Yamaha laces 'em up

From Yamaha Motor Canada

Burlington, ON - There’s a certain appeal in a major National Championship that takes you back to the roots of sport and that gives everyday Canadians a shot to taste the glory. That’s the case with the first-ever Source for Sports Canadian National Pond Hockey Championships to be contested Jan. 27-29 at Deerhurst Resort in Muskoka, ON.

The glimmer of the championship has caught the eye of hundreds of adult recreational teams and several major sponsors including Yamaha Motor Canada.

Championship executive director Neil Lumsden says the chance for local recreational pond teams to go from relative obscurity to national stardom has resulted in the registration of teams from across Canada and internationally.

Close to 600 players, men and women will make the journey to Ontario’s north for a chance to hoist championship trophies carved from Canadian maple. The two championships will run simultaneously.

Yamaha Motor Canada is a presenting sponsor of the championship and will be involved in the thick of the action. Yamaha will help build and maintain the championship’s 24 outdoor rinks with the provision of a fleet of Yamaha snowmobiles and Rhino 4x4’s for pond maintenance and other ‘official’ championship duties. The fun won’t be limited to Championship officials. Yamaha will also set up a snowmobile test track for spectators and participants alike.

The championship’s 126 spots for adult men’s and women’s teams sold out within 48 hours of the event’s unveiling at the Hockey Hall of Fame last August, and there is already a waiting list of more than 300 teams for 2007.