The annual Boyd Balkwill Memorial Lacrosse Tournament returned to Orillia this weekend after a three-year hiatus due to the global pandemic.
“It’s been an amazing weekend here at my grandfather's memorial tournament,” said event director, Shelley Balkwill-Russell.
The tournament, named after Boyd Balkwill, a renowned name in the local lacrosse world, is in its 40th year and included teams from all over Ontario including teams from Sudbury and the GTA area, and of course, the hometown Orillia boys.
“Lacrosse is not your average sport. It requires hand-eye co-ordination, running, throwing, lots of practice, and many talented athletes. So the fact we’ve been going this long, just goes to show how many people are interested in lacrosse,” Balkwill-Russell added.
This year’s three-day tournament saw about 700 lacrosse players participate, but when you include parents, families, coaches, and support staff, the total number of people is close to 1,500, she said.
“If my grandfather was here to see this, he’d be amazed at what the tournament has grown to be,” said Balkwill-Russell.
Many of the players talked about how fun this weekend was, while a local parent of and Orillia player noted this tournament is a chance for players to play teams that they usually wouldn’t see.
“They get to play teams like Sudbury that they usually wouldn’t play in regular leagues, so it’s a chance to play against some new teams and see what’s out there,” she said.
The tournament is successful thanks to efforts from a legion of local volunteers.
"This tournament would not be possible without the many incredible volunteers,” noted Balkwill-Russell, who said work has been ongoing for about eight months in advance of the three-day event.
“It’s stressful planning ... but in the end, it’s amazing to see all the kids having fun and just everyone enjoying a fun-filled lacrosse weekend,” said Balkwill-Russell.
The tournament wraps up today with the championships in the various divisions starting at 1pm.
If you would like to get involved at next year’s tournament, or want to check out the results, click here.
