A friendly rivalry was sparked yesterday between the Steinbach RCMP and the youth of Backstage Drop-in Center in a game of basketball.

Kyra Guenther, the youth worker at Backstage who organized the game says Steinbach is fortunate to have a police force that cares about investing in the lives of local youth.

“We’re very lucky to have the group of RCMP officers in Steinbach that we do. They are willing to take the time to build the connection and bond with the youth of our community, and I think that’s really valuable and something not a lot of communities have.”

Caleb Rempel, one of the youths who played against the police, reflected on his experience “It feels kind of scary cause they are all big guys, but I thought it was fun. I thought it was a great time. They enjoy connecting with the youth.”

Rempel says technically the police won the match, but only because they declared “next point wins”. He claims he’s confident the youth would have won had the game been longer.

This is exactly the kind of relationship Guenther wants to build, she explains: “I had a lot of people pour into me when I was young and I just want to give back.” She maintains basketball is the kind of connection that can help build respect as well as a fun camaraderie between students and police. She hopes to organize similar events in the future.