Students lace their skates for the 7th annual Hockey Day in Collingwood

The 7th annual Hockey Day in Collingwood took over local arenas on Wednesday.

The event was run by Collingwood Collegiate Institute (CCI), which hosted a co-ed hockey tournament for eight local elementary schools as part of the school's unique hockey course.

"It's a leadership program, and this is actually part of their final assessment. They've been running practices for all the elementary schools, and they've been asked to organize and run the day's events," explained Todd Hammond, a teacher at Collingwood Collegiate who runs the hockey course.

After two months of preparation, more than 50 students enrolled in the course handle the delegation of roles and creation of the brackets on top of everything from scheduling to timekeeping and music at Eddie Bush Memorial Arena and Central Park Arena.

"If you work so hard to get this going, and then you get to see it, it's pretty fun. It's a good feeling," said Jack Martin, a student at CCI who played in the tournament in past years.

"A lot of the students in Grade 11 or 12 will tell you how this is one of their favourite memories from elementary school," said Hammond.

It's a welcome day for the students on the ice who haven't been able to participate with the tournament on hiatus since 2020.

"We haven't gotten to do school hockey in a little while, obviously with COVID, so it's pretty fun," said Austin Kennedy of Admiral Collingwood Elementary School.

"I really do appreciate this a lot just because of COVID, and we couldn't do anything for two years and I missed out last year for intermediate, so it's really nice to do this this year," added Admiral Collingwood goalie Kai Bishop.

For the players from Collingwood, Creemore, Wasaga Beach, and Stayner, it's a rare chance for boys and girls of all skill levels to play together.

"I love it. It's competitive, that's for sure," said Megan Young of Admiral Collingwood.

"It's pretty fun, but sometimes they can push you around, so it's competitive," joked Young's teammate Charley O'Neill.

"It's boys and girls of all different abilities. The goal hasn't really been about winning. It's about getting out and having fun and being active with your friends," said Hammond.

Before each game, the high school students speak to each team. They say they can feel their confidence growing through the requirements of this course.

"We get to see the students showing leadership skills. So, from the community involvement and school side, you get to see what the students really can do. It shows that they're ready to maybe take those leadership steps in the future themselves," said Hammond

The event was free for spectators, but any donations at the door were allocated to the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Foundation, along with the proceeds from the Chuck-A-Puck during the boys' varsity high school game between Collingwood Collegiate and Our Lady of the Bay, which headlined the day.