 Live your childhood all over again, with intensity, at Yukigassen Edmonton March 4-6. Photo courtesy of Yukigassen Edmonton |
EDMONTON, AB – There's a handful of things people relish doing as adults, if only because they were chastised for doing them as children: staying up till sunrise, listening to music at unreasonable levels, eating chocolate for breakfast. Come March 4, Edmontonians can add another thing to that list: snow ball fights.
Originating in Japan over 20 years ago, Yukigassen (which translates, literally, to "snow battle") is the next great winter sport to hit Canada. It's a competitive (for some), internationally recognized snowball fight competition that borrows concepts from dodgeball, paintball, and capture the flag, creating what can only be described as the most fundamentally Canadian sport ever.
"It's all very tongue-in-cheek, what with it being a giant snowball fight for adults, but let me tell you, it gets intense," said David Hennessey, the director of Yukigassen Edmonton. "Whether you register a team with hopes of winning the event, or if you're just looking for a fun afternoon with a couple of your buddies, you get really into it. Your heart starts to pound, your competitive juices start flowing ... it's so much fun."
Set in a fantastic facility at Fort Edmonton Park, a mock construction of an airplane hanger, the tournament is meant to not only embrace, but celebrate, Edmonton's snowy reputation. An entire weekend of social events will support the competition, and with the outstanding corporate support the event has garnered, Yukigassen Edmonton is set to extend the title of "Festival City" beyond just the summer.
Two teams of seven people start on opposing sides of a 10m x 40m snow-made court. Games consist of three three-minute periods and each team has 90 snowballs per period at their disposal. The game runs only 9 minutes long but can feature an astounding 540 snowballs being thrown in opposite directions. To make this number of snowballs there is a special “snowball making apparatus” that makes 45 fluffy white spheres of destruction out of a couple shovels of snow and a minute’s worth of elbow grease.
By the time the event begins on March 4 (the weekend runs from the 4th to the 6th), roughly 100 teams (totaling nearly 1000 people) will have entered at a chance to ... get this ... be named Canada's first National Yukigassen Champion.
"As funny as it sounds, the event is actually going to be considered the first ever Canadian National Championships. So the winner of our event is going to be considered the Canadian Champion. Not only that, but we hope to see a Team Canada compete in the World Championships in three years."
 With 90 snowballs per team, per period, a total of 540 projectiles could be launched every game. Photo courtesy of Yukigassen Edmonton |
On Friday, March 4, the corporate teams will be facing off, with the public 18+ divisions (men, female, and co-ed) going at it all day Saturday. That night, however, is the Snow Pants Party and beer gardens, giving the competitors the chance to relax after a high-octane afternoon.
"Don't worry about your hat hair. Just come in your snow gear and dance it up. Keep your toque on, keep your mittens on a string, and just have a great time."
Regardless of whether you're a competitor or a spectator, the Snow Pants Party and beers gardens is open to everyone.
Yukigassen Edmonton will also be taking a charitable approach by partnering with the Alberta Cancer Foundation to raise funds for research right here in Edmonton. Portions of each team's registration fee, as well as a corporate fund raising initiative, will be donated.
"I want people to leave and say 'That was so much fun!' It's an awesome sport, it's something we hope really catches on. We're a winter climate, we all grew up doing this to each other, there's no better place to celebrate snow than Canada. So come out, have a great time, and feel proud that you've contributed to creating a new Canadian sport."
Registration for the event has officially closed, but come down to Fort Edmonton Park March 4-6 for what's guaranteed to be an entertaining time.
For more information on Yukigassen Edmonton, visit the Yukigassen Edmonton website.
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