Alberta’s top 8 girls and top 8 boys under 10 years old competed last weekend in the Alberta vs British Columbia U10 showdown in Kamloops, BC. This three-day event has taken place every year for the past eight years, with British Columbia’s team taking the victory every year. But this year was different. This year, Alberta’s provincial U10 team came out on top, decidedly, for the first time.
This victory for the U10s follows impressive performances by the U12s and U14s this year at nationals. Marc Colangeli, the lead coach for the U10 team, sees this a reflection of the hard work of coaches, players and parents. This team had the depth needed to accumulate a strong total overall score. Each player took part in four singles, two doubles, and one mixed doubles match over the three days. All players’ wins were added to determine the total score for the team. The top three girls and the top three boys had particularly strong performances, winning all or nearly all of their matches. In the end, the Alberta U10 team won by 201 games.
Our success this year reflects the time and hard work that players, coaches and parents have put into training. We have raised our level all around. It was really nice to see all of the hard work pay off. Top to bottom, this was one of our better teams and that depth was key to our success.
Coach Marc Colangeli
After completing re-groupings, the U10 provincial team will take part in a second cross-provincial competition before the end of the summer, location to be determined. Marc Colangeli is joined by coaches Byung Chun, Josh Sundwall, and other Alberta coaches who work with these young players.
It is nice to see these players compete as a team, as tennis can be a very individual sport. The success of this U10 team, along with the success of our older juniors, shows that Alberta is looking good and will continue to make its mark among Canada’s best in the coming years.
Coach Marc Colangeli
The U10 Alberta Provincial Girls Team:
- Julia Ionescu
- Angelina Grant
- Brooke Tuffs
- Delilah Watt
- Elicia Lin
- Anya Nel
- Amalie Savage
- Eva Lukyanova
The U10 Alberta Provincial Boys Team:
- Maksim Gluic
- Jaden Mah
- Isaac Barnard
- Enoch Lin
- Rafael Bote
- Sasa Karagic
- Jace Richardson
- Ryan Tomilin
What an amazing opportunity for a group of children and their parents and coaches to travel to another province, to play a lot of tennis in three days, to develop friendships, and most importantly to learn and have fun. What a great sport we have in tennis, and what a great system we have led by the provinces and Tennis Canada to support youth development.
