Stirling pond hockey organizers hopeful tourney a go

Posted Jan 26, 2012 By Richard Turtle

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EMC Events -Stirling -With this weekend's pond hockey tournament marking the final activity in the first phase of the village's bid to be named Kraft Hockeyville 2012, organizers are optimistic of their chances.

"Everyone has done a fabulous job," says Hockeyville Chair Cindy Brandt, adding the campaign has raised more than $35,000 for arena renovations and improvements and generated considerable input from community members.

"I want to say thanks to everyone who offered their help and support," she says, but notes the battle for Hockeyville supremacy is far from over.

With the top 15 contenders in the national competition to be announced in early March, the next voting period runs from March 4 to 6. Divided into five regions, the top three in each area will move on to phase II.

Story submissions, Brandt says, fell short of the 5,000 goal, but with more than 3,000 stories contributed, she adds, there is little reason for disappointment. "I think we've had an excellent campaign," she says, adding the support has come from all corners of the community as well as from our neighbours.

Brandt is also urging local Hockeyville supporters to check the Stirling facebook site to keep abreast of the latest developments. And, she says, if Stirling makes the final 15, the two days of voting will be critical. "Mark it on your calendar," she says.

Regardless of the outcome, Brandt notes, there will be an appreciation dinner held for the volunteers and organizers early in March as well. "But we're optimistic," she says.

The only downside throughout the campaign, she says, has been the vandalism and destruction of some of the Hockeyville displays, including the one at the centre of the village.

"For a while we had to go down there every day to fix it up," she says. "That has been frustrating." Otherwise, she says, the campaign has galvanized the community and the numbers say it all.

And Hockeyville pond hockey volunteers have been preparing the pond's ice surfaces since early in the week, hopeful the weather will cooperate and offer optimum ice conditions.

"We've got ten inches of ice," Dave Brandt explained earlier this week as preparatory work began, "so we should be good for the weekend."

A total of 20 teams are registered for the second annual tournament, scheduled to take place throughout the day Saturday. If ice conditions are unsuitable, Brandt says, the tournament will be cancelled. Consideration had been made for a street hockey tournament as a possible alternative but the final decision, he says, was ice hockey or no hockey.







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