The dream for hockey players is to one day be able to play on an outdoor rink and for those who have, they know it’s a great feeling. At the Winthrop Great Outdoors Winter Classic youth hockey tournament located in Winthrop, Washington, that dream becomes a reality to players playing in the 10U division up to the highest, 18U.
The Great Outdoors Winter Classic is held between the months of December-February depending on age groups with the 18U tournament being held first in December and the last, 12U, being held in February. This tournament is a great experience for players to really experience what hockey is all about and to get the experience of a lifetime being able to play at a tournament outside with a stunning view of the mountains covered in snow from the bench. The environment is very cold and snowy but, there are breathtaking views. Playing in the cold may not seem ideal, but, to hockey players, it’s an opportunity they would love to have. Many teams apply for the tournament each year, it’s one of the most popular tournaments in the state, only 10+ teams get selected for the experience every player dreams of.
A Tahoma High School freshman, Lizzie Williams, has played in the tournament 3 times and says her favorite part of the tournament is the skills competition. “My favorite part is the skills contest because you meet tons of new people and you can learn stuff.” The annual skills competition is held usually the night before the last day of the tournament. Each team is able to nominate 3 skaters and 1 goalie to compete in the skills competition where they will participate in obstacle courses, fastest skater competition, and a shootout competition. The rest of the teams are able to stand at the glass to cheer on their teammates in this fun and friendly competition. Another Tahoma High School student, sophomore, Avery Ehrhart, says that playing at the Outdoor Classic makes playing hockey feel more real. “It feels really cool, being at that rink makes playing hockey feel more real. And, since there’s so many other teams there from all across the state, it almost feels like you’re playing for nationals or something, it’s really fun!”. Like Williams, Ehrhart also says that the best memory she’s made at the tournament was participating in the skills competition. “The best memory I’ve made there is participating in the skills competition for fastest skater. I’ve gotten much faster since then, as that was only my second season, but it was so fun and exhilarating, and I definitely did better than most of the boys there, which is always awesome.”
The weather and the breathtaking views at the Winthrop Great Outdoors Classic is part of the reason why this tournament is so popular. Williams says that each time she played at the tournament it was cold, “It’s really fun even though it’s always cold. I don’t really have a best memory because every year lots of things happen but one of my favorite times was playing a game while it was snowing and we couldn’t see the puck half the time”. Ehrhart also commented on the cold temperatures of Winthrop and the scenery and how that’s one of her favorite parts of the tournament. “My favorite part of the winter classic is just how awesome it is to play in an outdoor rink, and how beautiful it is there. The environment is beautiful, with the mountains and the snow (if you go at the right time). It was freezing both times I went, but it was still really awesome”.
With the amount of teams that apply to the tournament each year, most of the teams that get selected are in-state teams. But, each year a few Canadian teams come down to join in on the fun to make the tournament more competitive and to play some of their U.S. rivals. The NSWC Hawks (North Shore Winter Club Hawks), are a Canadian team based out of North Vancouver, Canada. The team recently played in the 18U division tournament in December and took home 1st place, dominating the tournament and keeping the games high speed and competitive.
This tournament is a great opportunity for youth hockey players in the state of Washington and even players in Canada to get the chance to play outdoors in the snowy environment. Many Tahoma High School students have attended the tournament and have only positive things to say about it. This is tournament is held annually each year and is hard to get into but, registering your team for the tournament just to see if you have a chance to play is always an amazing decision to try to get that once in a lifetime opportunity.
