SPORTS
"Sausage party" earns money
By David Lee
Gazette Staff
If you ask the organizers, it's all about the liquid-injected
balls.
This weekend the Off Campus Dons are hosting Western's first
ever road hockey tournament. The "O.C. Cup" promises to be
the largest road hockey tournament to ever take place in London.
Twenty-four teams of five members each will take to the asphalt
in an attempt to win some prizes and have their team name be
the first engraved on the O.C. Cup.
The event is aimed at giving first-year students and sophs
an opportunity to bone up on their road hockey skills while
raising money for charity. "There will be a lot of people out
to raise a lot of money for charity. At the same time, it's
an awesome day for everyone," says Chirag Bhatt, head of the
Off Campus Don Health and Wellness Committee.
Proceeds from the tournament will go to the Arkade Street
Mission, a privately funded drop-in centre that helps homeless
and poverty-stricken individuals.
Jenn Caron, an Off Campus Don and member of Bhatt's committee,
points out the money raised at the O.C. Cup will go specifically
to the teen segment of the centre. "It'll be used to buy computers,
books and other tools to help teens get jobs and get off the
streets. There's no other source of funding for the centre
besides charitable donations, so that's why it's a good fit
for us."
The reaction of first-year students - the target audience
for the tournament - seems both positive and realistic. "It
might be a bit of a sausage party, but I'm still going to go
watch," says first-year science student Greg Sealey. "It'll
be a good opportunity to meet other first-years who live off
campus."
According to Bhatt, many soph teams have also registered squads
in the tournament. Soph teams such as social science, Saugeen,
science and the off campus sophs all have representation in
the tournament.
Western's administration has also helped the tournament get
off the ground, as the Centre for New Students has purchased
new hockey nets for the tournament. However, in an effort to
minimize costs, players will provide the rest of their equipment.
Everything that is, except the pucks.
"We're getting special liquid-injected balls," Bhatt says
proudly. "They don't bounce as much as regular balls, since
they're weighted more like a puck."
The O.C. Cup takes place Sat., Sep. 27 at the Springett parking
lot from 9 a.m. to approximately 5 p.m. Though team registration
has now closed, Bhatt says all spectators are welcome to come
and enjoy both the goonery and glory.
