INNISFAIL – Tykes and mini-tykes rose to the occasion for the third annual Terror of the Tykes Festival.
The event took place at the Innisfail Arena on May 12.
“The tournament is a one-day event,” said Jamie Bergen, coordinator of the festival. “We have teams from all over (Central Alberta) today.”
For many kids it’s their very first tournament.
“It’s about (building) that excitement and hoping they want to continue in lacrosse,” she said.
Teams from the Central Alberta Lacrosse League participated in the event, including teams from Olds, Red Deer, Stettler, Didsbury and Innisfail.
“Each team that comes to the tournament will play two games in the day,” said Bergen, noting two Innisfail tyke teams squared off in the morning and faced off against Red Deer in the afternoon.
Both tykes, ages six to eight and mini-tykes, ages four to six, participated in the annual festival.
The event began early Saturday morning and featured a number of attractions for the entire family to enjoy. The Innisfail Fire Department had a truck on display, kids enjoyed bouncy houses, concession stands, a raffle table and draw, and a creative sign outlet.
“We had some wonderful people that volunteered their time,” said Bergen. “People can buy the raffle tickets and at the end of the day we’ll have a draw.
“We also have a player draw. Every team is going to get a goodie bag (with a ticket),” she added.
“Outside we have the concession and we always get the bouncy houses for the kids and this year we’ve added the fire truck from the Innisfail Fire Department,” she said.
Bergen noted the annual tournament is non-competitive, but it does introduce many of the players to lacrosse.
“Mostly at this (young) age, it’s just about having fun,” said Bergen. “(We want to encourage) them to keep going on in lacrosse,” she said.
After three years, Bergen hopes to see the event continue its success.
“We want to make it bigger and better next year and involve more teams, more people, more volunteers and more players,” said Bergen.
