Northeast athletes well represented in Team Sask selections

She told northeastNOW the opportunity to represent her hometown and home province at an event like this has been a few years in the making.

“I was really excited to make the team. It was like a two or three-year process to make the team, so it was very relieving. It’s a pretty big experience going to Niagara in August.”

Kirkland, who began playing softball when she was just four years old, has some previous experience with Team Sask, having competed in the 2019 Western Canada Games in Swift Current.

She added, while not quite as big of an event as the one which will run August 6-21, that experience will be nothing but beneficial.

“It helps a lot, actually, because I kind of know what I’m going into now. The environment and everything and what the games are like, just knowing this is a lot bigger than the Western Canada Games.”

But just because she’s done this before, doesn’t mean she isn’t humble when recognizing the chance she’s been given to play for her loved ones.

“I’m like one of the only ones going from this area, so I kind of want to make my community proud and represent it well.”

Another member of Team Sask who will don the northeast banner is Humboldt native, Samantha Fisher.

The 24-year-old will compete as a member of the women’s Special Olympic swim team.

When asked about her reaction to being picked, her love for the sport, her excitement for the future and her prior experience in the 2016 and 2017 Saskatchewan Games, Nationals in 2018 and the Western Canada Summer Games in 2019, she had a lot to say.

“I wanted to join to see how I could do in the sport of swimming… It was a good experience attending those games in those years… I’ll be able to meet new people and get to know them in the few days I’m down there and compete in my sport… I was pretty excited about being picked again… It’s a new place I’m going to be competing in and I always wanted to go to Niagara Falls to see it and also hope maybe one day to compete.”

The following northeast athletes have also been names to Team Saskatchewan:

Kira Comfort – Nipawin
Kyrell Sopotyk – Aberdeen
Joel Bauml – Lake Lenore
Adam Korte – Muenster
Cam Marshak – Bruno
Merek Yeager – Muenster
Marti Burechailo – Wakaw
Kolton Fyrk – Birch Hills
Elizabeth Marshall – Hudson Bay
Simon Funk – Aberdeen
Terence Zimmerman – Englefeld
Noah Opseth – Birch Hills
Skyler Varga – Muenster

A handful of athletes from Prince Albert round out the rest of the participants from the surrounding areas.

–

Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8

by Ben Tompkins

Northeast athletes well represented in Team Sask selections

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