We鈥檙e still several months out from the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Ontario, but preparations continue for what鈥檚 hoped will be the first big multi-sport event since the pandemic took hold in March 2020.

This past weekend saw the boys soccer team take to the indoor pitches at the Fieldhouse for their latest training camp. Head coach Dillon Torindo put close to 20 players through their paces, and they were feeling it once the activity came to an end on Dec. 19.

Luke Kotaska said it was fun but tiring.

鈥淩eally busy, four sessions plus I had hockey as well and I was in the Nutcracker 鈥� my friend and I were in that 鈥� so we鈥檝e been running around a lot,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely coming together as a team and that鈥檚 good to see. We鈥檙e progressing each and every camp, which is what you want to see.鈥�

Kotaska played on the boys team at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games in Saskatchewan and he said the set-up back then was a good one among the troops.

鈥淚 definitely want to get something as good as that going with our group and I think we鈥檙e getting there,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat helps is that the core group of this team has played together for a long time and that鈥檚 helpful. We can integrate the other guys into the group so we aren鈥檛 all strangers when we get together. The NWT isn鈥檛 very big people-wise so coming together isn鈥檛 that hard.鈥�

A lot of the work on the final day of camp focused on scrimmage and getting systems down, finishing off with some shooting practice.

The out-of-town contingent consisted of players such as Jed Mitchell, who made the drive from Fort Smith.

He said coming to camp is always something he looks forward to.

鈥淭he best part for me is because I live in Fort Smith, I play rec soccer sometimes but there are times I鈥檓 the only person there,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to play with people and with a team because I learn more about the team concept rather than just kicking a ball around by myself at a net for an hour a day.鈥�

Like Kotaska, Mitchell said he likes the way the team is shaping up and the cohesion is definitely starting to show.

鈥淲hen I tried out, I was part of the second group so I didn鈥檛 see some of these guys at the start,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had two camps since then but I feel like I understand so much more of the team unit. It鈥檚 always fun to come up and play with these guys.鈥�

The next camp is scheduled to take place in Yellowknife on the weekend of Jan. 21