Celebrating his soccer team’s big win on Oct. 1, École élémentaire catholique Notre-Place (Val Therese) Grade 8 student Nolan Maurice reflected on a day of fun in the fields.
“It was fun to hang out with some classmates and skip school,” the 13-year-old told Sudbury.com with a smile as his friends laughed nearby.
Tuesday marked the first of three days of soccer tournaments at the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre in Hanmer to form the Grand Nord Cup.
This first day featured Grade 7 and 8 students from French-language schools throughout Northern Ontario. On Wednesday, students from Grades 5 and 6 will hit the fields, and Grades 3 and 4 students will play on Friday.
The three days of soccer will feature a total of 66 mixed teams from throughout Northern Ontario, including Parry Sound, French River and the Sudbury region.
Notre-Place had the home-field advantage on Tuesday, with Maurice and some of his friends living close enough that they rode their bicycles to the fields.
Teamwork and passing were keys to the home team’s success, Maurice said, after their big win.
Although this is the first school year for the newly opened Notre-Place elementary school, Maurice said his teammates considered themselves defending champions, since École Ste-Thérèse won last year’s tournament (one of three schools to amalgamate as Notre-Place).
Notre-Place won all six games they played on Tuesday, during which the soccer ball didn’t hit their net even once.
Their final championship game was played against nearby École élémentaire catholique Jean-Paul II (Val Caron).
Mid-game, Jean-Paul II coach Mat Litalien told Sudbury.com that despite facing an uphill battle against Notre-Place, his team, to that point in the tournament undefeated, was in good spirits and having fun.
“You can’t ask for better weather, because it’s nice and cool and it’s sunny out,” he said, adding that the Grand Nord Cup is always a highlight in the annual soccer calendar which students look forward to.
Between the three days of soccer action at the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre featuring 66 teams, more than 1,000 soccer players are anticipated to hit the fields.
“The matches will provide an excellent opportunity for young athletes to demonstrate their talent, develop their skills and promote camaraderie and team spirit in a French-speaking environment,” a media release by Conseil scolaire du Grand Nord said.
Games begin at 9:30 a.m. each day, with the championship match beginning at 3 p.m.
Tyler Clarke is a reporter at Sudbury.com.