NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
The Medicine Hat Tennis Club presented the Margery E. Yuill Cancer Centre with a cheque for funds raised at the 25th annual Barrie Shave Classic over the weekend. Barb Shave, Heather Bach executive director of the Medicine Hat and District Health Foundation, Med Hat Tennis club GM Ken Clement and original tournament organizer Brian Patterson were on hand for the brief ceremony during the classic's rain delayed finals on Sunday.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
There were few dry eyes at the Medicine Hat Tennis Club on Sunday morning as members and guests remembered Barrie Shave with the tournament in his name.
The local tennis club held the 25th annual Barrie Shave Classic this weekend, with play starting Friday evening and wrapping up later Sunday due to rain delays.
The classic started in 1999 and was named after Barrie Shave, who played in that tournament before passing away six weeks later from pancreatic cancer. Ever since the 1999 tournament, the funds raised through the event have been donated to the club’s junior program and cancer research, with donations given to the Cancer Society for years before a shift three years ago made the local Yuill Cancer Centre the focus.
Barb Shave and her son Brad made the trip from B.C. to honour the 25th tournament in Barrie’s name and the original founder of the classic, Brian Patterson, was also in attendance, making the trip from Calgary.
Barb was in attendance for every single classic for the first 20 years until 2020 but come “hell or high water,” she was going to be in attendance this weekend. She says the continuation and support over 25 years made her husband’s passing bearable, adding he would be proud of the work put into the club’s junior program.
“It gave purpose and meaning to the horrible ordeal we were going through,” Shave said. “After that first tournament when he played one set, he was very frail, but he managed one set before he put his racket down for the last time. But when he put it down for the last time, they assured him they would have this tournament annually. It created his legacy and 25 years later, so much money has been donated now into cancer agencies, but other good causes, like the junior program here at the tennis club. The legacy continues and it’s an absolutely wonderful thing.”
The tournament featured 50 players and raised a total of $9,435, with $4,565 being donated to The Margery E. Yuill Cancer Centre and $4,870 going toward the tennis club’s facility expansion/junior development fund.
Tennis club general manager Ken Clement says it’s remarkable the amount of support they have received over the years.
“We’ve had people (donating) with us since 1999, so that’s a very long run, that’s 25 years of donating to this tournament and we have several people who donated for the first time this year as well,” Clement said. “People continue to find out about it and the idea of supporting it, people are able to support the Margery E. Yuill or the tennis club’s facilities program, which benefits the kids.”
Patterson was the organizer of the first classic and was also Barrie’s partner in his final match, with Glenn Ennis filling out the trio. He says he was overwhelmed seeing how much the classic has sparked the growth of the junior program and how it has turned into a family event, with Sunday’s finals featuring a grandfather and grandchild taking on a father-son pairing and two mother-daughter teams facing off. He says the growth is attributed to the people of the club.
“The club has a tremendous core of volunteers starting with Ken Clement who is an absolute key member, I can mention many others but can miss the guy who is the glue for this club and has done a fantastic job,” Patterson said.
Rain on Sunday delayed the finals from the morning until the afternoon and evening.
Craig and Niall Weich were the top seed in the men’s open, defeating Calvin and Mason Heller 6-0, 7-6 in the final Sunday evening.
Dave Reinheller and Theron Bensler defeated Wes Reinheller and Noel McAllister 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 for the men’s open consolation. The men’s intermediate was won by David Schnare and Lyle Garrecht who defeated Peter Brinda and Darryl Giesbrecht 7-6, 7-5. The consolation men’s intermediates were Vlad Khazov and Roman Bielyi who defeated John Ambrosi and Gary Laurent 6-2, 6-4.
Kristen Wenzel and Dannan McElroy-O’Driscoll were the top seed and captured the women’s open, defeating Dawn Olson and Lauren Danroth 0-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Rocheal Howes and Una Weich won the women’s open consolation defeating CoraLee Riehl and Doris Deminick 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
The next event at the club is the summer mixed doubles tournament, running July 7-8. As the club looks toward the rest of the summer and slowly begins plans for the 26th Barrie Shave Classic, there was a lot of talk about what the next 25 years could look like for the tournament. Patterson said he didn’t know what Barrie would say about the first 25 years but that he would be proud to be part of what it’s meant for tennis in Medicne Hat.
“I know he would be very happy and he should be because this has been a tremendous legacy, for him, for the club and for the city of Medicine Hat,” Patterson said. “It’s been absolutely wonderful and to think we’re heading into the second 25 years, it’s pretty impressive.”
