Regina flag football team ready to compete in third straight international competition
It's been a great year for the 15U Raiders flag football team, who've been cruising their way through the season and will soon be heading to the U.S. for an international competition.
Going 7-1 in the regular season, the only game they lost - was a forfeit due to a lack of players.
Players have different perspectives on how, and if they lose.
'I think our team is pretty good. So, I don't know if we'll lose,' said Xavier, a receiver with the team.
'We're probably going to lose maybe once, but it's going to happen eventually. We're ready for that, though,' Kai, a receiver and defensive back said.
A lack of players won't be a concern this week, as the team travels to represent Canada on the international stage.
Ten players and two coaches are heading to Ohio, the home of the pro football hall of fame, to compete against some of the top flag football teams in the world.
'Internationally, it's a different competition every single year,' said Kymani, a defensive back and safety. 'They have Puerto Rico that's a really new team and we played against teams like Mexico before.'
This is the third year in row that the Raiders have had the chance to compete internationally, going to Las Vegas in 2023 and Orlando in 2024.
'Week in and week out, through practices and just through game playing, the boys have just gotten better and better,' said Mike Thomas, the Raiders' head coach. 'The group has grown up together, developing chemistry throughout the years. 'They're really dialed in and really understand what we're trying to do. So, what we've been able to focus on are just the finer points, just angles, viewpoints, releases all those things, and they've really come to accept that and grow and take in the coaching,'
Their competition includes teams from all over the world, representing countries like Australia, Brazil and China.
The tournament starts Thursday July 17, with the final game taking place on Sunday, July 20.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘Really exciting': Regina baton twirlers set to represent Canada at competition in Italy
WATCH: Thirteen baton twirlers from Regina will represent Canada at the World Baton Twirling Championships in Italy. Jacob Carr has the story. Thirteen baton twirlers from the ages of 12 through 18 and over are gearing up to face off against the best in Torino, Italy. The athletes are a combination of twirlers from the Sundown Optimist Baton Group and Phoenix Baton Club. They will compete in both the Nations Cup and World Baton Twirling Championship in Italy, which will get underway on Aug. 2. Former twirler and Team Canada coach Nancy Lightheart says the athletes representing Saskatchewan make up around 25 per cent of the Canadian representatives. 'That's really exciting for Saskatchewan, and for a province our size to have such a large contingent. We're obviously very proud of our athletes. They work tremendously long hours and it's hard to get to this level of training,' she said. For some on the team like Gabriella Buchko, this won't be their first time representing Team Canada at Baton Twirling. Buchko recently took part in a Pan Pacific competition. At just twelve years of age, she is now somewhat of a veteran, but that doesn't make the mental aspect of a twirling routine any easier. 'When you're tossing the baton, you just have to keep doing repetition over and over to have muscle memory where your brain can finally be like, 'Okay I need to think of the corrections now, but I know how to do this trick,'' she explained. For Malia Briere, also twelve years of age, Italy will be her first time donning the Maple Leaf. It's an experience she says will be an incredible learning opportunity. 'I feel like it will kind of be like, 'Oh wow, they can do this trick, and I might want to try this trick next year or in a couple years,'' she said. Briere also said she is looking forward to visiting some historical buildings in Italy and touring Rome with her family. Both Briere and Buchko agree that a bonus to competing in Torino will be experiencing the Italian cuisine. For Buchko, it's also an opportunity to form new friendships. 'It'll be so exciting to meet many new people since everyone is so kind and so tight together. I know that I'm really good friends with a lot of people from across Canada, so it will be good to make new friendships internationally too,' she said. When asked who the fiercest competition should be in the field, Lightheart mentioned Team Japan as the gold standard in the sport. 'The Japanese are always the highlight. Anytime we go to international events they are sort of the pinnacle,' she said. They're the team that people aspire to twirl like. So, yeah, it's always exciting to go watch them for sure.'
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Cricket's popularity is growing in Waterloo region, especially among women
Cricket has been gaining in popularity in Canada for the past few years. In Waterloo region, the sport has garnered more attention especially among women. CBC K-W's John Dalusong joined two local cricket teams during their practice, and he spoke to a few players about the growth of the sport in the region and why they love it so much.
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
Regina baton twirlers representing Canada on world stage
Regina Watch WATCH: Thirteen baton twirlers from Regina will represent Canada at the World Baton Twirling Championships in Italy. Jacob Carr has the story.
