M.L. KidSport golf tournament ready for its annual event

While playing sports may be a favourite hobby for many growing up, lots can’t afford to play. For those less fortunate, KidSport is able to chip in $750 per year for fees and equipment to help ease financial burdens.

Brian Gislason, chair for Meadow Lake’s KidSport, said the charity sponsors up to 120 kids annually and to help pay those dues, they hold different fundraisers throughout the year with their biggest being a golf tournament on May 28 featuring a few sport celebrities.

“This is our eleventh annual and I think it’s something the community looks forward to every year. We try to raise between $10,000 to $12,000 per year which goes a long ways in funding kids in our community wanting to get into sports,” Gislason said. “Each year we have some Rider alumni and this year we have Don Narcisse, Chris McKenzie, Joe Lobendahn, Quinn Magnuson, and Andrew Greene who comes every year.”

“(We also have) Gerry Nelson and Chris Dillon, the Canadian blind golf champions” he added.

The tournament is full of mini-games such as four hole-in-one competitions with the winners walking away with $10,000 each. Included are closest to the pin games and longest put which promotes inter-team competition.

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“We have around 150 golfers each year and it tends to fill up fast so we encourage people to register early, especially if the weathers nice,” Gislason said adding people can register as an individual or a team by contacting the head pro at the golf course.

Besides having the opportunity to walk away with $10,000, Gislason added the registration fee also includes dinner, prizes and celebrity encounters.

“We need volunteers also, the $10,000 hole-in-one requires somebody to sit at the holes and monitor those but we also need people who are willing to help set up and tear down,” he said.

Other fundraisers KidSport has been known to do are raffles and auctions. In the past, two-time Stanley Cup champion, L.A Kings forward and Meadow Lake native Dwight King donated signed jerseys for raffles.

“KidSport benefits kids by helping them get into sports where they learn things like teamwork, positive lifestyle and fitness opportunities as well as a sense of belonging that they may not have otherwise,” Gislason said.

While sports such as baseball, soccer, and basketball are relatively cheap, KidSport helps children join those which cost more, such as hockey, football, and dancing which can cost families upwards of $1,000 plus per year.

cswiderski@jpbg.ca

On twitter: @coltonswiderski