INUVIK
Athletes, whether it be students or adults, have had a smorgasbord of activities to choose from in recent weeks.

Britney Selina, an educational assistant at East Three Secondary School, is one of the organizers of the upcoming soccer tournament on the March 20 weekend. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

That trend continues on the weekend of March 20 and 21 when the Beaufort-Delta Education Council Soccer Tournament rolls into the East Three schools' gyms.

It's the second year for the revived tournament, which follows in the footsteps of the highly-successful basketball and volleyball tournaments the school and BDEC holds annually, said organizer Britney Selina.

Those tournaments basically function as tuneups for the territorial championships, and the concept is being expanded to nearly every sport the district offers.

The basketball tournaments, held in three-on-three and four-on-four challenges, have proven to be particularly popular.

The East Three Clippers took the adult championship at the tournament last year, when 14 teams entered the competition.

A Tuktoyaktuk school team won the senior division and the East Three Junior 1 team took top spot in the junior division in 2014.

The tournament's return is largely due to the passion for sport shared by Selina and other staff members at the school, including Jill Nugent and Colin Pybus.

"We kind of thought we'd bring back the soccer tournament," Selina said.

The tournament hadn't run for at least "a couple of years" before 2014, but the popularity of the sport in Inuvik convinced them it was time to try it again.

"This is kind of a kickoff tournament for the kids before they head off to Yellowknife for Super Soccer," Selina said.

The genius of the tournament, like the other it's modelled after, is the inclusion of community members from the region.

Selina said a thriving indoor soccer league that plays twice a week, as do the other surrounding communities.

They're also geared to keep players interested and provide fresh competition, she said. Players can become complacent by constantly playing against the same competition, and new challenges help keep interest high.

"We always send out invitations to the communities outside of Inuvik and we do what we can to get everyone out here," Selina said.

Ironically, Selina said she has yet to see anyone play outdoor soccer in any serious fashion here in Inuvik, despite the field on Ruyant Street.

With the 14 teams that turned out for the tournament last year, that meant approximately 120 players signed up.

Three divisions, composed of a junior, senior and adult, fought for bragging rights.

The indoor version of soccer, as played in the tournament, has certain squash-like elements to it, where the walls are very much in play and very little being considered out of bounds.

The tournament will be played in a four-on-four format, with teams numbering up to 10 people. It's a fast-paced sport that's challenging to even top-notch and extremely fit athletes.

The substitutes are important to keep forcing the pace of the play.