Yasinski Says Team Saskatchewan A Major Learning Experience

Editor’s Note - the following is the fourth in a series of stories about the Moose Jaw players who made it onto the roster U16 Team Saskatchewan who competed at the 2023 U16 Football Canada Western Challenge, July 4-8 in Regina, SK.

By Robert Thomas

Just over a year ago Gabe Yasinski had never thrown a tackle in football.

In fact he had yet to throw his first official block in organized football.

But that all changed as the now 15 year old Yasinski moved from playing flag football to the ranks of a Grade Nine starter for the Vanier Vikings.

Within the same season of Yasinski moving into tackle football he found himself playing for South Saskatchewan going on to make the cut for the U16 Team Saskatchewan squad.

THE FOUR PLAYERS FROM MOOSE JAW WHO MADE THE U16 TEAM SASKATCHEWAN ROSTER ARE (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) DAX GIBNEY, KASH FERSTER, KEATON BELSHER AND GABE YASINSKI - SUBMITTED PHOTO

“You have to be selfless and not selfish,” Yasinski said really is the difference between flag football and tackle football.

He said he got involved in the no contact version of football when he was in grade three or grade four and fell in love with the game.

Yasinski said flag football’s no contact, no tackle format means if you don’t receive the ball you don’t help out.

And the person receiving the ball simply runs as fast as the can towards the opponent’s goal line without the assistance of blockers.

“It (flag football) is different it has an emphasis on the individual and tackle football has the emphasis on the team.”

The first jump came when he became a starting receiver for Vanier Collegiate in his first season as a grade nine student.

Flag football taught Yasinski the basic art of being a receiver and many of the skills transferred from flag to tackle football.

Making both the South Saskatchewan and Team Saskatchewan squads his first year playing tackle football was a surprise to Yasinski.

“It was really surprising to make Team Saskatchewan,” he said, adding the tryout and being selected for the South Saskatchewan squad was as equally surprising.

“I had a really good tryout and made the team.”

Playing for the South Saskatchewan squad Yasinski said he had no balls )receptions) but in the matchup as a member of Team Saskatchewan he managed two touchdowns versus the tough game against Team Manitoba.

“I was very happy with it,” he said about the game against Team Manitoba.

“I thought it was a really great experience and I learnt so much from it,” he said about being part of Team Saskatchewan.

“I learned so much in the Sask program. It helped me so much and was to my advantage because it helped me to catch a ball and make a play much easier,” he said.

Playing with Team Saskatchewan’s U16 team is something he hopes to be a stepping stone to his future goals.

“I think playing on Team Saskatchewan is great and there were a lot of people watching us in the stands. We are getting a lot more exposure…I would like to go on to the U18 and Futures Team,” he said.

For Yasinski he is hoping football will “lead to a scholarship and playing at the college level…a scholarship would help out my parents (financially).”

His plans are to attend college and study in the medical field to become an occupational therapist.

Vanier Goes To Nine Man

One of the challenges Yasinski will soon face is Vanier dropping down to Nine Man Football.

No longer will the Vikings find themselves taking on local powerhouses, the Central Cyclones and Peacock Tornadoes.

Vanier, in an effort to be more competitive, will play nine man football against teams from Lumsden, Gull Lake and Shaunavon amongst others this fall.

“It will be much more travelling and I won’t be playing against the friends I know in Peacock and Central anymore.”

Yasinski takes it all in stride though saying “I can’t wait to help Vanier next year.”