The 2017 soccer jamboree kicked off on Oct. 24 at Eliza Archie Memorial School.
The Canim Lake school has hosted the soccer jamboree for roughly twenty years now, with the purpose of getting other schools in the region to get together and play ball in a non-competitive atmosphere.
“We just wanted to have soccer,” said Adrian Archie, a special education teacher at the school who also organized the jamboree.
“Our school is always kind of small and we wanted to join the bigger schools so we just decided on the soccer jamboree.”
In addition to Eliza Archie Memorial, five other schools got involved with the action. Forest Grove Elementary, Horse Lake Elementary, 100 Mile House Elementary and Lac la Hache Elementary were also in attendance. Students from Grades 5-7 split up into eight teams, playing three games each.
“It’s good for the kids to mix up and make new friends and just have fun,” said Archie.
Kerry Tunnacliffe, a teacher from Forest Grove echoed in agreement, mentioning that the non-competitive nature of the jamboree allows students to play without the pressure they may face in a tournament or league, especially if they do not favour playing sports.
“They [the schools] get together a few times throughout the year for the different sports but usually in a tournament format so you’re competitive, one school against the other. The jamborees are nice because it’s just not a competitive atmosphere,” said Tunnacliffe. “It’s just a really good way to break down barriers that may exist and gets kids working together on the same team.”
Tunnacliffe, who has taught for 27 years, also believes it’s a great time for the five visiting schools to capitalize on getting to know the Northern Shuswap people of Canim Lake, especially with the new changes in the education curriculum.
“In the new curriculum, First Nations issues are being emphasized, so kids have more of a current understanding of what Canada’s role has been with residential schools and helps them understand some of the issues there are,” she said. “So this gives us all a chance to get to know our First Nations neighbours.”