Swan River’s Tyler Petelski will be representing Team Saskatchewan again at the U18 Women’s Tackle Football Tournament in Fredericton, New Brunswick this summer. Teams from all across Canada will be competing for the championship title.
Petelski started playing football in 2021 with the Moosomin Generals when she was in grade 8 and was part of the team when they won the Inaugural Prairie Girls Football League Championship. Last year, she made the move to play with the Swan Valley Regional Secondary School Tigers Football Team and was the only female on the team.
“It was definitely different being the only female player on the SVRSS Tigers football team this year,” said Petelski. “A lot of teams were really shocked to see a girl on the team. My whole team is very welcoming and inviting. They included me in all the drills and never set me aside or made me feel excluded. They saw me as a player who was just as good as they are and that really motivated me this past season.”
Petelski tried out for the first time for U18 Women’s Tackle Football Team Saskatchewan. At that time, she just made the minimum age requirements to try out and was one of the youngest players to do so.
“At my first tryout for Team Saskatchewan, I thought I did very poorly because I was very nervous going into it,” said Petelski. “The youngest a player could be on that team was in grade 9. There were only a few of us in grade 9 going into the tryouts. The tryouts were overwhelming and had a lot going on.
“When I made the team, it was like we all melted together as a team. We had a couple of days of training camp in Regina. I got to know the rest of the players there really quickly as we were together every second. There were lots of practices out in the heat, meetings and team bonding, before the championship.”
Petelski experienced her first experience competing at a national level with Team Saskatchewan last year. It’s a different level of the game as well and the energy going into it is much more intense.
“Playing at nationals is so energetic and there are so many people there that love football,” said Petelski. “You can tell they love the game. Everyone there is focused on one thing only and you can feel that. This level of tackle football is totally different.
“A player has to be quicker and stronger. You have to be more mentally focused going into it and there is a lot more training to do a month before you go. It’s also more physically draining once you get there to play because the temperature is hotter out there and the level of competition is harder.”
Petelski went to tryouts in May and June of this year and was selected with 22 other female players to be a part of Team Saskatchewan again. She will report to prep camp in Regina on July 16, and then fly out two days later for the championship.
“Last year I was way more anxious when I tried out, as I didn’t know what to expect,” said Petelski. “This year I was way more confident with my skills and had a whole year with Team Saskatchewan already. I had my year with the SVRSS Tigers, so I felt stronger, quicker and more mentally prepared. I wasn’t going to be as hard on myself if I dropped the ball or missed a block during a play as I would have when I first started. I feel more mature as well going in.
“I felt more confident this time around and knew what I had to do to earn a spot again with Team Saskatchewan. I also knew other players and the coaches already from last year, so I knew what they expected from me.
“I’m super competitive, so I don’t mind being one of the boys in that aspect,” said Petelski. “Last season was a really good experience and made me a better player. Making the U18 women’s tackle football team for Saskatchewan again this year was a result of that.”
The U18 Women’s Tackle Football Tournament will be held from July 20 to 28. Petelski is looking forward to taking to the field and showing just how far she and her teammates have come since the last time they were there.
“I’m really looking forward to that atmosphere of game day again. That’s really when a team comes together. There is so much adrenaline and motivation. Last year we didn’t win any of our games, so this year we want to really clinch that one game and build off the momentum from that and continue on from there.