Lacrosse was in the spotlight in Kelowna over the weekend as the city played host to the B.C. Lacrosse Association provincial bantam championships.
Thirty teams, including two from Kelowna, competed in four divisions at Memorial Arena, Prospera Place and Kal Tire Place in Vernon.
It was the first time in 18 years the Kelowna Minor Lacrosse Association had hosted a provincial championship and by all accounts generated a bit of a buzz around the city.
“I believe it will be a boost to lacrosse in Kelowna, a lot of people walking by the venues we’re asking about it, and there seemed to be a lot of interest,” said Todd Johnston, who handled recruitment and public relations for KMLA. “Hopefully this will create more interest in the game in the future.”
On the floor, there were four divisions of play, with Ridge Meadows winning the A1 provincial title, Surrey taking A2, Shuswap winning the B, and Vanderhoof taking the C category.
The host Kelowna Kodiaks had teams entered in both the A2 and C divisions.
The 2015 B.C. finals came to the city at a time when the sport in Kelowna is experiencing a bit of a resurgence.
This season, for the first time in recent memory, the KMLA had three full teams at the novice level (under 10).
“The numbers are coming up at the grassroots level and that’s what’s encouraging,” said Johnston.
