By Karen McColl
Thirty-four players from around the province and 15 players from Revelstoke participated in the third Annual Bear’s Den Classic squash tournament this past weekend at the Revelstoke Racquet Den. All players were guaranteed three games, and also took part in dinner catered by Great White North restaurant, music at the Last Drop, door prizes, and on-tap beer served at the Racquet Den.
According to Kevin Dorrius, President of the Revelstoke Racquet Den, a registered non-profit society, the tournament was a resounding success. “We had 49 participants, up from 30 and 31 participants in our previous two Tournaments. Most importantly however, not one player left the tournament without saying how much fun they had over the weekend. I had several out-of-towners ask about next year’s tournament dates to make sure they had it penciled into their calendars.”
Dorrius was grateful both for the overall community support, as well as the hard work of volunteers. “I was very happy with the community support. Much of what we needed to run the tournament was donated by our sponsors (and) I can’t help but give a great deal of credit to all of our club’s volunteers, who worked really hard leading up to the event and even harder throughout the weekend.”
This year’s sponsors were: Revelstoke Pharmasave, Manta World Sport, Great White North Bar and Grill, Community Futures Revelstoke, BDO Dunwoody, Investors Group, Mt Begbie Brewing Co. Legends and Heroes, Powder Springs Inn, The Last Drop Pub, and the City of Revelstoke.
The Racquet Den currently has about 60 members and is located downtown on Mackenzie Avenue below Mica Heli Ski. Members have 24-hour key-access and are able to book courts online, and participate in ladder play and Thursday-night league. For more information, interested players of all abilities are encouraged to contact Kevin Dorrius at (250)837-5345(daytime) or (250)837-3699(evenings). Tou can also e-mail him at kdorrius@telus.net or go to www.racquetden.com.
Tournament Results:
Mens A
1st — Iain Butler, Vernon
2nd — Kelvin Chileshe, Fort McMurray
3rd — Peter McClarren, Golden
Mens B/C
1st — George Frietag, Cranbrook
2nd — Kelvin Ludbrock, Vernon
3rd — Angus Woodman, Revelstoke
Cons Winner — Richard Bruneau, Vernon
Mens D/Novice
1st — Cory Schneider, Revelstoke
2nd — Mike Piva, Trail
3rd — Arne Lazzarotto, Red Deer (formerly from Revelstoke)
Womens’s B/C
1st — Deb Grotterod, Venon
2nd — Supha Phonchaingkwang, Vernon
3rd — Kimberly Hyatt, Nelson
Women’s D/Novice
1st — Megan Butler, Vernon
2nd — Robyn Kelly, Vernon
3rd — Amanda Wright, Revelstoke
Junior Division
1st — Kurt Lillemo, Vernon
2nd — Gordon Mason, Revelstoke
3rd — Gavin Mason, Revelstoke
Karen McColl is a public relations consultant in Revelstoke. She can be reached at 250-837-7898
