Paradise prepping for June street jam

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Paradise will play host to the Street Jam ball hockey tournament this summer.

For over 15 years, Blizzard Sports and Entertainment have organized several large-scale ball hockey tournaments in municipalities throughout the province, and councillor Patrick Martin said during last week’s public council meeting the company is looking to bring the event to Paradise in June.

The company had requested a three-year agreement with the Town to host the annual ball hockey event in Paradise.

Martin said the tournament will be held on Sarah Davis Way. The street will be closed to traffic from Friday, June 13 to Sunday, June 15, with a detour sign directing traffic onto the Double Ice Complex parking lot. Spectator parking will be allowed on the Double Ice Complex parking lot, although the Paradise Park parking lot will be closed to vehicle traffic.

The cost to the organizers for use of the site will be $2,000, HST included.

Martin moved that the Town host the tournament in 2025. The motion will also allow for Blizzard to return for another two years if both parties are agreeable.

“This is great,” said Martin. “Mount Pearl has hosted for I don’t know how many years, and I’ve gone just as a spectator to check it out. They bring in kids from all across the province, they travel from everywhere, so I’m glad we’re able to take in this event in Paradise this year… It just shows the level of our facilities. Everybody wants to come to Paradise for sporting events.”

Councillor Larry Vaters also voiced his support for the motion.

“I think anytime we have the opportunity to bring a new sporting event to the town, given that Paradise has the youngest average age across the province, is a great thing for our town, so I certainly support this and hopefully we see lots of people from Paradise participating in the event.

May Dan Bobbett added that sports tournaments, such as those put off by Blizzard, bring plenty of revenue to the local business community.