Female players from Novice to Bantam divisions of the 100 Mile & District Minor Hockey Association will be putting their artwork on display at a local business (yet to be determined) for a silent auction to help raise money.
The revenue will help send eight local girls to a BC Hockey Female High Performance Program, U14 and U16 hockey camps to be held in Williams Lake, Jan, 6-8, says association female director Denise Balbirnie.
This program is held to identify and train athletes for possible participation at provincial, national and international events, she explains.
"Although only a small percentage of participants ever actually have the opportunity to experience international competition, that percentage goes to zero if youth aren't given the opportunity to at least try.
"Giving our local players a chance to experience these camps provides valuable experience, and delivers a message of the skills, attitude, and dedication expected of a high performance athlete."
Balbirnie adds 100 Mile House has a lot of really skilled female players, with some of our older local girls going on to play at the university and major midget levels.
Last year, the cost to attend these camps was $200; this year it is $380, so we were all a little surprised by the jump in the cost, and have decided a little fundraising would really help out.
Because these camps come with a hefty price tag, the local girls have put down their hockey sticks in favour of paint brushes to try out their artistic talents in an effort to help raise funds.
Nicki Jackson at the Paint Box donated a free art class to the girls to create their paintings, and they will be on display at a local business soon and will be up until Dec. 23 for people to bid on in a silent auction, Balbirnie says.
"Support our local girls and purchase an original piece of artwork, who knows, maybe that signature at the bottom of the painting will be from a future Olympic Team Canada athlete!"