Tickets are now available for a preseason women’s basketball tournament that will bring six U Sports teams to Yellowknife for the first time over Thanksgiving weekend.
The tournament – named the North of 60 Classic and expected to include four NWT athletes – features teams from the University of Victoria, University of Lethbridge, University of Toronto, Lakehead University, Wilfrid Laurier University and Mount Saint Vincent University.
There are games scheduled from October 9-11 and tickets can now be bought online. Children under 12 enter for free. Teens aged 12 to 17 and seniors aged 60-plus enter for $15. Adult tickets are $20 each.
Tournament organizer Aaron Wells, Basketball NWT’s director of player development, said he hopes each game sells out. He urged people to get tickets quickly given the limited capacity of the St Pat’s and Weledeh school gymnasium.
The teams arrive on October 7 and will spend time with schools and basketball clubs before the tournament begins, Wells said, describing the week as a “super unique” opportunity.
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“There isn’t a university here. If athletes want to play at the post-secondary level, they obviously have to go away. Not just basketball, but a number of sports have done that over X amount of years,” he told Cabin Radio.
“For these athletes to come home and get to play in front of a true hometown crowd with their respective universities is truly exciting, and it’s also a time to grow the game. I think it’s going to make an impact for years to come.”
Organizers have launched a 50/50 draw to help reach their fundraising target and appealed for volunteers to sign up.
“We need a ton of volunteers: scorers’ table, ticket takers, ushers, security. You can find a volunteer sign-up on our website,” Wells said, adding help with transportation is also needed.
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“There are 114 athletes and coaches coming in. They all arrive at the same time here in Yellowknife, and so getting them from the airport to the hotel, getting each university team to the school they’ll be working with – we really need some support from the community in terms of transportation.”
Wells hopes the tournament has a lasting legacy.
“We all know there are dropout rates with females in sport as they hit a certain age, and we’re hopeful that this might make a small dent in those numbers,” he said.
“In years to come, if there are girls playing basketball that say, ‘Hey, I was young, I saw the North of 60 Classic, I witnessed girls playing at that level and it inspired me,’ that’s obviously the ultimate goal.”
