Mini-sticks offer big support

What started as a fundraiser for their sons’ hockey teams has grown into a family tradition says the coordinator of the Epic Mini-Sticks Tournament.

About 65 teams competed in the fourth Epic Mini-Sticks Tournament on Saturday. Children between the ages of seven and 12 scrambled and cheered at the tournament held in the gym at the former Port Arthur Collegiate Institute high school. The event raises money in support of the Boys and Girls Club and the Special Olympics.

Bruce Miault, one of the three dads coordinating the event, said the tournament usually raises more than $3,000 each year and hoped to achieve that same goal this year. Miault said the tournament is about having fun while raising some money for a good cause.

"It’s organized mayhem," Miault said. "The kids have a ball. You get your odd bumps and bruises but for the most part the kids love it. Mini-sticks are huge now. Some of the kids, especially in the seven to eight-year-old category, have never played in a tournament before so this is huge to them. This is the Stanley cup for them."

The mini-stick tournament started four years ago when Miault and his friends Rich Gombola and Tom Warden wanted to raise money for their sons’ hockey teams. But the tournament soon grew and more parents and children wanted to know when they could sign up to play in next year’s tournament, he said.

Participants pay $25 to compete in the tournament with the proceeds always going towards a charity and a hockey team, he said.

Putting together the tournament takes a lot of work and effort but the once the games begin, seeing the children have fun becomes its own reward, he said.

"There will come a day when the three of us want to step down but I don’t think the tournament will ever go away," he said.

Miault’s son Rob, 14, said he didn’t know yet if he would carry on in his father’s stead. Rob played in the tournament when he was younger but has since outgrown the game. He volunteered to referee and watched as other players competed in the tournament.

While playing was fun, Rob said being a referee allowed him to take a step back and see what it was like to play in the tournament when he was younger.

"The tournament isn’t about winning it’s just about having fun," Rob said.

Shari Rollason had her sons Alex, 8, and Chanson, 10, playing in the tournament. She said she appreciated the opportunity for her children to get involved in a tournament like this because they had a real interest in the sport.

"It’s good for the kids," Rollason said. "They enjoy it and it gives them something to do over the holidays."