We’ve all heard the horror stories of over-involved parents and their quick tempers in protecting their children at youth sporting events. Whether it is taking on coaches, opposing players or even youth referees — the stories are certainly numerous.
But, the folks up in Canada may have taken it to a whole new level.
That’s because reports indicate that a set of opposing parents took on each other at a 10-year-old hockey tournament in British Columbia.
According to the report, the two teams’ parents were staying at the same resort for this tournament and had been drinking for the majority of the afternoon ahead of an 8p.m. game for their children. Things got so out of hand at the resort that extra security had to be called in largely due to the drunken behavior of the parents.
So, what prompted the congenial drunk-fest to become a brawl at the game? According to both sides of the fight, it was the two sides trading insults at each other in the stands.
Clearly, insults + drinking = bad things happening.
Luckily no one was seriously hurt outside of one woman with a broken nose and a few others with bruises and scratches.
One of the clubs involved, the B.C. Interior Stars released a statement denouncing the actions and saying that “appropriate measures will be taken” to avoid this from happening in the future.
“The isolated incident could have been avoided by the spectators involved from both teams,” the statement said. “There is not excuse for this type of behaviour in youth hockey.”
About the only thing missing is the video playing on loop, and that’s because no such surveillance video exists at the facility. It means police have to go on eye-witness accounts.
There’s no telling how all of this affected two groups of 10-year-olds simply trying to play a game of hockey. But, drunken brawls are never good and the tournament directors certainly agree.
“It’s just a terrible situation,” he said. “It’s just sad that the young kids had to witness something like that. (We’re) just dumbfounded as to why parents would get involved in these types of situations, especially in front of the children.
“This isn’t the NHL. These are 10-year-old kids.”
Amazingly, both teams will be invited back to the tournament, but will not be allowed to be in the same bracket or ever see the ice around the same time to avoid the two sets of fans getting involved again in the stands.
Hopefully that same logic applies to the resort that these two teams were staying at as well.
