The annual Charlie Cup Checkers Championship is poised to come down to the wire this spring. And contest founder and host David Lyon is providing plenty of chances for North Island students to have a say in the outcome.
Lyon and his travelling checkerboard will appear tomorrow at the annual Friendship Softball tournament for grade 5-7 students at Fort Rupert Elementary School in Port Hardy.
He will then host all comers Saturday and Sunday at the June Sports festival in Alert Bay before announcing the winning school and individual prize-winners after the June Sports soccer tournament finale.
The contest, now in its 30th year, awards a point to each student who can defeat Lyon in a five-game checkers series. The overall championship goes to the school with the most points, and individual prizes are awarded to the most valuable, most sportsmanlike and others.
Some of the prizes include restored antiques, like a 1924 Atwater Kent Model 20 radio and a 19th-century Seth Thomas carriage clock, as well as a more modern Zoom H2 digital recorder with accessories.
Currently, only one player — Stephanie Lacasse of Avalon Adventist Junior Academy — has scored a point this season.
"The ones who haven't played yet, I want to make sure I get them," said Lyon, who started his busy final week yesterday at the Districtwide track and field meet at Port Hardy Secondary School. "So far, I've had 336 entries, which is more than last year."