Ever try to take a photograph with tears in your eyes?
It’s not easy.
Last Sunday afternoon, Greater Vernon Minor Hockey hosted the championship game at the Civic Arena of its annual bantam house tournament.
This event featured players from the three Vernon squads and seven out-of-town.
All players are aged 13 and 14.
Normally, the two teams that have survived the round-robin and won its Sunday morning semifinals would go out at 3 p.m. for their standard five-minute warm-up, then battle for the tournament’s gold medals.
Not this year.
The event was called the Smiles For Miles Memorial Tournament, in memory of popular Vernon hockey, lacrosse and rugby player Miles Wohlford, 14, who died last summer as a result of injuries suffered in a boating accident on Okanagan Lake.
Miles, nicknamed ‘Smiles’ for his penchant for having a perpetual grin on his face, played in the tournament last year.
Tournament directors arranged for a special ceremony prior to the gold-medal game.
With Wohlford’s mom Randi Lund on hand, as she had been for a majority of the tournament, directors had Lund come out on to the ice, accompanied by Miles’ best friend, Tyson Sampert, who held Lund’s hand throughout the ceremony, and director Rhonda Becker.
With approximately 150 people in the stands looking on, six of the 10 participating tournament teams, dressed in their uniforms (the other four had travelled the farthest and had left for travel reasons) skated onto the ice with Wohlford’s favourite song – Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey – blaring over the Civic Arena’s ancient speakers.
Given the circumstances of Wohlford’s death, the song took on extra meaning.
The championship game’s four officials opened the ceremony by skating over to Lund and presenting her with a rose.
This was followed by the six teams – the three Vernon squads along with the Penticton Vees, West Kelowna Warriors and Kamloops Petes – whose captains presented roses to Lund.
Every player skated to Lund and either gave her a hug or a fist bump.
Every player had their sticks raised to the sky in a salute to Smiles, as they skated a lap around the Civic Arena ice.
Those in the stands began to clap loud as Del Rey began to fade.
Lund, tears streaming out of her eyes, clasped her hands together and bowed in thanks to the players and to the crowd.
Some of Wohlford’s closest friends were in the seats at centre ice, some were on the ice. They were crying, struggling. No kid should ever have to say goodbye to a buddy this early in life.
Tournament directors Jennifer Bellmann and Kara Blazek, neither ever at a loss for words, could not get through their thank yous to the crowd without quivering lips and pausing to compose themselves.
The tournament’s official photographer, a man named Kevin from Kelowna, told me before the start of the ceremony he stuck around to shoot it because he had lost his own son 10 years ago.
I was there on the ice on photo assignment, and because my son was a friend of Miles and was taking part in the ceremony.
I looked over and Kevin had tears streaking down his face.
Ever try to take a photograph with tears in your eyes?
In the championship game, the Penticton Vees beat the Vernon Five Star Award Cougars 5-1 for the gold medal of the Smiles For Miles Memorial Bantam House Hockey Tournament.
The Cougars were the last minor hockey team Wohlford played for.
Somewhere, Smiles was grinning.
