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Over the weekend, 16 teams gathered in Springwater for the first annual CHIMO Cup softball tournament in honour of the late Sapper Brian Collier of Bradford.
Sapper Collier died in July 2010 while serving in Afghanistan. He was just 24-years-old.
The event was organized by the Sapper's family friend Cyndi Kilgour.
Among the 16 teams, were a group of Sapper Collier's comrades (The Devil's Rejects), and groups made up of first responders, including a South Simcoe Police team.
One of Sapper Collier's friends in attendance was Travis Richardson. Richardson had been playing in the tournament with a damaged hamstring which he got while serving with Sapper Collier.
"Travis has a pure heart of gold and his love and passion for Sapper Brian Collier is evident in the way he played," said participant Allan Tracey.
"Travis ran as hard as he could and when he did, you would never know that he was injured. However, when he stopped, you could feel the pain coming from his eyes as he would be constantly bent over from the pain. I asked him a number of times if he would take himself out of the game to prevent further injury. Each and every time his answer was “as long as I have this name on the back of my jersey (Collier) I am still playing”. This man is PURE heart! What he said and the passion of which he played and display."
Proceeds from the event went to The Heart of a Hero Fund, which provides scholarships at both Bradford District High School and Holy Trinity High School School. The fund also helps pay for sports participation through Bradford minor league sports, where Sapper Collier used to play hockey and baseball.
A generous donation of $3,200 was made by Kyle Zdrilich through a golf tournament he hosts annually to honour the memory of his late brother Kurt.
"We will be using a portion of those proceeds to assist a youth in the community with a season of golf lessons next year," shared Kilgour.
In total, the event raised $11,500 of its $10,000 goal.
