Tyler Lowey
Morning Star Staff
Emma Lockwood was running around, playing the game she loves with 15 new friends on a recent Saturday at DND fields.
Lockwood is the only Vernon representative to make the U12 Thompson-Okanagan Zone girls soccer team that will compete at the B.C. Summer Games, July 17-21, in Nanaimo.
“I was super excited when I found out,” grinned Lockwood, who attends St. James elementary and was the only one of her friends to make the squad.
“It’s okay, I got 15 new friends now,” said Lockwood.
Lockwood impressed the zone coaching staff at evaluations last month with her speed and energy.
“She is a great player. She is a sparkplug out there that brings tons of energy and she has a class-A shot,” said head coach David Notte.
Notte has been coaching girls soccer for six years and some of the girls on the team have been with him since day one.
“I’m really close with these girls. I care about them and I want them all to do well. I’ve known some of them for a while now; they are almost like daughters,” said Notte.
Lockwood, 11, can be found playing centre forward or on the midfield wings because she loves to score.
“She is going to be a striker or an outside mid fielder for us,” said Notte. “She sees the field really well, so I plan on sticking her on the wing which will open up the field for her. We know she is going to put the ball in the net for us.”
Lockwood’s favourite food is sushi and she enjoys skiing and swimming when she isn’t sniping goals on the pitch.
This marks the first time Lockwood will play in the B.C. Summer Games
“These girls don’t know each other. Today we were just trying to have fun. The sooner we get the girls to be friends and gel together, the better we will be,” said Notte.
The team is comprised of eight Kelowna players, three from Kamloops, one from Penticton and Vernon and a few players from Salmon Arm.
The Games feature up to 3,900 athletes, coaches and officials from across B.C. Competition will take place in 19 sports at venues all over Nanaimo.
The Canada Winter Games will be held Feb. 13-March 1 in Prince George.
