Those who play sport, regardless of the competitive level, know the bonds it creates, bonds that last a lifetime.
A large group of friends who felt those bonds with Landon Burt gathered in St. Albert over the May long weekend to compete in honour of their friend’s memory.
Burt, a well-known local athlete who was a hockey fanatic and also coached Cardinals baseball, died of a brain tumour when he was only 22 years old. That was four years ago.
His friends, family and teammates gather every year for a weekend of fun and competition in Burt’s memory, including the Landon Burt Cup, a ball hockey tournament held on the Akinsdale tennis courts last Saturday.
Organizer Jordan Morton, who was friends with Landon and hails from St. Albert but attends university in B.C., came back for the weekend, as many people do.
“Landon was a good friend of all the people here,” said Morton, between shifts in the ball hockey tournament. “I come back every single year for this.”
He said lots of the participants still live in and around St. Albert, but many others return from their various walks of life.
Morton said they wanted to organize a sports event for Landon, as he was an avid athlete himself.
“We’d been playing hockey for years,” said Morton. “Landon was always here with us.”
Morton said organizers couldn’t think of a better way to pay tribute to Landon than having a weekend of sports in his honour.
Landon’s mother Jill, along with his brother Adam, were there barbecuing hamburgers for Landon’s friends. She said the weekend is bittersweet but gives everyone a positive feeling.
“It’s pretty exciting,” she said as she cooked. “It just makes me feel so thankful for the group of friends Landon grew up with.”
Jill said Landon used every spare minute to play street hockey.
She also noted his friends were making sure Landon’s memory helps others in need. The various events planned for the weekend, including a banquet, golf tournament and auction, will raise funds for the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Program, which provides funding to children from less fortunate families to play sports.
