Udderly awesome: Annual charity  hockey tournament coming soon

The Udder Tournament will be held next month in Caledon East

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

An amazing women's hockey tournament will be held in Caledon next month. 

From November 8 to 10, the 10th-annual Udder Tournament will be held in Caledon East on the ice rinks at the Caledon East Community Complex. It will be raising money for Bethell Hospice.

The tournament was founded to recognize Caledon Women's Hockey League (CWHL) founding member Donna de Boer, who made remarkable contributions to the league and Caledon community. Sadly, de Boer passed away from brain cancer in 2011.

The Udder Tournament is named as such because de Boer was a proud, hard-working lifelong dairy farmer. She was a friend and teammate to many, and the tournament brings people together for good old-fashioned Canadian fun each year while raising money for great local causes.

Last year's tournament also raised money for Bethell Hospice, and over $50,000 was donated. Over the years, the tournament has raised nearly $275,000 for charity.

Another great aspect of this year's tournament is that three local female athletes attending post-secondary education will receive a scholarships. Throughout the tournament's history, 20 scholarships have been given out.

The tournament is extremely popular — registration filled up for it in just one day, and 30 teams will be competing in it across eight divisions. 

The first game will be played at 4 p.m. on November 8 and the puck drops for the last game at 12:30 p.m. on November 10.

Fun and sportsmanship are always the focus at the tournament, which will feature players ranging from 19 to 70 years old. Many teams feature mother-daughter combos. 

Players in the tournament will exude the positive values that de Boer and the tournament represent: good sportsmanship, kindness, respect for others, and cooperation on and off the ice.

The CWHL facilitates the tournament each year along with the help of over 75 volunteers. As one could imagine, a tournament of this magnitude takes a lot of work. Anyone interested in helping out can email Kathy Stranks at kstranks@sympatico.ca.

The tournament is able to give so much back to the community thanks to the support of residents and businesses who donate items to be raffled off or placed in a silent auction; and from cash donations. 

Anyone interested in donating to the tournament can contact Angela Webster by email at UdderTournamentSponsorship@gmail.com.

The Caledon community is invited to attend any and all games on November 8, 9 and 10. There will be food served in the country kitchen, drinks, a silent auction, raffle, and photo opportunities with a life-sized model cow.

To stay updated on this year's Udder Tournament, interested parties can look it up on Facebook.