Monsters are usually a bad thing but not in this case it isn't.
"We almost created a monster, right?" says Roby Sharpe of the Yorkton Minor Football Association on June 19, the final day of play for Kinsmen Tackle.
Sharpe said that things are looking up right now.
"We have the equipment, the kids" he goes on.
"We're just short on coaches."
He's not worried about it, he says.
"It's a great problem to have," he adds, sounding like Albert Einstein after coming up with a solution to some physics problem.
Only physics isn't the topic for Mr. Sharpe. It's going to be finding enough coaches to help out with the masses of kids who for the time being seem to have chosen football as their calling.
"It's something we're working on."
We have coaches in place for the fall, he adds, including the Atoms, Pee Wees and Bantams.
Jason Boyda of Yorkdale Central's football program is one of the coaches who has been involved for more than a year, said he has noticed a change in skill level too.
"Our Gr. 7s played last year and the majority of our Gr. 6s, this was their first time. I think they did a great job."
Boyda went on to add that the focus, commitment and determination are all evident in his players but most of all "I was hoping they'd have fun".
He added that he and his team coaches spoke with most of the players and most of them have expressed interest in joining the pee wee Gridders.
Sharpe said that YMF is in the process of trying to add yet another age group to its ranks, suggesting that there has been enough interest from students as young as those in Gr. 4-5.
They've benefitted from the advantages of having the spring league available to them, he says, which only costs them $40 each to participate in.
The spring league once again went by without any major glitches, not counting the final game getting called because of hazardous weather conditions.
"The weather hasn't been co-operating."
The Kinsmen Tackle Football League has been put in place to serve as an introduction to grassroots football on the local scene.
"If they enjoy it, they can play on the Gridders in the fall."
Sharpe estimated that "close to 200 kids" took part in it this year, which ran throughout May and June.
He took a second to reflect upon how much everything has grown.
"When we first started," explains Sharpe "The kids had never played before."
The level of skill has shot up, and also this year, past players have taken up the role as coaches.
The growth is also reflected in the introduction last year of a bantam football team which played against Regina teams.
