Team Alberta wins Western Female Tackle Football Showcase with three Airdrie players on the roster

Three Airdrie players were instrumental in Team Alberta's dominant run at the Western Female Tackle Football Showcase held July 18–19 at Shouldice Athletic Park in Calgary.

Aurora Frankemolle, Brooklyn Cherewko, and Ellie Jeffrey helped Team Alberta capture the U16 championship title, capping a tournament that saw them defeat B.C. 16–12 and Saskatchewan 28–0 before crushing Central Alberta Fire 50–6 in the gold medal game. Team Alberta had lost their opening contest to Central Alberta Fire 14–0 but regrouped to win the next three matchups.

Frankemolle reflected on the experience: "It feels like awesome. It feels like unreal because it was such a fun experience and like all the players that I met and like it was so much fun to meet other girls from different teams and experience playing football with them."

Ahead of the tournament, the Airdrie Female Raiders held tryouts in Lacombe and Airdrie, with initial cuts made in Lacombe and final selections in Airdrie. Head coach Dawn Sorsdahl, who leads both the U16 and U19 squads for Airdrie, emphasized the mental preparation that preceded competition.

Before the tournament, Team Alberta attended a pre-tournament camp in Hanna where players engaged in team-building exercises, leadership drills, play practice, film review, and meditation. Sorsdahl stressed the importance of teaching athletes to identify what they could and could not control—weather, for instance, versus staying hydrated. One player approached her mid-game to suggest a special teams adjustment, recognizing it as something within their control. "It gives me goosebumps every time I think about it," Sorsdahl said, "because even some adults struggle to stop and think about what they can and cannot control, but a 15-year-old was able to recognize it."

The transition from club to provincial football proved steep but rewarding. Sorsdahl noted that while the learning curve was sometimes steep, the players' willingness to persist and improve impressed her repeatedly. "I call them my 'Berta girls because they don't say 'go Alberta,' they say 'go 'Berta'," she said.