2009 Pend Oreille Cup draws rave reviews

SANDPOINT — If things seemed a little busier than normal around town this weekend, it’s because they were, as scores of youth soccer players from around the region converged in Sandpoint for the 2009 Pend Oreille Cup soccer tournament.

Seventy-five teams from Idaho, Canada, Montana and Washington played games Saturday and Sunday at soccer fields all over Sandpoint, with rave reviews by most of the participants and their families.

“Great weekend, perfect weather, well run, no glitches. . . the committee did a fantastic job,” said tournament director John Rinck. “Tons of people came up to us and said what a great job we did.”

Rinck said the final product was the result of a lot of great community support. Kim Woodruff from Parks and Rec, Sid Rayfield from the local school district, and countless volunteers put in the time to make the tournament top notch.

Rinck believes the event has the potential to become even bigger, possibly hosting more than 100 teams. He also points to the benefit to local businesses from the influx of visitors, noting he’d heard local restaurants had a banner weekend.

The Green Monarchs beat Las Palmitas in an adult exhibition in front of more than 300 people Friday night at War Memorial Field.

A handful of Striker teams also fared well, with two claiming championships and another two coming in second. See Thursday’s Daily Bee for the season’s first installment of A Kick in the Grass for more from the Pend Oreille Cup.