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Kids packed into the Salvation Army parking lot Friday and Saturday to play in the eighth annual ball hockey tournament. (Photo Pieter Uni)
By Pieter Uni
Over 160 rabid street hockey players filled makeshift rinks Friday and Saturday, competing for trophies and pride during the eighth annual Kelowna Salvation Army ball hockey tournament Friday and Saturday.
Playing in the parking lot of the Salvation Army in Rutland, kids aged 6 to 18 got a chance to play a little road hockey while learning about sportsmanship and teamwork.
“The weekend is going fantastic, a lot of kids showed up and we are having so much fun,” said Gary Rich, a Salvation Army youth pastor who organized the event. “There has been no fighting while the players, coaches and referees have been great.”
Rich said the 160 plus participants were divided into 22 teams based on their age. Players were assigned to either a junior, intermediate or senior team that competed in preliminary play Friday, before taking part in the playoff round that started on Saturday.
For Rich, the eighth year of hosting the tournament has been the best.
“It has been fantastic, we’ve had a great time so far,” he said in between games on Saturday. “This event is so important because we want to be able to give children of all skills a chance to play and it is a great thing for the community too.”
The youth pastor added that the tournament couldn’t have taken place if it weren’t for the hard work of volunteers.
“It takes about a month and a half to prepare all of this,” said Rich. “There are over 20 volunteers here that help us run this and we had no problem in getting the help we needed.”
The tournament marked the end of the Salvation Army’s ball hockey league, which runs September through March.
sports@kelowna.com
250-863-8049
Tags: Family Life Centre, Kelowna Salvation Army, rutland, Sally Ann ball hockey tournament
