By Kirstan Jewell
Team Manager for the Canalta Peewee A Team
As the Canalta Rimbey Renegades Peewee A players and coaches prepare for provincial play downs, the host parent committee chaired by Shannon Mann is fast at work creating a tournament experience that will once again live up to Rimbey’s top notch reputation.
“People enjoy coming to our community and our hockey tournaments, we receive very positive feedback” said Arna Schatschneider who serves as the tournament coordinator for Rimbey Minor Hockey. From Rimbey’s friendly hospitality to the lively on-ice competition, the Peewee C provincial championship tournament could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some players and the host committee wants to make it memorable.
The team and host committee are focused on fundraising and assembling the volunteers required to run the event. It will take approximately $17,000 and 100 volunteers to host the weekend championships from March 10-13.
“So far the fundraising is off to a great start” said Pam Burchnall. Burchnall and co-fundraising coordinator Riley Ryden have already put the young athletes to work during a bottle drive that raised the first $2,500. “The boys had a lot of fun as a team and we were all just so appreciative of the generous donations” said Ryden. The next big fundraising event is a pub night on Friday, January 29 at the Vault. Admission is free and the evening will include music, games, a progressive 50/50 and both a silent and live auction. Business and personal donations are appreciated, and anyone wishing to donate to the championship can contact Pam Burchnall or Riley Ryden.
As for volunteers, the Peewee team is reaching out to all local hockey families and to the community overall. There will be many opportunities to get involved. Younger players will be selected as ambassadors and hosts to visiting teams. Volunteers will be needed for various roles over the weekend including program and ticket sales as well as filling time keeping and scoresheet needs. And while it may be a Peewee tournament, it’s truly a community event. Teams will travel from all over the province to compete in Rimbey and will access many local businesses and services while here. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Shannon Mann.
Contact information, as well as sponsorship and volunteering opportunities, is available on the Rimbey Minor Hockey website as well as the Facebook page for the event.