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Vawn's 10th annual mud volleyball tournament. (Image Credit: Derek Cornet/ Facebook)
10TH ANNIVERSARY

Vawn’s final mud volleyball tournament draws record turnout

Jul 8, 2026 | 4:37 PM

What began as a one-time event in 1996 has come full circle for the hamlet of Vawn.

The community first hosted a mud volleyball tournament 30 years ago, but the event was short-lived. It was revived in 2016 and has since grown into an annual summer tradition.

This year’s tournament marked the 10th edition since its return and organizers say it will also be the last.

“It’s getting harder for me, and I’m getting older, and some of my volunteers are getting older as well,” said head organizer Brandon Doom, who has been teaching in the Northwest Territories for the past five years. “We figured 10 was a good number to go out on.”


(Image Credit: Derek Cornet/ Facebook)

The final tournament was also the largest, drawing 14 teams, more than 400 participants and about 30 volunteers.

“I was getting the chants all weekend, ‘one more year, one more year,'” Doom said with a laugh. “But it’s hard to organize from far away.”

Doom credited the event’s success to the many volunteers and community members who helped organize it over the past decade.


(Image Credit: Derek Cornet/ Facebook)

“I had a lot of help at home, from people running around putting up posters and grabbing cheques and depositing cheques and doing all that fun stuff,” he said. “So I had lots of people who I could phone and talk to and make sure it all happened.”

While the mud volleyball tournament has come to an end, Doom said organizers are already planning a new community event for next summer.

“Next year’s plan, I want to utilize some of the things that are in the park; I’m calling it a triathlon,” Doom said. “It’s just going to be a sports day with a band at the end of the day… no worries about bouncy houses or horse wagon rides or fireworks or any of that stuff.”

Although the mud may be drying up for good, Doom said the goal remains the same: bringing the community together for another summer of fun.

Alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com