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Rocky welcomes first Chambers Memorial College Games

Aug 24, 2018 | 11:04 AM

A pre-season exhibition soccer tournament is kicking off in Rocky Mountain House on Saturday, August 25, honoring two young women who lost their lives in a car crash last last year.

Rocky Knights Soccer, Alberta Soccer, Keyano College and Red Deer College have come together to host the first Chambers Memorial College Game.

Bridget and Zara Chambers were life-long soccer players, starting off with the Rocky Knights and moving to the Keyano Husky’s when they started college.

They died following a car crash just south of Fort McMurray on December 16, 2017.

Jeannie Hawksworth, grassroots coordinator for the Rocky Knights, says the tournament aims to honor Bridget and Zara’s love for sharing the game of soccer with young players.

“They really liked sharing their love for the game and that’s what this memorial game is all about,” says Hawksworth. “There’s not a lot of opportunity in rocky mountain house to see this type of soccer, for the kids to see and experience the atmosphere of it. It’s kind of meant to inspire them to pursue their dreams and passions though sport and go to college.”

The two games between Keyano College and Red Deer College are in conjunction with a pre-season ACAC tournament happening in Red Deer. That allowed the Rocky Knights to lower the costs of hosting the games.

Hawksworth says the majority of the funding for the event can be attributed to the Chambers family.

“At the funeral and memorial people were asked to make contributions to the Rocky Knights soccer club. We are just taking on the cost to move the location, so to bus the four teams.”

In addition to the funds raised at the funeral, the Town of Rocky waived all fees to use the facilities, and the Rocky Co-op and Credit Union are providing, preparing and serving dinner to the athletes.

“It’s been great support from the community,” says Hawksworth. “All around really incredible.”

The women’s game starts at 5:00 p.m. and the men’s at 7:00 p.m. at Curtis Field in Rocky.

The Rocky Knights hope to turn the Chambers Memorial Games into an Annual event.