Sudbury Northern Life Reporter Sabrina Byrnes
The First Annual Pond Hockey Festival on the Rock 2009 will grace Ramsey Lake in February in a community-oriented fundraising event geared towards getting Sudburians active in the outdoors.
The three-on-three pond hockey games are aimed to promote active living in Sudbury's winter environment, as well as to celebrate the grassroots of Sudbury's hockey heritage.
"We're going back to our childhood days when we were out in the outdoor rink and playing hockey until midnight with a tennis ball," said Daran Moxam, tournament convenor.
He said there has been other local tournaments on a smaller scale, so they wanted to build from that while using regular-size hockey nets and goaltenders.
Kevin Perry, another tournament convenor, said that while the basic game has stayed the same, the rules have been adjusted slightly to go with the "road hockey on skates" idea. All players will wear skates, except the goaltender, who will be in a full-size net with complete equipment. The tennis ball will have a hole drilled into it to prevent it from bouncing. Helmets will be mandatory.
The tournament is open for players between the ages 11 and up, so that everyone has a chance to participate. The games will go into the night with the help of floodlighting, and vendors will be on sight for participants to warm up with food and hot chocolate. A slap shot competition will take place between games and the public skating rink will still be open to the community, as well. In the evening adults will have access to the Saturday Night "Hotstove Lounge" for a licensed social event in the Inco Cavern.
Jeff Perry, the festival chair, said the foundation of this festival is about having fun.
"This is not about competition, this is about participation," he said. "It's about getting out and getting active in the community."
Perry said the goal for the following years is to have the festival broaden to incorporate other activities, such as snowshoeing, tobogganing, etc.
The Pond Hockey Festival on the Rock is a fundraising event with this year's proceeds going to the Northern Water Sports Centre new building fund, which will provide clubs with the space necessary to run competitive and recreational paddling, rowing and windsurfing programs.
Scotiabank is the festival's presenting sponsor.
"When I think of Sudbury, I think hockey. When I think of Scotia Bank, I think hockey," said John Roberts, Scotiabank's district vice-president for Ontario North.
"It's a great opportunity for us. We look forward to this evolving into the whole festival environment. We appreciate the opportunity to get involved, and I'm sure we're all going to have a lot of fun on Ramsey Lake come February."
The tournament will take place Feb. 20-22 and is limited to 72 teams. Registrations are on a first come first served basis. For more information visit www.pondhockeyontherock.ca or contact Jessica Perry at 673-6032 or [email protected] .
