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Second annual Kin Park Classic ball hockey tournament set for September

There was so much fun to be had for ball hockey enthusiasts last year, the Kinsmen and Kinettes are going to have another ball hockey tournament this year.

There was so much fun to be had for ball hockey enthusiasts last year, the Kinsmen and Kinettes are going to have another ball hockey tournament this year.

Derick Wilson is co-chairing the event this year after the idea he had to hold it last year at the new Kinsmen outdoor rink at the playpark in Hillside.

“This year I’ve put a committee together for it and we have a joint committee with both of the clubs and it’s been less weight on my shoulders,” said Wilson. “I have a great committee working with me.”

This year’s event is scheduled for Sept. 7 and is called the Kin Park Classic and Fun Day. Last year, the tournament raised money for the Kinsmen and Wilson was able to give out a cash prize for the top few places. The 3-on-3 hockey tournament last year had a maximum of 12 teams with seven players but this year will be going to 16 teams with a maximum of 10 players. There will be a corresponding rise in the kitty for the winners.

“We have beer gardens at the park (but) I didn’t want it to become a drunk fest,” he said. “We do have a higher entry (fee) and we have a higher payout… I wanted it to be something everybody could be included in but I also wanted to keep it competitive because I think that keeps the attractiveness there.”

Wilson has been involved in hockey his whole life and he’s noted that Estevan has had a couple of attempts at ball hockey tournaments.

“They turned into a boozefest,” he said. “We wanted to keep it so that a guy can have a nice cold beer at the end of a game but also remember about the reason they’re there for.”

Last year he said there were no issues at all with the event.

“We’re hoping to continue that this year,” Wilson said. 

As part of the family part of the event, there will be a family fun area as well from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers going on at the same time so people can watch the Rider game there as their kids play.

“We’re getting a nice, big activity tent set up,” Wilson said.

Four of the tournament’s entries were from out of town and this year there’s already been some commitments from teams outside of the immediate Estevan area.  

“Right now, we have two teams from Arcola, two teams from Oxbow and a team from Weyburn and a team from Saskatoon,” Wilson said. “We’re drawing from all different centres and a couple of my buddies play in a ball hockey league in Saskatoon and they’ve been trying to push a couple of more teams from there to come out.”

There was a fairly high caliber of teams that came out last year, which Wilson attributes to the payouts they were able to make for the teams.

“It’s only $40 per player, so it’s not that bad for a fundraising event,” he said. “It’s a weekend of excitement and some nice big payouts.”

To get involved in getting a team into the tournament, Wilson can be reached at 306-461-5543.