CARSTAIRS - Hugh Sutherland School will be hosting the Natasha (Cameron) Neilson Memorial varsity girls basketball tournament on Feb. 17-18. The tournament helps honour the memory of Natasha who died in 2002 at the age of 21 in a car crash.
Scott Cameron, father of Natasha, said the tournament is a great way to honour his daughter, who played basketball at Hugh Sutherland.
"This is the 10th annual tournament," said Cameron. "Every year we have teams coming back. We put on a lunch for the teams on the Saturday. We do announcing and programs.
"My wife and our other daughters will put together prizes for the teams. It's a competitive tournament but it's also lots of fun."
Natasha graduated from Hugh Sutherland School in 1999 and was accepted on a basketball scholarship to Red Deer College, where she met her husband Scott Neilson.
They moved to a farm near Carstairs together in 2001 and she coached basketball at Hugh Sutherland.
"Things like this just help us keep her memory alive," said Pam Cameron, Natasha's mom. "It helps us to remember because, you know what, when something like that happens it never goes away. There will always be an emptiness."
The Camerons also keep her memory alive by handing out two monetary awards at the end of the school year at Hugh Sutherland.
"She loved basketball," said Pam. "She loved the whole team concept. Not only did she love it but the way she played it, she was a team player. She had unbelievable sportsmanship."
The tournament this year features Notre Dame, St. Timothy, Olds Koinonia, Bearspaw Christian, Olds, Didsbury and Medicine Hat JV all joining the host Hugh Sutherland Kodiaks.
Hugh Sutherland opens up the tournament on Friday at 2 p.m. with a game against Notre Dame in front of the whole school. The final game goes Saturday night at 6 p.m.
- With files from Patricia Riley
