Really was beach weather for Smashed
Parking lot covered in sand for tourney that continues all day today
The temperature was a steaming 33 C. The humidex was 42, and wind gusting to 50 km/h created mini sandstorms Friday on the first day of the sixth annual t wo-day Smashed beach volleyball tournament for Easter Seals in the Chemong Rd. Boston Pizza parking lot. But no one was complaining. “These guys are beach volleyball players,” said Coralie Jacobs, the senior development officer for Peterborough and area Easter Seals. “They love this stuff.”
The tournament, which raises funds to send disabled children to Easter Seals summer camps, attracted 31 teams and about 250 players who played in competitive and rec divisions on 400 tonnes of sand in a fenced-off area of the parking lot.
Games were played on three courts from mid-morning to early evening both days.
Between $14,000 and $15,000 was raised through team registration fees and individual players’ fundraising efforts, as well as proceeds from a silent auction, Jacobs said. A 10-day stay at camp costs about $2,200 per child.
Children have the choice of attending two fully accessible camps: Merrywood Camp near Perth and Woodeden Camp near London.
“The staffing there is prepared for whatever physical limitations and whatever medical requirements the children may have,” Jacobs said. “The camps are magical places where these kids can go and they don’t hear ‘No.’ They can all sign up for any of the programs. They get all.
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ne Easter Seals kid who will be heading to camp in “nine more sleeps” is eight-year-old Aiden Cameron, the 2013 Easter Seals ambassador who attends Grafton Public School.
Introduced during the tournament’s official opening ceremonies Friday afternoon, he told the crowd he would be going to Merrywood Camp.
“Fishing,” he replied when Ja- cobs asked him what favourite camp activity is.
Since its inception the Smashed tournament has raised about $80,000.
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