NEWS RELEASE
BRAESTONE WINTER CLASSIC
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For the third consecutive year, hockey players of all skills and abilities will hit the ice for the Braestone Winter Classic — an outdoor pond hockey tournament held at Braestone Farm in Oro-Medonte from Feb. 2 to Feb. 4, 2024.
First imagined by Ted Markle, a Braestone resident, owner, and cancer survivor, and Georgian International’s Jamie Massie, this tournament aims to bring the community together in support of cancer care at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Barrie. In 2022, over 14,000 people from across Simcoe-Muskoka received treatment at RVH’s cancer centre.
For Ted, supporting access to state-of-the-art, specialized cancer care for the region’s residents is personal. Ted lives with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and receives treatment at RVH. His brother, Jeff Markle, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer affecting his esophagus, stomach, and liver. Jeff passed from his disease two years ago and the Braestone Winter Classic was created in honour of his memory.
“My brother and I used to play hockey together as kids,” remembers Ted. “As adults, we lived far from one another, but he would invite me to play in old-timer tournaments in different places. The last one was in Lake Placid. Jeff was a great player — he always made people feel comfortable and made them laugh. He was the perfect person to attend a hockey tournament with.”
While there’s no shortage of competition at this tournament, it strives to embody positivity, camaraderie, and friendship — all qualities that Jeff Markle had in abundance. There is only one individual award handed out at the event, the Jeff Markle Memorial Award, which goes to the player who best exemplifies those qualities.
Jamie Massie believes in the importance of philanthropy and community, and as co-founder and co-owner of Georgian International, the development firm behind Braestone Communities, joining Ted as a champion of the Braestone Winter Classic was a natural fit.
“It’s a tremendous honour to support the Braestone Winter Classic and its mission to raise funds for cancer care at RVH,” said Jamie Massie. “Cancer touches the lives of so many and as we continue to welcome more people to the area, we will all benefit from having a regional cancer centre at RVH so people can be treated, recover, and heal close to home.”
The 2024 Braestone Winter Classic aims to raise $130,000. The three-day pond hockey tournament also includes a silent auction open to players and the public, and an evening reception. Interested players can submit a team of up to six people at $150, plus HST, per player. Teams are guaranteed a minimum of three games played, and will receive food and drink vouchers, a Braestone Winter Classic jersey, swag bag, and entry to the reception.
“Community fundraising initiatives like the Braestone Winter Classic are tremendously important to the future success of RVH,” said Gail Hunt, president and CEO, RVH. “Rallying community support behind a cause like cancer care ensures that RVH is able to continue to provide the highest quality of care for everyone in Simcoe-Muskoka when and where they need it most — closer to their homes and support networks.”
Over the last two years, the Braestone Winter Classic has raised $180,000 for cancer care at RVH.
“I think Jeff would be very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve,” added Ted. “It’s my hope that the Braestone Winter Classic becomes a cornerstone event in our region — one that people feel good about fundraising for and playing in for many years to come.”
Registration and tournament details can be found at BraestoneWinterClassic.ca.
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