Girls from the Northlands Parkway Collegiate (NPC) basketball team got to take their skills to the next level, thanks to the Wesmen Women's basketball team. The team stopped in Winkler Saturday to host a training clinic at the high school of Winkler resident, Mikayla Funk.

The training clinic was part of the Wesmen team's retreat. For Funk seeing her new team working with girls she had once played with was a surreal experience.

"It's kind of crazy to think that I was in the position of the people getting trained for this. I never thought I would have the opportunity to coach my past teammates.

The clinic was something NPC girls coach Todd Redhead, and his team was excited for, saying it was great to have his team get instruction from one of Canada's best coaches, and one on one interactions with some of the best female players in Manitoba.

Redhead says he invited girls who will be starting at NPC this year, giving them the chance to see what a player in CIS basketball can do.

Wesmen team captain Paige Hastings Van, says the clinic was a great experience for her team, growing as a team and providing mentorship.

"It's an amazing position to be in to help and mentor them, to give them the opportunity to work on different skills or any questions they have with the game or anything they need to work on."

Working with these younger girls builds the Wesmen team's confidence says Head Coach Tanya McKay, "It's a win, win."

Not only is it an opportunity to build skills and confidence in basketball, Funk notes, what she learns on the court will help her out in school.

"It's going to help me learn discipline, getting everything done, and in a timely manner."

NPC had the chance to watch the Wesmen during a practice game after the clinic before the team left for Kenora to complete the rest of their team retreat.