canada Cup.
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This year’s Canada Cup will be the largest since its inception in 1993, featuring eight teams from seven provinces. Saskatchewan has participated regularly since 2004 and first tasted success last year in Saskatoon in winning the under-19 competition. This year, the under-18 category has replaced under-19 and under-17 age groups.
After being selected as one of six assistant coaches for the team, Stroeder aided in player selection camps held in May in Regina and Saskatoon. The camps whittled down a group of 100 to a final roster of 40 players. Team Saskatchewan will have representation from Melfort and Humboldt, with one Nipawin Bears player on the practice roster.
Stroeder, a former defensive lineman with the Saskatoon Hilltops and Vanier Cup-winning University of Saskatchewan Huskies, never had the chance to play in the tournament as a high-schooler. He sees great benefit for today’s young players in the tournament.
“There is so much scouting now for the (Canadian university football league). It’s a real benefit for kids, especially those playing in nine and six-man leagues and in smaller centres, to get exposure and to be noticed by scouts,” said Stroeder.
At the tournament, he explained, personnel from university football programs across the country will be distributing information and meeting with some of the players.
Team Saskatchewan opens the tournament with a game on Sunday, July 11 against Manitoba. They will play again on Wednesday and on Saturday will play for either gold, bronze, fifth, or seventh place, depending on their success in their first two games.
Stroeder, a mental health and addictions counsellor at the Nipawin Hospital, was also recently named the co-head coach of the L.P. Miller football program. Stroeder will share coaching duties with Blaine Demmans.
“It’s something as a football coach you always dream to be, to be the field general, to put all of your expertise into practice,” said Stroeder.
“I’m passionate about the game and really want to see the program here get into the upper echelon. My goal is to have Nipawin looked at alongside the Humboldts and Lumsdens in 9-man football.”
By Myles Fish/Nipawin Journal
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.
