Dominoes games can often get very competitive, and even pugnacious at times, but the two-person teams participating in the second annual Boys to Men dominoes tournament displayed sportsmanship and cooperation throughout.
The event, now in its second year, is designed to strengthen the connection between sons and fathers/father figures.
This year, the Boys to Men programme and the Family Resource Centre welcomed over 25 players to celebrate International Men’s Day earlier this month which had an a theme of ‘Positive Male Role Models’.
The team of Rylan Bennett Carter and Karry Carter not only won the tournament but also earned the respect of many players on the day, as they showed sportsmanship and patience throughout their rounds of play.
Rylan recruited his grandfather Karry to be his partner for the event and though he didn’t fancy his chances going in, having a veteran of the game on his side proved to be beneficial.
“I didn’t expect to go home with anything,” Rylan admitted to the Compass. “Now, I could show my mom that I came home with something, and I feel good about it.”
Not only did Rylan walk away with hardware but he also took with him a stronger relationship with his grandfather, who he noted his appreciation for.
“We bond a lot, I think, with a domino tournament. It helped us as well. He taught me some things and I improved … because with me, I just play to play,” he said. “It’s very special, because kids nowadays don’t have their grandfather with them.
“So, they don’t get to learn the things that their grandfather grew up doing. To have my grandfather with me to this day, I very much appreciate it and anything that I can learn from him.”
And Karry noted that he has been teaching his family all that he knows in life and in the game of dominoes, which he has been playing for 55 years.
‘I’m happy to play with my grandson, I’m happy to teach him. He’s quick to learn, he understands and that’s the most important thing in domino playing,” Karry said.
When asked what it means to be a mentor to his grandson, Karry, holding back tears, said, “I appreciate being his grandfather and anything that I can teach him, that’s what I’ll do. I’m happy to be with him.”
Related Videos
