YARMOUTH, N.S. — As organizers get ready for the second edition of the 2019 Modern Realty JStrong Cup, a ball hockey event held in memory of Yarmouth County teenager Jadon Robinson and in support of the JStrong Fund, it looks like there is a good deal of interest in this year’s tournament, an event spokesman says.
It is scheduled for Sept. 28-29.
Like last year, the plan is to close off a section of Main Street in the downtown district and set up a series of hockey rinks for the tournament’s first day (Saturday, Sept. 28).
The area to be closed off is from Parade to Cumberland streets.
Steve Berry, a member of the JStrong Fund board of directors, said they will be setting things up Friday night, Sept. 27, in preparation for the next day, with Saturday’s hockey action slated to start at 8 a.m.
The tournament’s championship games will be played Sunday, Sept. 29, on the outdoor arena facility at the Mariners Centre.
The tournament will have various age divisions, from novice to adult. Youth teams get to enter for free.
“We had eight teams register right off the bat, so we’re well ahead of where we were last year,” Berry said.
Jadon Robinson, a popular local athlete, was 17 when he died in 2015 as the result of a car accident. The JStrong Fund was established in his memory. The fund helps youth in Yarmouth County access sport by helping with registrations, as well as sponsorships of teams, events and programs.
The ball hockey tournament is one of several sporting events the organization has held in recent years.
Robinson’s birthday was Sept. 29 and a year ago – when he would have turned 20 – the hockey tournament drew 20 teams.
“I think we’re going to surpass 21 teams on his 21st birthday because, like I said, we’re well ahead of where we were (last year),” Berry said.
And there will be more than just hockey.
“We’ll have a music stage there,” Berry said. “We’ll have vendors ... Yarmouth Big Bounce has already signed up to be there as well, so it’ll be a great day, and Communities in Bloom is going on the same weekend, so it’ll be a great way to showcase our town.”
(Yarmouth will host the national Communities in Bloom symposium Sept. 25-28.)
Proceeds from the tournament will go to the JStrong Fund. There have been other successful fundraisers for the fund in recent months. An annual softball tournament raised $17,500 and an annual golf tournament raised $38,562.
“Our hope is ... we would like to re-start the elementary school (hockey) league,” Berry said.
Sept. 16 is the registration deadline for the ball hockey event.
“They can look up on our Facebook site,” Berry said. “We have various ways to register.”
The JStrong Cup Facebook page mentions that registration/wavier forms will be collected at the Mariners Centre on Wednesday, Sept. 11, from 6:30-8 p.m. These forms can also be dropped off at the YCMHS main office from 9:30am to 2:30 p.m. Adult and Co-Ed teams can drop off forms and pay the day of the Jstrong Cup.
