PHOTOS: Annual Pull for Parkinson\u2019s tournament held in Surrey<\/p>\n
Published 5:00 pm Thursday, April 30, 2026<\/p>\n
What began as a small student-led fundraiser has since grown into a spirited sporting event.<\/p>\n
More than a decade after its launch, the annual Pull for Parkinson\u2019s Ultimate Tournament continues to bring together hundreds of student-athletes at Surrey\u2019s Newton Athletic Park \u2013 raising thousands of dollars while growing the sport along the way.<\/p>\n
Dozens of secondary school teams across the Lower Mainland gathered on April 15 and April 22 to participate in the annual Pull for Parkinson\u2019s Ultimate Tournament.<\/p>\n
Now in its 13th year, the co-ed event has evolved from a small, student-run fundraiser into a major fixture on the local school sports calendar.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see the growth in the sport \u2014 that\u2019s my favourite part,\u201d said organizer Chris Wakelin, a teacher and coach at Queen Elizabeth Secondary.<\/p>\n
Pull for Parkinson\u2019s was first launched in 2013 by Wakelin\u2019s former students, who were inspired by personal connections to the disease.<\/p>\n
Wakelin shared that one student\u2019s father had been diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s and he himself had a personal attachment to the situation, with his Nana previously having the disease and passing away in 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came to me with the idea, and it was like, you know what? Yeah, I would love to do this, whatever I can do to help,\u201d said Wakelin.<\/p>\n
Wakelin explained that years ago in Richmond there was a tournament called Hawkins for Hearts where all proceeds went to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. This is where the idea of Pull for Parkinson\u2019s originated.<\/p>\n
Wakelin told Peace Arch News that the tournament was run specifically by these students for about four years, with Wakelin helping where they needed, before fully handing it over to Wakelin in 2018.<\/p>\n
Since then, participation and fundraising efforts have steadily increased.<\/p>\n
What began with just 12 teams has now grown into a two-day event featuring as many as 60 teams across junior and senior divisions.<\/p>\n