There was wind, rain and sunshine.
There was also more than 450 smiles on the faces of the minor soccer players that participated in the second annual Shore N Score Cup on the many fields across the city this past weekend.
“All indications tell me that the teams and kids had a great time at the tournament,” said Shuswap Youth Soccer Association executive director Kevin Harrison.
“This tournament is a great way to promote the game of soccer and our community. It also allows us to see how our teams measure up to different teams from around the province.”
In total 32 teams, 24 of which were from out of town, played in three boys divisions and four girls divisions.
Matches were played at Little Mountain, Blackburn Park and the Sullivan and Jackson campus fields.
As a result of all the action spread out across the city, Harrison said their reffing situation was stretched very thin, but they coped well.
The tournament kicked off on Friday evening at SASCU Little Mountain Sports Fields under the lights and in blustery conditions.
Harrison said the kids loved playing under the lights, and he would like to continue to have a few matches a year be played under the lights.
“Mother Nature was tough this year. Last year it was 37 C and this year we had to deal with wind gusts and sideways rain at times,” said Harrison.
Despite the adverse weather conditions the teams representing the Shuswap fared very well against the visiting teams from across British Columbia and Alberta.
The U11 boys, U12/13 boys, and U12 girls each won the gold medal in their respective divisions.
In the U14/15 boys division, Shuswap faced tough opposition from Calgary and the Division A provincial- winning team from Port Moody.
The U11 girls wound up tied for third place in a competitive division.
Extra time was needed to decide the outcome of the U13/14 girls division, which saw Shuswap settle for the silver medal in a 2-1 score line.
In a nail bitting final the Shuswap U15/16 girls were outdone 4-3 in a penalty shootout.
Harrison is pleased with the turnout at the tournament and is looking forward to next year – hoping to grow the tournament slowly over the coming years.
He says in order for the tournament to grow, the infrastructure has to be in place to allow growth, citing the city’s proposal to upgrade the fields at Blackburn Park.
“The city is already a popular summer destination and this tournament can help add to that reputation.”
Harrison estimates the tournament helped draw in more than 1,000 visitors to the area over the weekend.
