Organizers of the 10th Annual Kimmett Cup Memorial Pond Hockey Tournament said the event was a “monumental” success and a fitting honour to the event’s namesake Lindsay Leigh Kimmett.
“She was an exceptional woman who had a lot of amazing traits … she would have been very proud of how the 10th annual Kimmett Cup took place,” said co-founder and co-chair Jason Baserman.
“It was incredible to see a community come together and support one another as well as kids and families that are going through trials and tribulations and it was also incredible to see the camaraderie between the competitors on the ice … picking each other up off the ice when someone took a tumble, helping tie skates or adjusting helmets.”
“You saw so many people from Lindsay’s life and the community of Cochrane, Calgary and much further travel for this special event. Many people said this was probably the best Kimmett Cup ever and there was a significant group that has either been here for all 10 years or at least five or more (years) that would agree with that statement.”
The 3-on-3 style tournament took place Jan. 19 to Jan. 21 at Mitford Pond raisig money in Lindsay’s name. The Kimmett Cup benefits the Lindsay Leigh Kimmett Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization that was started after her death in 2008.
This year, the tournament attracted its capacity of 56 teams, and added 16 teams for the second minor hockey Sprit Bear Tournament in honour of Kimmett’s late medical school classmate, Dr. Greg Roberts. The minor hockey team that raises the most money wins the ‘Spirit Bear Awar,d, named after Robert’s book titled S is for Spirit Bear: A British Columbia Alphabet. The winner of the Spirit Bear Award was the Cochrane Pee-Wee C Falcons, while the winner of the competitive side of the Kimmett Cup Tournament was the Trans Canada team, with the Dust Bunnies being the runner up. The Shockers were the recreational tournament winners.
“We were sold out for the tournament, which we are all very proud of. We had a record number of children this year, a large number of people making their Kimmett Cup debut and have already voiced interested in coming back next year and bringing more people to the fold … I think the Kimmett Cup legacy is going to continue to grow moving forward and get stronger for years ahead,” Baserman said.
“The Spirit Bear Tournament actually doubled in size, we had 16 teams compared to the eight we had last year so overall that makes 72 teams which is a record for our tournament.”
Baserman also touched on the how generous the community was with its donations.
“There were so many donations made over the course of the day, both online and in person. There was so much goodwill and people soaked it all in,” Baserman said.
“I think this Kimmett Cup will always be known for its generosity and its shared joy … it was a true testament to both Lindsay’s legacy and a tribute to many other important Kimmett Cup participates and supporters who we sadly lost over the course of the last 10 years. I think they were smiling down on us along with Lindsay, and I truly believe that’s why the weather was so nice and that everybody had a good time … they were being cared for from above for sure.”
Aside from the fun on the ice, tournament supported also had a chance at some socialization and revelry during a banquet held Saturday night at the Cochrane Lions Event Centre that had 300 people attend.
“It appears we will have raised at least $100,000 for the Children’s Wish Foundation and looks like it’s very close to $30,000 for the Children’s Cottage Society. The wish pages themselves are going to stay live for another 30 days, so if people still wish to create a page or support a page or team, there is still a lot of time to do so,” said Baserman.
“I just want to give a special thanks to all the volunteers, the committee, the sponsors and the players that really made this weekend very special and very meaningful,” Baserman said.
“We’re very honoured and proud to be able to put this tournament on again. We look forward to many more years together.”
To donate, people can visit www.kimmettcup.com and click on the giving tab, where there are options to donate to the Children’s Wish Foundation and the Children’s Cottage Society.
