First Standing Stone School hockey tournament brings youth, families together in London, Ont.

The first annual Standing Stone School hockey tournament on Friday at Earl Nichols Arena brings together Indigenous communities, draw crowds.

The first annual Standing Stone School hockey tournament brought students, families, and community members together Friday at Earl Nichols Arena.

Organizers say the event is about more than hockey, it is about community, wellness and giving young people opportunities to take part in sports.

Onieda Nation of the Thames, Chief Todd Cornelius, says the tournament highlights the importance of sport and togetherness among Indigenous communities.

“Importance of having this event in the community as to show sportsmanship in regards to all of our nations. It’s also coming down to health and wellness, to the opportunities for our kids to express,” Cornelius said. “It does go a long way in regards to wellness, to a community to take care of themselves on a regular basis.”

Organizers say the inaugural tournament drew a large crowd of supporters.

Tony Sands, an educator at Standing Stone School and director of the tournament, said participation was strong in the first year.

“We have 120 students participating in our tournament across four schools. Plus, we also have additional maybe 500 fans in attendance — elders, parents, supporters, just people coming to have a great time,” Sands said.

He adds the tournament helps provide opportunities some students may not otherwise have.

“Some kids don’t get these opportunities. Some kids, whether it be financial or whether it be physical, geographical, some can’t make it to the games. But we’re providing this opportunity through our schools so that they can feel what it feels like to be part of a team, build that camaraderie, build that communication, and just have fun and share a great day with everybody.”

Sands added partnerships with the city are helping the tournament grow.

“The City of London also helped us. So we have good relationships and good partnerships tomorrow night overall. And we’re trying to build upon that year by year.”

He said the event is also part of a broader effort to strengthen relationships between communities.

“We want to reconcile, we want to have and build those relationships with our communities.”

Organizers hope the Standing Stone School hockey tournament will continue to grow in the years ahead, bringing more youth together through sport.

Cornelius also thanked the families who helped make the event possible. “It’s great to see the smiles on the kids and see them have fun, there’s no worries about come today or just to see them laughing and smiling.”