For the second year in a row, a Westlock Fun Hockey tournament hosted at the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre is being hailed as a big success.
Organizer Monique Cameron said while putting on the Jan. 10 tournament was a lot of work for the organizers, parents and kids involved, it was all worth it.
“Twelve and a half hours at the ice rink is plenty,” she said. “It was a long day.”
Five teams from around the Westlock area took part in the tournament, including one team from Westlock, two from Fawcett, one from Rich Valley and one from Mayerthorpe.
In total, about 100 kids got the opportunity to hit the ice and put their skills to the test in a friendly competition. The age range of participants was from 10 to 16, Cameron said, but most participants fell in the 10 to 14 age group.
Fun Hockey associations have a somewhat less competitive approach than typical Minor Hockey associations — there are fewer firm guidelines on age rules, less competition, and more of an emphasis on getting every player equal time on the ice.
Nobody kept track of the scores at Saturday’s tournament, so it’s not really clear who came out on top, but that’s beside the point anyways.
“They all said the tournament ran smoothly and the kids all enjoyed themselves and were very happy at the end of the day,” Cameron said.
Each team played three games, with Westlock playing a fourth to make the numbers work out, for a total of eight games played throughout the day.
Cameron said they toned it down a bit from what they did at last year’s tournament — at which there were raffle tables and a 50/50 draw — and this year just focused on the action on the ice.
“It’s a little bit easier to organize,” she said. “We kind of kept it low key this year.”
While no trophies or medals are doled out, Cameron said each players left with a goodie bag at the end of the day and, of course, tired legs from getting plenty of time on the ice.
“Kids want to play hockey, and they were guaranteed they got three games,” she said. “They all had fun and it was a really good day.”
