Camel Toe Cup: Cheeky name for weekend cancer fundraiser
Hockey, ringette players hit the ice in Portage La Prairie to benefit Manitoba research
It's an usual name for a slightly goofy fundraiser for a serious problem.
The Camel Toe Cup, celebrating its second year, has moved to Portage la Prairie after growing too big for last year's venue, Morris.
'We blew up so much that we require two rink surfaces," said Jillian Klassen, an organizer for the event. "Morris was a wonderful host last year, but unfortunately they only have one ice surface. So this year we are in Portage."
The name isn't the only thing odd about the tournament.
The fundraiser for uterine cancer research in Manitoba features a series of games in which the athletes switch sports halfway through.The first half of the game is hockey, the last half ringette.
"The ringette girls have a great time and the hockey girls, it takes a lot of focus," Klassen said.
Cancer diagnosis
"There's more rules in ringette. The ringette girls, they watch the [NHL's Winnipeg] Jets so they're familiar with the hockey rules and some of them do play both. They hockey girls, some of them have never held a ringette stick."
The idea began a few years ago when one of Klassen's teammates, Melly (who asked that her last name not be used), was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Klassen says the rare form of cancer was especially unusual because Melly was generally considered much too young to be at risk.
"It turns out there's not much funding for it," Klassen said. "So we decided to do like a friends, fun, one-day tournament.
"[Melly's] ringette and hockey teams couldn't decide which sport or who was going to host. So we decided we would do a half-hockey, half-ringette game, halfway through switching sticks."
Generally, the hockey girls feel like they're going to win, but last year it was definitely the ringette girls who dominated. There was some humbling effects there.- Jillian Klassen
What started as a one-day tournament quickly became a three-day event due to the number of women who wanted to participate, Klassen says, adding organizers also had a couple of men's teams who wanted to join, and their participation has been expanded into a three-day hockey tournament at the same time.
The game ends up being both a frustrating challenge and a great time, Klassen says, especially for those who have only played hockey.
"I find the ringette girls are super excited to share [their sport] with the hockey girls," Klassen said. "Generally, the hockey girls feel like they're going to win, but last year it was definitely the ringette girls who dominated. There were some humbling effects there."
Spectators enjoy the action as well, Klassen says.
"We thought last year that people would play and then go mingle … we found a lot of people stuck around and watched, because they wanted to watch their friends, and we had a lot of spectators come out and watch because they wanted to watch the hockey girls try ringette," Klassen said.
"But it was just such a fun atmosphere. My dad built a tunnel out of hockey sticks and you come out of it like the Jets through a fog machine and with a photographer and we go for the full pro experience."
Name choice 'a little bit cheeky'
The name is inspired by Melly's attitude while she went through surgery, chemo and radiation. "She did it with humour and a super positive attitude and we wanted something that reflected the tone of the way she battled.
"We wanted to get something that people would want to represent and was maybe a little bit cheeky."
People do get the joke, she added.
"Most people laugh. A lot of people think that its great because it's different. There are some people that don't know what it is, so they ask questions. We've definitely had a big response to it."
The Camel Toe Cup's fundraising goal is $9,000, which will go to CancerCare Manitoba. The tournament begins Friday and runs through Sunday at the Stride Place in Portage la Prairie.
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