All three siblings from a De Winton family have been named to rosters for Team Alberta Box Lacrosse.

15-year-old Matt Flammenspeck, along with 13-year-old twin sisters Emily and Hannah, will be heading east this summer to compete at the Canadian National box lacrosse championships for their age divisions.

Matt, who plays for the HOKS, will be competing in the Midget age division and this year marks the third time he's made the Team Alberta box lacrosse roster. He also had one year as a Team Alberta box lacrosse red shirt where he practiced with the team and could be called up if needed. In addition, Matt has made the Team Alberta roster for field lacrosse this year for the second time.

He says playing for Team Alberta has benefited every aspect of his box lacrosse game and practicing under the direction of the same Team Alberta coach for a number of years has also helped him develop his skills.

"I had that same coach for three years," Matt says. "He taught me a bunch of systems, how to properly pick and score and creative ways to set up on offense and defense."

Matt was named overall tournament MVP at last year's national championship and he's already set some personal goals for this year's competition.

"The first year I played Peewee I was more like a passenger and I didn't really do much," Matt says. "This year I want to be that first year (Midget) that blows people away and scores a bunch and makes good plays."

This summer will be the first time Emily and Hannah, who play on the Okotoks Raiders Bantam girls team, will be competing on Team Alberta.

Hannah says she's been playing lacrosse on the same teams as her twin sister since mini-tykes and that has had its benefits over the years.

"We have a really good chemistry with each other," she says. "We always know where to pass to each other."

Emily says she wanted to try out for Team Alberta to challenge herself and to take her game to the next level. Although she felt nervous competing against some of the province's top players for a spot on Team Alberta during tryouts, she says she was happy to learn that she had made the cut.

She hopes the experience of practicing with Team Alberta and competing at the national championships will help her to continue to develop her game.

"I want to improve a lot and see where I can take my game and see how much better I can get throughout the years that I play," she says.

Currently, Emily and Hannah have been practicing with Team Alberta in Olds on weekends. They'll head to Halifax, Nova Scotia in July for the Bantam girls national box lacrosse championships. Matt has been practicing in Lacombe and he'll be travelling to Whitby, Ontario in August for the Midget division of the national box lacrosse championships.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com