Pointe-Claire soccer tournament raising funds to help fight ALS
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June is ALS Awareness Month in Canada and for the fourth straight year there will be a fundraising soccer tournament this weekend in Pointe-Claire in support of the ALS Society of Quebec.
The tournament, in association with Soccer Pointe-Claire, is hosted by Phil Lalonde, a longtime Pointe-Claire resident and soccer coach. The tournament will take place Saturday and Sunday at Terra-Cotta Park in Pointe-Claire with women, men and mixed senior recreational teams taking part. There will be a kids' corner and activities for the entire family, along with a picnic table area for lunch, concessions and a bar. There will also be a silent auction and other fundraising activities to help fight ALS.
The tournament raised close to $165,000 during the first three years.
Lalonde was diagnosed with ALS — Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease — in September 2021. It is a rare and incurable neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons, leading to progressive muscular paralysis and total loss of autonomy.
'I've been coaching soccer for more than 30 years and this tournament is my way to raise awareness and funds for this important cause,' Lalonde, who is also known as Coach Phil, said in a news release about the event. 'I believe in keeping a positive attitude no matter what. ALS challenges that every day but so far, with the help of the ALS Society and my army of family and friends, I'm staying true to myself and living my life to the fullest.
'Living with ALS continues to get harder every year, but knowing there are people willing to fundraise with us gives me hope,' Lalonde added. 'I am extremely proud of our accomplishments and know firsthand that this money is being used to fight — and hopefully cure — ALS.'
This weekend's tournament will feature a celebrity game at 4 p.m. Sunday between an alumni team made up of some of the best female players from Pointe-Claire, including captain Amy Walsh, against a team made up of a younger generation of female players.
Lalonde's daughter, Jillian, noted that ALS not only impacts those living with the disease but also their families.
'Dad's diagnosis changed our family's lives,' Jillian said. 'My whole life, I have called my dad two names, Dad and Coach Phil. On the field, he taught me to be a strong, fearless, and dedicated soccer player but, above all, to trust, support and care for my teammates.
'It is hard to watch a parent's body shrink before your eyes, but I get to watch the lessons he taught me on the field play out in our real life,' she added. 'Dad has shown strength, fearlessness and a dedication to finding the good in having ALS through community. I am honoured to have him coach me through planning an event, raising funds and fighting for a cure.'
Former Alouettes player Tony Proudfoot wrote a series of articles for The Gazette while battling ALS and was one of four finalists for the 2010 National Newspaper Award for sports writing. He also started the Tony Proudfoot Fund to raise money for research into the disease. Proudfoot died in 2010 at age 61, three years after his ALS diagnosis.
Another former Alouettes player, Michael Soles, died from ALS in 2021 at age 54, 16 years after his diagnosis.
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