Each year, they come from near and far to Cochrane to play their game and share their positive vibe. 

The Bob Campbell Memorial Classic, held Dec. 8 to 10, was another resounding success for the Cochrane Ringette Association. The players of 52 teams packed the SLS Centre and played a total of over 100 games.

Chair Jenn Liske says most of the teams are from the Calgary area, but they also come from the Edmonton area, Red Deer, and this year included a Saskatoon team.

"It's a pretty popular tournament, and we do our best to host all the teams."

Derek Sauve is a parent with the Spruce Grove Phoenix U16B team and he's been here before and wouldn't hesitate to return.

"The kids love coming up here," he says. "They bond really well. We have enough time between games that there are lots of activities, and already this morning (Dec. 10), you could see the camaraderie. This tournament bonds them, for whatever reason, every year."

Organizers added an Open B division this year for those who have aged out of U19.

"We invited some of those teams this year, so we had players from active start at four years old, all the way to women in their 30s, 40s," says Liske.

Back by popular demand was the Coaches' Game that they introduced last year. They moved it to Totem One to accommodate the large crowd of cheering players and had a table where players could make signs in support of their coaches.

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"I had people starting to ask me before they were even invited to the tournament if we were having a coaches game and, if so, could they be in it. It's a lot of fun."

The social media challenge was back for a second time with more tasks for teams to undertake for a chance to win cash prizes of $300, $200, and $100.

"We added a couple extra challenges this year, like donating food items to the Activettes Food Bank, and going to a physical business that was sponsoring the tournament and taking their team shot in front of it.

"It's always a popular draw for the teams, and they've had a lot of fun with it. Our social media is blowing up because of it."

announcingJenn Liske welcomes the huge crowd to the Coaches' Game.

It's no coincidence that the tournament is held the same weekend as the hugely popular indoor Farmers Market. Both organizations believe it's a win-win situation.

"It creates a good buzz," says Liske. "I think it creates lots of foot traffic for everyone. It provides entertainment for people at the Farmers Market, ringette games, and things like that. Parking is a little bit of a nightmare, but what are you going to do?"

The tournament is a labour of love for the Cochrane Ringette Association.

"There are only 85 families in our little association, so we host this big tournament with very few bodies and very long volunteer hours. We have a great little association that keeps us running."

Originally called the Cochrane Classic, the tournament began in 2008 and was renamed in honour of Bob Campbell four years ago. Bob was a tremendous supporter of ringette here and throughout the province.

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