Calgary Wild FC players go back to school

Calgary's football club will face off against the Halifax Tides at McMahon Stadium on Saturday.

Mya Jones went back to her old stomping grounds on Tuesday morning.

The Wild forward went to Sundance School when she was a kid and was back to talk to current students about the importance of staying active.

Jones says it was also nice to connect with the young fans.

“I think it’s kind of just bringing it back to our fans and our fan base,” said Jones.

“The majority of that is the children in the community, and I think it’s really special that I can do this where I began my elementary school.”

Old school

Jones went to Sundance throughout elementary school.

She says being back was a very cool experience.

“For me, it’s very nostalgic, and it brings me back to a lot of memories I had in this schoolyard,” said Jones.

“Showing that you can start anywhere to live up to this dream is really special to me.”

Lucille Bouchard was Jones’s kindergarten teacher, and she was back at the school to see her former student.

Bouchard says it’s great to see Jones having success.

“It is so cool to see somebody just really striving for what they want to do and getting it done,” said Bouchard.

For kids at the school like Ayla Veneruz, who is in Grade 4, meeting the Wild players was a highlight.

She says their words were inspirational.

“The soccer players will inspire them to play soccer or any other sport,” said Veneruz.

It was a perfect day for the Wild players to visit Sundance—it was sports day.

Principal Melanie Tindall says a lot will be taken from the interaction between players and students.

“Our school absolutely loves soccer amongst many other sports, and I think it’s just really exciting to be able to see the team,” said Tindall.

Another Sundance alumni

Jones isn’t the only Wild player who went to Sundance as a kid.

Midfielder Andersen Williams also went to the school, and it brought back some great memories.

As part of the school visit, students presented Wild players with their new red kits that they will debut on Saturday against the Halifax Tides at McMahon Stadium.

“They are fabulous,” said Andersen.

“We haven’t gotten to wear them yet, so we’re really excited to debut them. They’re beautiful—they’ve got wings all over them and they’re beautiful.”

The Wild also gave every student a ticket to the game on Saturday.

Kickoff is at 5 p.m.