Not all kids play hockey only during the winter season. Some love it so much they play year-round if they can.
That is the case with Bentley’s Kayde Budgell.
He lives and breathes hockey.
“I like hockey!” says the 11-year-old who says Wayne Gretzky is his hero.
He is now working hard towards getting ready for an international hockey trip in April 2014.
Back last April, at one of Kayde’s spring hockey tournaments in Calgary, the family was handed an envelope and told to open it in private. Upon opening it they found Kayde had been invited to try out for the Canadian AAA Explorers and thus an international hockey exchange on the recommendation of his coach.
Mother Charity Dewar says he was so excited and he said, “No matter what happens - what an honor to be invited!”
It was a long wait for the family before the tryouts in Stettler in mid-August. In the meantime dad Melvin Budgell and Kayde built a small workout room in the basement of their home and decided on a routine to help keep him in shape and prepare for the trials.
When the date came 42 youngsters were there for the weekend from places like Victoria, Fort St John, Boyle, and all over. On Saturday the youngsters spent 5-8 p.m. on the ice, and 11 hours on the ice, off and on, throughout the day Sunday doing intense skills and drills testing they had not witnessed before.
In late August the family had received a letter confirming Kayde was one of the 14 out of the 42 that had indeed made the team, so now preparation intensified!
Father Melvin will accompany son Kayde in April on the 16-day trip that includes two travel days. They will see “Team Canada” play 22 games of hockey, participating in up to three different tournaments and several single games, one of which will be an exhibition game to help familiarize the kids with the larger ice surfaces and slightly different rules.
The team will travel by bus to five different countries including Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, and Switzerland and be visiting and touring many different castles, cathedrals, and even a UNESCO protected village Dewar reports.
Kayde’s family says they look forward to sharing this great opportunity, which Kayde has worked so hard for, with the community.
Kayde has played in the spring hockey league out of Red Deer for the last four years with the Junior Generals team that includes kids from around central Alberta and he plays regular ‘winter season’ hockey in Bentley.
This year for the winter season young Kayde is on the combined Bentley/Rimbey Tier 1 Peewee team called the Bentley Peewee A Bruins. He has been used to playing right wing, but this year is playing centre, so that will be a new challenge for him.
Their first regular season game is Saturday, October 26 in Red Deer.
Kayde has been on skates since he was five-years-old.
To help the family offset some of the expenses as there is no help with travel, Kayde is collecting empty bottles and cans, is willing to do snow shoveling and other odd jobs. The local Elks club has indicated they will offer some financial aid.
There is also a trust account set up in Kayde Budgell’s name at the Bentley Servus Credit Union for others who might like to help out. If for some reason Kayde does not make the trip, any monies collected will be donated to Bentley Minor Hockey, says Dewar.
They are aware of at least one other Alberta boy who may be going, but everyone is on their own to get to Frankfurt, Germany.