Young at heart return for Snoopy Tournament

<p>Lace up your skates and pass the Lipitor – the Snoopy’s Annual Senior World Hockey Tournament is coming to Santa Rosa again.</p><p>This year’s tournament, which founder Charles Schulz called “a summer camp for seniors,” begins in earnest Sunday. There will be championship games and medals awarded on Tuesday and next Saturday, with a welcoming ceremony, barbecue and dance Wednesday evening.</p><p>Organizers at Snoopy’s Home Ice on West Steele Lane are expecting more than 850 skaters spread among 52 teams in 13 divisions, with age categories chopped into five-year intervals and ranging from 40-45 to over 70. The tournament’s crisp organization and lovely setting have gained continental appeal over the past 33 years, and this year has attracted teams from Ottawa, Calgary, New York and Central Michigan, among other hockey-crazed locales. They bear names like the Seattle Seniles and the Rusty Blades.</p><p>“A lot of them will bring their families out with them,” said Snoopy’s hockey coordinator Mike Kovanis. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we had over 1,000 people in town for the tournament.” In addition to the age spectrum, the seniors will bring a variety of intensity and skill levels, from recreational players to former NHLers and major-college coaches. What bonds them is a passion for hockey and a suspicion that they just might be able to out-skate mortality.</p><p>“I was told a long time ago, before we had fridges, that if you put a block of ice in a wooden box, the food keeps. It won’t spoil,” Steve Kostichuck, an over-70 financial adviser from Anaheim, told the Press Democrat three years ago. “It’s the same with us. The ice keeps us fresh.” Teams skate in four-team divisions, with round-robin play determining champions. It’s free to watch, and spectators are strongly encouraged.</p><p>“Everyone likes playing for a big crowd,” Kovanis said.</p><p>Call 546-7147 or go to snoopyshomeice.com for more information.</p>