The third annual Red Pheasant Cree Nation Winterfest is this weekend Feb. 14-16 (Submitted Photo/Vince Sauvie)

By Austin Mattes

Red Pheasant Cree Nation

‘Everything goes to the kids’: Third annual Winterfest brings community together through sports

Feb 12, 2025 | 5:32 PM

The third annual Red Pheasant Cree Nation Winterfest gets underway this weekend and it will bring over 1,000 athletes together to compete against each other, all with the purpose of supporting the younger generation and bringing the community together.

Proceeds from the weekend of sports tournaments will go back into Red Pheasant Minor Sports, said Red Pheasant Sports and Recreation Director, Vince Sauvie.

“All funds we make go towards our youth, like supporting them with jerseys or going to a few tournaments, meal money, paying for their hotels, or sometimes the kids need shin pads or shin guards, whatever they need…everything goes to the kids,” he said.

Sauvie mentioned that events like Winterfest have given the community something to look forward to and the younger generation someone to look up to.

“We hold this event to bring people together and to have something in our community for people to be proud of and look forward to and you can see the change in the community. Probably 10 years ago kids used to vandalize the rink, now, they come into the rink and they treat it as a second home. A lot of kids are changing and trying to become athletes because they look up to these hockey or basketball players and think someday, I’ll be on that court,” Sauvie said.

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Winterfest takes place from Feb. 14 to 16 at different venues across Red Pheasant Cree Nation and will have 18 teams playing against each other in basketball, 16 teams facing off against each other in hockey and 16 co-ed teams going against each other in Volleyball with a total prize payout of $46,000 spread across all three sports.

Last year’s Winterfest basketball champions, Kanai First Nation (Submitted Photo/Vince Sauvie).

Last year’s Winterfest co-ed volleyball champions, Sandy Lake First Nation (Submitted Photo/Vince Sauvie).

Since its inception just three years ago, the event has expanded and grown immensely, so much so that now the event is seeing teams from across North America come and attend.

“When I first started there was only 11 hockey teams, 12 basketball, and 10 volleyball and now we got 51 total teams coming out from all over. There are teams from Alberta, Manitoba, and even a team from Montana,” Sauvie said.

The first tournament game of the weekend event will be on Friday, Feb.14 at the Red Pheasant Arena at 8 a.m. as the Red Pheasant Outlaws take on Canoe Lake YG in hockey.

The full draw of games for all sports throughout the weekend:

Opening ceremonies will take place on Thursday, Feb. 13 at the Red Pheasant Arena at 2 p.m. with an exhibition U18 hockey game between Red Pheasant and Moosomin to follow. Tickets are $10 per day and give access to all venues and events or weekend passes are available for $25.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes