As the longtime organizer of Timmins ball hockey steps away from the sport, she's hopeful somebody will take it on.
Game On Ball Hockey started in the community in 2004, and after 15 years Brenda Torresan says it's time to retire.
She made the announcement on Facebook last night.
"I had set a date for myself to make a decision by Nov. 1 so that if somebody was to take it over they would at least have the winter months to have everything ready because I know when I took it over it took me a good six months before I was ready to do it,” she said.
Since sharing the news, she's had at least six people inquire about taking it over.
Before Game On, Torresan said there was ball hockey in the city.
It was only a men's league, though, and Game On offered leagues for youth and adults.
When it first started, Game On was run outdoors in the lot next to the Mattagami River. More recently, the games have been played indoors at the Whitney arena in Porcupine.
The league has changed over the years.
“But the number of people playing has not changed," said Torresan. "The youth league supports the program tremendously, and I would say that without the youth league it would be a very small league."
With ball hockey being a part of her for so long, stepping away was a difficult decision.
“We’re a Game On community in the City of Timmins, ball hockey is its own community, has its own life,” she said, adding families come together for the sport.
“One comment I read this morning was a gentleman who started playing when he was in his teens and he just got to play this year in a co-ed league with his own son who started with us about four years ago. That’s the kind of environment it is, not for everybody, but for a lot of them. The children play, the parents play, and once the kids get old enough they can play co-ed on the same teams together."
If you're interested in taking over ball hockey, you can reach out to Torresan on the Game On Ball Hockey Timmins Facebook page.