Today (January 27, 2024), many of us had a chance to say Goodbye to Lee at his celebration of life. How to put in words what Lee has meant to our league over the years, truly cannot be expressed.
Lee has been a part of our league since its inception, and his impact on our league will be immense and long standing. Lee was a regular Sunday night ref. Over the years we have seen him take the time to visit teams after the games in the locker room, or waiting in the parking lot to share stories and laughs. We have also seen him tell a few of you to shut up and serve your penalty. Generally those words are followed up with we can talk after the game. We have seen him coach new players, even tell a few players why they got called for a penalty and how to avoid getting called for it in the future.
One thing many people in our league may not know is the rules we play with today, Lee was a major factor in making those a reality. He spent countless hours of his own time, reaching out to Masters leagues across Canada, as well as sitting down and working hand in hand with our executive to make the rules we want to play by a reality. He took his years of reffing us and working how best to give us the game we want, and ensure the safety of our players.
Even after retiring from being our ref, you could find him in the stands on Sunday nights or in the parking lot after to see how we all were doing. He continue to be a staple within our league.
Our executive wanted to honour the legacy of Lee within our league. And with that we would love to share with you, our 2024 executive has chosen to rename our Spring Fling Tournament.
As of 2024, our tournament will be named the
Lee Carlyle Memorial Tournament.
Thank you so much for your time to us Lee. You will be truly missed.
