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Warriors active in the community

A submitted article from the Moose Jaw Warriors

The Moose Jaw Warriors are busy on the ice every day over a seven-month season, but off the ice, the team stays just as active in the community throughout the year.

The players on the Warriors are young exempt of what kind of benefits staying physically active can have and the team passes that message along with their Subway Warrior Workouts program in local schools.

"At that age, they like to have their video games, so it’s important to talk to them about eating right, being active, being healthy, getting outside and playing with their friends, and not staying inside all day," Warriors forward Tate Popple said.

The Warriors lead the elementary school kids through stretches to start the workout before they take them through stations that including catching, relay races and much more.

"They’re always pretty excited to see us," Popple said. "We have about 20 minutes of playing dodgeball [at the end] and have some fun with them."

Popple has taken the player lead with the program the past two years, but several players attend each event and Popple says that they all enjoy themselves.

"There are some guys that like to have a bit of fun with them, so it’s good for both sides," Popple said.

"They’re the ones that are going to come and support us, so if we’re never hanging out with them, they don’t really get to know us and that’s a big part is getting to know our community and the people that come out and watch us."

Popple hails from Brandon, MB, home of the Wheat Kings, and he said he saw firsthand the impact that the players coming out to school or his practice would have on him and his friends.

"It was always nice to see them, meet them and hang out with them for a bit of the day," Popple said. "Matt Calvert came to school a couple of times, so it was always pretty fun seeing them.

"It’s fun to see the smile on their faces and hopefully we can brighten their day up."

The Warriors also head to schools throughout the season for their Read to Succeed program, in addition to their work with Special Olympics as well.

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