'Turnin’ Up The Heat'

Although the weekend saw a steady decrease in temperature outside, action was heated up at the Ponoka Culture and Recreation Complex, where the Ponoka Novice Hockey Tournament was held Friday through Sunday.

With the theme of “Turnin’ Up The Heat,” the tournament featured eight novice teams from central Alberta, and was organized in a manner that maximized fun for all involved.

Some residents were confused by the sight of people roaming the streets in beachwear, kitted out in attire much more appropriate for Hawaii than Ponoka at this time of year. Prizes were awarded to those who showed “the most beach party spirit,” and a raffle that featured more than 30 different items up for grabs was also held.

Andrea Schmidt, whose son Kobe plays for the Ponoka Wedin’s Warriors, helped with the organization of the tournament, and felt that the hard work put in by the committee was well worth it.

“A tournament like this takes a little bit of setting up, but it’s worth it. It’s worth it for the kids because they just have so much fun at stuff like this, and that’s what it’s about: having fun.”

Two teams from Ponoka hosted the tournament: the Wedin’s Warriors and the Big Country Sabres. Having both of the teams act as hosts eased the workload for those involved in the organizing process.

“Everybody helps out and is really easy to work with,” said Schmidt, before acknowledging the community’s role in the success of the tournament.

“Tons of people have been supporting us. There were 37 items available in the raffle, and — with the exception of a few things that we bought with our tournament money — everything was donated. People have really come through for us, and we’re really grateful to the community for helping us out.”

The enjoyment created by the tournament was visible on the faces of everyone in attendance, as an emphasis was placed on encouraging good sportsmanship between players, coaches and parents. Being as fun and successful as it was, there’s a good chance tournaments like this one will be held in the near future — an idea Schmidt supports.

“We’re going to keep the decorations and all of the paperwork for the tournament and keep it in the minor hockey locker for everybody else to use, so if anyone wants to have a similar theme, they can do so. It certainly seemed to go over well enough this weekend.”