Annual Ross Young Memorial Tyke hockey tournament held in Tiverton

I had the pleasure of attending the 28^th annual Ross Young Memorial Tiverton Tyke Hockey Tournament, held Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Tiverton Sports Centre.

Even though this tournament has been going for 28 years, organizers had to cancel it last year due to the dreaded Bruce County winter weather.

I’m not a hockey fan, so I was amazed at the time and effort put into this event. So many volunteers help make things run so smoothly at this exciting tournament for seven-year-old girls and boys.

For those who don’t know who Ross Young is, he grew up in Tiverton and was a long-time resident of the village where he owned and operated a beef farm and a school bus business. Later in life, he took up the hobby of showing beautiful Belgian horses and showed at many of the local fairs and sometimes larger events, including the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, the Western Fair in London and the Detroit International State Fair. That’s quite an accomplishment!



One of the highlights of Ross Young's hobby of showing Belgian horses, was the 12-horse hitch he showed at the Paisley Beef Fest; photos courtesy of Karen Ballok

Young was instrumental in raising funds for the Tiverton Arena. So dedicated was he, that he purchased a truck for fund-raising and sold tickets for a draw. Supporting Tiverton Minor Hockey was a passion of his and he went to great lengths to keep it going.

The first hockey tournament held in Tiverton was on natural ice and Young was quite involved in its success. You know the kind of rink: your father would stand out in the cold, spraying water on it to get it perfect for skating.

Young also spent many hours doing volunteer work around the arena as there was no manager back in those days - everything was done by volunteers. But when there was finally artificial ice installed, he was there. He also served on the Minor Sports committee.

In honor of his dedication and support of Tiverton Minor Hockey, there has been a tournament held every year for “Tykes” where teams come from all over to participate. This year, there were teams from Kincardine and as far away as Midland.

After each game, the young hockey players enjoyed a hot lunch prepared by volunteers. After lunch, Young’s daughter, Kathleen, and his wife, Mary, congratulated each of the players, with Mary handing out a trophy to each of them.

This year, Mary received a beautiful flower arrangement for her dedication to the tournament.



Hudson Ruthven (left) and Knox Kowalek (right) present a beautiful flower arrangement to Mary Young, at the Ross Young Memorial Tyke hockey tournament

It’s wonderful to see how Young is honored every year by the volunteers and the teams. Let’s hope this tournament continues for many more years. Well done, everyone!



Mary Young (right) poses with one of the eight teams at the Ross Young Memorial Tyke hockey tournament



Anderson Delziel of Midland with his trophy