Invermere has always been a hockey town, and it should come as no surprise that it will be hosting the female U18 BC Cup from April 26 to 29.

Hockey players from across B.C. will be travelling to Invermere for the chance to be selected to Team B.C. for the national championships held later this year. Organizer Kim Westergaard estimates that over 100 players will be visiting Invermere hoping for a spot on the roster.

“I just want people to experience Invermere and what we all have to offer,” Westergaard said. “It’s a great community.”

For the U18 tryouts, girls will be coming without their parents and will be hosted at the Invermere Curling Club. These girls will have been selected from their individual regions “zone camps,” and the top 20 players from each camp advance to the U18 BC Cup.

Selected players will be placed onto one of a number of teams in a Jamboree format, with no assurance that they will be able to play with other girls from their region.

“I think what they want is to see girls coming out of their comfort zone,” Westergaard said. “They’ll play with girls they’ve never met before, and be coached by people they’ve never met before.”

The zone camp will take place the first week of April, following which the top players will be asked to attend the BC Cup. Registration doesn’t begin until February. For more information on the cup, visit bchockey.net.