Travelling to tournament more than half the battle
Teams braved night on Coquihalla in effort to join more than 1,300 athletes in annual Sweetheart Tournament
Highway closures caused major problems for ringette players travelling to Kelowna for the 27th annual Sweetheart Tournament this weekend.
“We had teams that had to spend the night on the highway,” said Tina Pomponio, tournament director. “It took some of them 18 hours to get here. It was crazy for them.”
The Coquihalla Highway was closed overnight on Thursday due to freezing rain and icy roads.
The highway closed again Friday night after transport trucks spun out and lost control.
Many of the 1,300 athletes were coming from the Lower Mainland, causing game delays and cancellations, said Pomponio.
“It was a scheduling nightmare, but we managed to fit it all in and get their games in,” she said. “This is the first time since I’ve been involved with (the tournament) that we have ever had anything like this happen, and I’m just so happy that everyone is here and everyone has a smile on their face.”
Ringette players from age five to over 18 are playing in the tournament this weekend, which continues today at all ice rinks in the Central Okanagan.
“It’s great exercise for them and it’s great team bonding and team building,” said Pomponio. “It’s such a great game. They call it the fastest game on ice.”
Eighty teams from outside Kelowna, as well as 14 made up of Central Okanagan teams, are participating in the Sweetheart Tournament.
Though typically thought of as a girls’ sport, there are 77 boys playing in the tournament this weekend, mixed in with the girls, said Pomponio.
“It’s not just for girls,” she said. “There is a stereotype that hockey is for boys and ringette is for girls, but that isn’t true.”
Along with the 208 games held throughout the weekend, there was a ceremony held Saturday night at Royal LePage Place.
“The kids get to watch a ringette game of some of the higher level players,” said Pomponio. “We try and make it a fun weekend, and after some of their drives this weekend, I hope it turns out to be fun for them.”
All players in the under-12 divisions receive participation medals, while bronze, silver and gold medals are up for grabs for the older players.
Kelowna teams won two of the seven competitive divisions at last year’s tournament.