Cornhole for a cause: Okotoks athlete holding charity tournament tomorrow

An Okotoks athlete is holding a cornhole tournament for a cause this Saturday.

Hub Town Brewing will play host to the knockout-style tournament on June 22 from 12-3 p.m.

The event is a fundraiser for the Cederstrand Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to assisting adaptive athletes in pursuing the sports they love.

Its founder, Chris Cederstrand, had his right leg amputated above the knee at age 25 after a heavy machinery accident.

In the years following, he was able to achieve dreams he thought had been shattered with the loss of his leg, including becoming a firefighter and returning to the ice, where he eventually joined Canada's national sledge hockey team.

He started the Cederstrand Foundation to provide other adaptive athletes with the kinds of resources that allowed him to return to his passions.

One big hurdle in the way of many adaptive athletes is the cost of custom and specialty equipment.

"Unfortunately, adaptive sporting equipment is far more expensive than normal sporting equipment. For instance, if you want to get your kid skating, you can go to Canadian Tire and buy a pair of $99 skates, a stick, and a puck, and you're off to the races. Having a lower body disability, to get into sledge hockey, well, your first sled is going to cost you about $1000, plus the sticks and everything else," says Cederstrand. "That expense piece is just far greater and most people in the adaptive community, there are a lot more expenses involved, so if they can afford equipment, a lot of the time they get locked into one sports because of the cost of things."

The Cederstrand Foundation has supported the funding of several sleds, training for a prospective paralympic athlete at the Canadian Sport Institute, and most recently, some visually impaired adaptive equipment for a young student named Kubarb.

Entry into the tournament is $50 with the grand prize being a pair of tickets to a Calgary Stampeders vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders game on Sept. 20.

There'll also be a 50/50 draw, a raffle, and a food truck on site.

Cederstrand hopes the event will raise not only funds, but awareness for the organization, as this is only their second major event.

In November of last year, Cederstrand organized a sledge hockey tournament at the Centennial Arena in Okotoks, with teams comprised of Foothills area fire departments and local politicians giving the adaptive sport a try.

He plans to hold another later this year.

More information on the cornhole tournament can be seen here.