On Boxing Day 1984, the boys of the Notre Dame Regional Secondary football team were still down after their loss in the provincial championship to Abbotsford.
“We were moping around, and somebody said ‘let’s play’,” said Stephan Bertoia. “All the girls went shopping, we thought who wants to do that? Let’s play football.”
30 years later, they’re playing football again, continuing a yearly tradition that has gone on ever year since that first game. Though rain, shine, fog and the occasional snowstorm, the “Boxing Day – Black/White Classic” has gone on.
As it turned from a game between teenagers has turned into a game between middle-aged men, the style of play has changed. So has the post-game recovery time.
“More ice cubes required in the bathtub for sure,” laughs Gary Bond, who has been at nearly every game over the years. “The pace is getting a little bit slower.”
But they keep going, finding new motivation for the game as the years go by. A few years ago, the teams collected $1400 for a grad who had MS. This year they’re raising money for a memorial scholarship for two classmates who passed away this year.
About the only concession they’ve made to time is a transition from tackle to touch a decade ago.
Well, mostly.
“It’s heavy touch, but sometimes the old instincts kick in,” said Bertoia.
– With files from Jill Bennett
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