The Inuvik Squash Club's first-ever Movember tournament saw a record number of participants – 20 registered players – and $400 raised for the Men's Health Foundation.
Movember is an annual month-long campaign that takes place each November to raise awareness about men's health issues, such as prostate and testicular cancer.
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Tournament organizer Britney Selina said she thinks the Inuvik Squash Club will continue to dedicate its November tournament to the cause as this year's event was very successful.
Tournament winners received a cash prize of $50, which they were encouraged to donate back to the Movember cause.
Four creative divisions
The tournament hosted four divisions, each with its own creative name inspired by friendly jokes between the club's members, Selina said.
Division D, also known as Beginner's Luck, gets its name from the strong showing in the beginner's division.
Division C, called Bart's Competition, comes from a previous tournament wherein player Bart Kalata was the only male player in the division – but now that Shawn Bowes has joined the tournament, Kalata's got competition, Selina said.
Division B, also called 3-Muske-Beards, was named after Jay Blakeston's "grizzly beard."
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Division A is also known as Rice, Rice, Baby.
"We call it Rice, Rice Baby because we all feel bad for Johnny Rice, who is a low competitor in the squash tournament," joked Selina.
Inuvik Squash Club continues to grow
Selina said the Inuvik Squash Club is growing and players are consistently improving.
"The club is growing substantially, so now that we have a lot of players that are getting better, we're doing a lot of crossover games," she said. "Beginner players are starting to play more with moderate players, and moderate players are starting to play with intermediate players … even in the finals, we've got games with players from two different divisions."
Selina said everyone is welcome to join the club and participate in tournaments.
"We're always encouraging new players to come out, and we hope the squash club keeps growing here," said Selina.
Fact File
Division winners:
Beginners Luck (Division D): Natasha Kulikowski
Bart's Competition (Division C): Stacey Christie
3-Muske-Beards (Division B): Andrew Dunbar
Rice, Rice Baby (Division A): Grant Convey