On January 5th, I had the pleasure of attending the 28th annual Ross Young Memorial Tiverton Tyke Hockey Tournament at the Tiverton arena. Even though this has been going on for 28 years, they did have to cancel the winter of 2018 because of the dreaded Bruce County winter weather.
I’m not a hockey fan so I was amazed at the time and effort put in to this event. So many volunteers go into making this an exciting event for both girls and boys aged seven.
For those that don’t know who Ross Young is, he grew up in and was a long time resident of Tiverton where he owned and operated a beef farm and a school bus business. Later in life he took up the hobby of showing beautiful Belgians horses and showed at many of the local and sometimes larger fairs including the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, the Western Fair in London and the Detroit International State Fair. That’s quite an accomplishment.
Ross was very 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 the Tiverton Minor Hockey team 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. Ross 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 and was on the Minor Sports committee.
In honor of his dedicated work for the Tiverton Minor Hockey, there has been a tournament held every year for “Tykes” where teams come from as all over to participate. This year there were teams from Kincardine and as far away as Midland. After each game, the young hockey players come in and enjoy a hot lunch prepared by volunteers. After lunch, Ross Young’s daughter Kathleen and his wife Mary congratulate each of the players with Mary personally handing out a trophy to all of them. This year Mary was given a beautiful flower arrangement for her dedication to the tournament.
It’s wonderful to see how this man is honored every year by the volunteers and the teams. Let’s hope it keeps going on. Job well done everyone.
