The Yorkton Don Cherries women's rec hockey team started its second season last month with a win against Wynyard and continued its season on Sunday morning with an 8-0 loss to the Roblin Cougars at the Kinsmen Arena in Yorkton.
But despite the season already being underway, Amber Zaharia, the woman who kick-started the Yorkton Don Cherries, says that registration is still open for females of all ages. "We're looking for anyone who might even be a little interested to come and check it out," said Zaharia following the Don Cherries second game of the season. "Everyone is welcome to come and join a practice and it's not too late to start even though it's already December and the season is already underway."
Zaharia also says that although they have upwards of 30 people interested in playing on the team thanks to participating in city-wide registration night, only a handful of people can manage to make it out to the practices and games, citing work and parenting as two things that take priority over recreational activities.
Undeterred by the obvious situations that many women have to focus on, Zaharia has pushed forward, trying to recruit as many women in as many ways as possible. "We have been trying to promote through our Facebook page (Yorkton Women's Hockey) and by word of mouth," mentioned Zaharia, continuing, "We've even tried to recruit some hockey moms through Yorkton Minor Hockey which has been somewhat successful as we've had a couple of Â鶹ÊÓƵ African hockey moms, who have never played hockey before, join the team."
But what about the women who are interested in playing hockey but may not be able to afford equipment?
"We can help women get equipment if they need it," mentioned Zaharia. "We're in contact with the Parks and Recreation department for the city. They run the Yorkton Sports Bank. If you have no gear at all you can get fully suited up at the Sports Bank or if you just need the odd piece that may be making you hesitant about coming out to practice you can get it there free of charge as well."
Zaharia also mentioned that registration is 200 dollars, but anyone can drop in at any practice (10:15 to 11:15 every Sunday morning) for a 15 dollar drop-in fee with no pressure to officially register until they decide whether or not they want to play hockey.
