Greetings from (temporarily) snowy Helsinki!
These are weird times. COVID-19 has affected everyone’s lives and ripped the fabric of society. We are in the middle of the worst global economic crisis in history. Social distancing, restrictions, and lockdowns will have unknown consequences on our mental health. And cases are now spiking to dangerous levels around the world. Not to mention the impacts of climate change that people are currently experiencing in many countries: record-breaking temperatures, wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding. Is 2020 over soon?
Luckily, yes! Like most of you, we are excited to leave this year behind and face the coming year ahead. That is not to say that coronavirus and climate change will fade away. But we all need some things to look forward to right now.
Idea and parts of the picture stolen from Graeme MacKay, with the permission of Graeme MacKay. https://twitter.com/mackaycartoons
On that note, we’re excited to announce that we have started planning the 2021 Save Pond Hockey tournaments around Finland! This season we will have to put in extra effort to keep everyone safe and organize these events responsibly. At the same time, we believe outdoor sports like pond hockey should be a safe and fun option for people to be involved in, improving both physical and mental health.
Of course, the situation is difficult in Finland right now, and even more so around the world. Everything depends on how this situation will develop in the future, and it is hard to predict what things will be like in February and March. With that in mind, we will move forward with the arrangements, do our best to organize these tournaments under the circumstances, keep our fingers crossed for the best, and adjust things as needed.
This year, if the situation allows, we are hoping to organize tournaments in Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Lappeenranta, and Joensuu. The renowned Helsinki tournament will be on Saturday 13.2.2021 at Brahenkenttä. Early-bird registration for supporting members will open soon! Reminder: the annual supporting membership period is from the first steps on the outdoor ice until the last; Now is the time to renew for the 2020-2021 season. If you want to join any of the tournaments as a Sponsor Team, please get in touch with us, info@savepondhockey.org.
If any tournaments unfortunately need to be cancelled because of coronavirus restrictions and safety, then teams and sponsors can choose to refund their registration fees or donate them to the planned climate campaign.
Let’s hope for cold weather and a fun pond hockey season!
Cheers,
Steve & the Save Pond Hockey team