Ten ringette teams competed in a fundraising tournament Feb. 28 at the C.A. Nesbitt Arena, raising close to $700 for A Port in the Storm (APITS), an initiative that is raising money for a family-style home to be built in Winnipeg for rural and Northern patients and their families travelling down for medical reasons.

"The players raised $370 alone ($10 entry fee per player), plus we had a bake sale and 50/50," said APITS board member Jordan Crouch, who helped organize the event. "We also had APITS t-shirts for sale. No final exact figure yet, but overall estimate would be $670."

Organizers were disappointed that they didn't have enough interest to run a concurrent tournament for hockey players, but hope to be able to next year.

"We had a great turn out from ringette, and we hope to encourage more hockey players next year," said Crouch. "Special thanks to Roxanne McNabb, president of the Thompson Ringette Association, for her commitment to encouraging the ringette players to sign up. Special thanks to Kim McIvor and Dennis Rathgeber from the hockey board who co-ordinated the event on our behalf."

Money aside, Crouch said the event was a success because the players had fun and raised awareness of APITS.

"Ringette had a fabulous time, which helped gain them invaluable extra ice time with the provincials coming up in Stonewall later this month," said Crouch, who also thanked the city for providing the arena free of charge.