 | Home page |  | Text size |  | E-mail this page |
Andrew Akerolik takes the first swing of the new season for the Rankin Inlet Co-ed Softball League on new artificial turf last July. The league is helping with some of the costs for a softball team to travel. A dance held this past weekend also helped raise money for the team. - NNSL file photo |
Dancing for softball Beer dance fundraiser goes over well in Rankin Inlet
Miranda Scotland
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, July 17, 2013
RANKIN INLET
Rankin residents came through in helping the community's coed softball team raise money to go to a national competition in Ontario.
The softball team hosted a beer dance this past weekend in order to raise money for its upcoming trip to Niagara Falls for the Slo Pitch National Canadian Championship.
In planning the event, Chad Graham said, the team considered what other organizations had done in the past.
"We had a pretty good idea how to do it and a couple of us did help with previous beer dances," he said, adding
they had security in case there were any issues.
Also, if anyone became too intoxicated they were cut off and a cab was called for them. Plus, the players gave rides home at the end of the night.
More than 150 residents showed up to the festivities at the community arena.
But despite the success, Kandace Kusugak doesn't think the team will be having another dance in the near future.
"It's a lot of work to get it done," she said. "You need to get hamlet council's approval, you need to bring it to Nunavut liquor, get all the permitting done. You need to have about $4,000 before you can run a beer dance."
The team is looking to raise about $29,000 for airfare, hotel rooms, registration and jerseys.
So far, they have brought in $11,000 from running carnivals, numerous teen dances and the beer dance, where the team charged $25 for tickets and $6 a drink.
The next fundraiser they have planned is a penny sale, which is scheduled for July 20.
The Rankin Inlet Co-ed Softball League has also committed to helping the players cover the cost.
According to Kusugak, this is the first time the team has made it to nationals since it was started about eight years ago.
"It's going to be different playing five men, five women. We haven't played that setup since we were in juniors," she said, explaining during the qualifier in Iqaluit they played with seven men and three women.
Meanwhile, Graham said he is excited to challenge new people and learn from the experience. However, he is a little worried about the weather.
"I heard the heat is going to be crazy. I won't be too used to the heat," he said.
The team will have a chance to practice their skills this coming weekend in Rankin Inlet as they face squads from Iqaluit, Chesterfield Inlet, Arviat and Baker Lake.
The top two teams will move on to the nationals in 2014.
| 
