HALIFAX –
The Riverview Red Cup, a popular high school hockey tournament in Cape Breton, will soon have a new home for the first time in more than four decades.
The event is one of the Maritime’s most prestigious high school sporting events. It typically draws thousands of people to the Sydney area and creates an atmosphere that both players and the community look forward to every year.
A spokesperson for the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Education Center says the tournament will move from the former County Arena in Coxheath, NS, to a much more modern facility at the Membertou Sports and Wellness Center.
In an email, they say the move is being made to provide an accessible facility for athletes and fans.
Some say they worry that the change will take away what characterizes the tournament.
“For me, it is disappointing. I think we could have had a discussion about some of the challenges they faced, and we’ve done over the years, and I think we’ve overcome those challenges, ”says Paul MacDonald, facilities manager for CBRM, which operates County Arena. . “I think it is a safe building. We have never had concerns from anyone, and if we have, we have addressed and accommodated them. I am very confident that we could organize this event easily and safely at the County Arena. “
But Riverview High School is advocating for the construction of closer appropriate sports and recreation facilities for students. They say proper facilities would allow Riverview to host superlative athletic tournaments in all sports for years to come.
For now, some think it is a misstep.
“They’re 16, 17, 18 year olds and they’re allowed to have fun, and they’re just taking it off,” says hockey fan Brent Desveaux. “We all know the mystique of the Red Cup with Riverview High School, that’s what kids strive to achieve after Christmas. Basically, they are taking it all away. They can have a Red Cup in Membertou, but it won’t be the same ”.
Paul MacDonald says the city would still be willing to have a discussion about bringing the tournament back to County Arena in the future.
The event is scheduled to begin on February 3.
Reference-atlantic.ctvnews.ca