DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
Volleyball enthusiasts will descend on Fort Providence in mid-April with the hopes of spiking and volleying their way to bragging rights.
The adult co-ed tournament is expected to draw players and teams from across the Deh Cho region for the tournament scheduled to take place April 24 to 26 in the Deh Gah School gymnasium, said hamlet recreation co-ordinator Andre Bolduc.
Without a recreation co-ordinator in the community for a number of years - the hamlet hired someone for the last two summers but the position was vacant during the winter months - Bolduc, who has been in the job for almost two months, said he was approached by Charlene Bonnetrouge to organize a tournament.
"It's the first time in a while and Charlene came to me and said she wanted to organize one so I decided to jump on the opportunity," said Bolduc. "She hosts volleyball every Wednesday and said they hadn't had a tournament in years and it would be nice to have something like this going on. There isn't much going on in the community and some people can't get away on the weekends so it's something people can get into.
"They're not a travelling team and just play in the gym every week so it'll be a chance to play competitively."
Bolduc said six teams have registered and he's hoping they'll be able to get a few more to fill up the weekend schedule. Currently, one team from Fort Providence has registered while Behchoko will be sending a four-team contingent and Yellowknife will be sending one team. Bolduc said a plan is in the works to get two teams from Dettah registered as well.
The opportunities for players to meet others who love the sport and to play in a competitive atmosphere will hopefully ignite some more interest in the sport from new players and those looking to improve their game.
"It's good to have outside players coming in to see the community and connect with people," Bolduc said. "Having activities for people to get together and just spend time together it's a great thing. You're spending three whole days and if you're not playing, you're watching the other teams and meeting the players and making new friends."
Bolduc said the chance for some of the more skilled players to connect with teams and players from other communities opens doors to the possibility of travelling with another team to bigger tournaments.
"It's also just good practice for teams that do go to bigger tournaments," he said. "Little tournaments like this are good preparation and it's a lot of good fun."
Each team must have at minimum six players, with two female players per team and can max out at 10 players. Bolduc said they will accept the first ten teams who register and pay the fee in order to participate.
For insurance purposes, players are required to be registered members of NWT Volleyball prior to the start of the tournament.
