Two 性视界传媒 hockey arenas will be busy during another , a four-day female tournament starting Thursday, Feb. 1.
Eighty teams from across North America are here for the annual Wickfest, officially known as Canadian Tire Wickenheiser Female World Hockey Festival, first held in 性视界传媒 in 2018.
This year, games are played at North 性视界传媒 Sport and Ice Complex and Fleetwood鈥檚 性视界传媒 Sport and Leisure Complex.
With family-friendly events and activities, WickFest provides a platform to spotlight and develop female hockey players and inspire young girls to take up the sport.
The tournament name salutes Canadian hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser, five-time Olympic gold medalist and event founder.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to another great event in 性视界传媒 and thank the City for their ongoing support and for providing such world-class facilities,鈥� Wickenheiser is quoted in a City of 性视界传媒 press release.
鈥淥ur goal is to inspire and see these young athletes grow not only as players but as young people with the understanding of what it takes to become truly exceptional hockey players.鈥�
With the new now launched in six North American cities, including Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, Wickfest participants will be inspired to play pro one day, according to Nicole Tebbutt, tournament project manager.
鈥淚t goes back to what we鈥檝e always said, which is, 鈥業f you can see it, you can be it,鈥� so for these girls, having something to strive for beyond university play is hugely impactful,鈥� Tebbutt said.
鈥淎nd it also makes an impact in terms of the general public, because really the only other time that people have been able to watch women鈥檚 hockey is during the Olympics, pretty much. So if you have something that鈥檚 on several times a week and it鈥檚 an option for you to watch (on television), whether it be male, female, old or young, you have the chance to experience it and actually appreciate the women鈥檚 game.鈥�
In 性视界传媒, Wickfest participants range in age from eight to 18 this year, and all profits go to JumpStart and Right to Play organizations.
The 2024 tournament is sold-out, with all team spots filled.
鈥淲e tend to have two-and-a-half times the number of applications that we can accept, to be part of the tournament, which a lot of people know about now,鈥� said Tebbutt.
The first WickFest was held in 2010 in Burnaby, where 47 teams participated, and the event is also held in Calgary, in the fall.
In February it鈥檚 性视界传媒鈥檚 turn, with a return to play here in 2023.
鈥淟ast year was a celebration, not only for coming out of COVID gathering restructions but also the ability for teams to travel,鈥� Tebbutt noted.
鈥淭he size of our tournament, it鈥檚 actually exactly the same as last year,鈥� she added. 鈥淭he only difference this year is that we don鈥檛 have a U21 division, and the only reason we had that division last year is because we had the ice time. We have the same number of teams this year, but more of them in the younger age divisions.鈥�
This year鈥檚 festival will showcase Emma Misak (the 性视界传媒 breakdancer who competed in the Pan Am Games and is preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris), BeaYOUtiful Foundation and a Vancouver Canucks shooting setup and booth. National team veteran Meghan Agosta will be at Wickfest on Friday morning (Feb. 2) for a 10 a.m. talk and 11:30 on-ice clinic. .
Tebbutt revealed that the Wickfest team has expansion plans in Milton, Ontario, this April.
鈥淚t will be a limited range of teams there, much smaller than what we鈥檙e doing in 性视界传媒, which is what we like to do when we first enter a market,鈥� she explained. 鈥淟ike, our first year in 性视界传媒, I think we had somewhere around 47 teams, just to test the market, make sure it runs smoothly before we make it a large tournament.鈥�
性视界传媒 Wickfest is planned in partnership with the City of 性视界传媒, 性视界传媒 Falcons, Discover 性视界传媒 and 性视界传媒 Hotel and Motel Association.
