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Sudbury native elected to Silver Stick tournament board

One of the key attractions to the Silver Stick Hockey Tournaments over the years has been the role of the regional championship to work as a stepping stone; banner winners from across Canada and the United States subsequently gather for the North Ame
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Sudbury's Chantal Levesque has joined the Silver Stick Hockey Tournament board of directors. Supplied photo.
One of the key attractions to the Silver Stick Hockey Tournaments over the years has been the role of the regional championship to work as a stepping stone; banner winners from across Canada and the United States subsequently gather for the North American play-downs in January.

That attraction, it would appear, also holds true for tournament organizers.

Sudbury co-chair Chantal Levesque was elected to the International Silver Stick Board of Directors this past June, the first Sudbury representative around the table since the departure of Art Connor, now an honourary lifetime member.

The 34-year-old Sudbury native takes the leap after working hand in hand with Peter Michelutti Sr. for the past eight years or so, since her return from Toronto.

Levesque first helped out with the local Silver Stick while still in high school, attending Collège Notre-Dameat the time.

"I was about 17 or 18, and I was working at Timberwolf," Levesque said.

"Peter was a member, so he just asked me to come out and volunteer."

With a hockey-playing brother who had competed for more than a decade in the Regional Silver Stick, Levesque was well-acquainted with the general feel of the event.

"I’m something of a natural leader," she said. "And my technical abilities were something that I brought to the table, and could manage it quicker and easier. Peter and I became a team, and I think he saw a succession plan in place."

Over the years, Levesque has found her comfort zone, dealing with public relations, maintaining contact with the teams, what she would generally describe as "customer service duties" - the teams being the customers, in the case of Silver Stick organizers.

"The schedule is very daunting, and he (Peter) takes that on every year," said Levesque.

Having attended the International Silver Stick AGM for much of the past decade, Levesque garnered a familiarity, both with the mindset of the North American directors, as well as the role that they play.

"I like what Silver Stick is all about – citizenship, goodwill, the whole experience," said Levesque. With the arrival of a young family, she would put further plans on the back-burner. Until now.

"I was approached by the executive board," Levesque said.

"They asked if the nominating committee could put my name forward as the Canadian candidate. They nominate enough people to fill whatever positions are open. This year, there were two Canadian positions that came open. Any amount of nominations can come from the floor."

Delegates to the Annual General Meeting in June include the 16 members of the International Silver Stick Board of Directors, along with representatives from all fifty of the regional tournaments.

As an international director, Levesque will provide a Northern Ontario presence around the table, while also tackling the duties that are spread out amongst the various volunteers.

"I get assigned a handful of tournaments, that I may or may not need to travel to," she said.
"We always try and keep the cost in mind. If releases are needed, little issues that come up, etc… - I’m here to help them manage that."

Also a member of the executive of the Nickel District Minor Hockey League - Levesque is entering her second year - the Sudbury native believes that there is an advantage for her in having a better understanding of the landscape of local minor competitive hockey.

And, of course, there's the Silver Stick issues that remain relevant, right in her own backyard. "We need to start a campaign for volunteers," she stated. "We have a good number of volunteers right now, and we have awesome volunteers, but they won’t be around forever, they may not want to do this forever."

"I need those parents whose kids are out of hockey, and they miss the social aspect of being around the rink."

And perhaps one or two who might be interested in taking the next step forward, at some point in time, that Silver Stick hockey can provide.

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