While most teenagers spend their summers playing Madden NFL, 15-year-old Odin Peterson of Niverville travelled across the country to represent Football Manitoba on its U16 team in a cross-country tournament.

“I like playing with people I know, of course,” says Peterson. “They’re my friends. But I also like meeting new people. And with football, you do a lot of that.”

From July 15–18, Peterson competed in the 2019 U16 Western Challenge on Team Manitoba in Kamloops, British Columbia. This four-day event allowed for carefully selected players from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia to compete against talents from other provinces.

Peterson may only be 15, but he already stands 6’2—and his size contributes to his success.

“I was always a lot taller… and my size is how I got into football,” he adds. “I’ve always been the tallest in my class and tallest in my grade.”

Peterson played hockey and basketball when he was younger but quickly discovered that his passion was football. He started playing when he was in the third grade, and eight years later it’s become a passion of his.

“I’m sticking with football,” he says, his enthusiasm evident in his voice as he talks about the game. “It’s probably the sport I find the most fun, the sport I’m the best at, and the sport that I’m able to use my athletic skills the best at… I’ve learned a lot of skills. When you’re there, you work with really good coaches… I’ve learned how high-level football players play and how much I need to raise my game when I play against guys like that.”

Peterson’s family took the U16 Western Challenge as an opportunity to spend quality time together and visit with Peterson’s grandfather in Vancouver.

But the family also understood that not everyone has the same opportunities. To do their part to support others, they hosted two other young football players in their home in the lead-up to the trip. Together, the three teenage boys prepared for their tournament in Kamloops.

“Odin has gotten to show off this great town,” says his mother Melissa.

Team Manitoba also held a week-long camp before they arrived in B.C., allowing for the team to get to know each other and explore the province.

Peterson now looks forward to sharing the skills he learned during the tournament with his team here at home. And he hopes to share more than just football knowledge with the community at large.

“[There’s more than] just teaching and helping the other guys on my team with skills,” he says. “You learn a lot of leadership skills.”