The fairways at Skeleton Lake Golf Club were bustling last weekend as players came from across the country to partake in the 14th Annual Bryan Mudryk Golf Classic.
A rare event in the tournament’s history, the day was mostly sunny and clear, a good omen for the people putting around to raise funds for the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton.
“For my mom, Terry, myself and our family, it is a lot of work,” said the TSN Sportscentre host, two-time cancer survivor and Boyle native.
The final numbers fundsraised were not available as of publication, but Mudryk’s mother and event co-ordinator Terry Mudryk-Harbarenko said the day was a success, and the crew likely added a hefty amount to the $1.4 million raised over the last 13 years.
It’s been almost two decades since Mudryk had his last treatment, but hearing about the positive impact his donations has on others is what keeps the tournament going.
“We’ve met so many people and had our lives touched by other families that have been through what we went through,” Mudryk said.
Friends who have helped out include celebrities like TSN hosts Natasha Staniszewski and Tessa Bonhomme, curling champs Russ Howard, Marc Kennedy, Dave Nedohin, Laine Peters and Canada’s golden girls Val Sweeting and Dana Ferguson.
Retired Team Canada volleyballers, captain Brittany Paige and libero Claire Hanna were also out, hosting a fun pay-to-play court in the middle of one of the greens.
“It’s like he takes you golfing for the day, gets you drunk, and then makes you cry because there’s so many speeches at night,” Hanna said. “It’s so much fun and it’s just unique. It brings awareness to cancer in a way that makes it really real.”
This year, funds are being donated to the Alberta Cancer Foundation for its three-year, $3 million commitment towards a colorectal research program. Part of that will include the purchase of a Multi-Mode Microplate Reader, a machine used to quantify and generate profiles of DNA strands. Specifically, the machine will be used to help researchers understand the mechanisms and genetic makeup of cancer.
“Our money goes to equipment and that equipment helps those doctors to do and research what they have to do,” Mudryk-Harbarenko. “I guess we kind of work together that way as a team.”
She said she is proud of the notoriety the classic has been able to gain in almost a decade and a half.
“The mood of everyone is just, their hearts are open, and it’s all about the cause,” “I’m just always overwhelmed by who shows up. We’re only missing people here from three provinces, and that’s Nova Scotia, Quebec and Northwest Territories. It’s become a Canadian-known golf tournament and lots of fun and everybody loves it and comes back, they fly to get here.”
