LOCKERBIE lad Durrie Yule is going international as he prepares and fundraises for his first ice hockey tournament with the under 11’s Scotland squad.
The ten-year-old took to the sport like ‘a duck to water’ when he began playing in November 2021 for the Solway Sharks.
Now Durrie is the only one in his age group to be chosen for the team heading to Helsinki next month for the 2025 Lions Cup.
To get there Durrie will be doing a sponsored shoot of 100 pucks a day to raise money for flights and hotels.
Dad David couldn’t be prouder, he said: “This will be his first international tournament so it’s a big deal for him.
“When he found out he’d made the team he was absolutely bouncing off the walls.
“Durrie works really hard, he trains twice a week with the Sharks at the ice bowl and once a month he’ll train with the Scotland team, either in Dundee or Dumfries. He starts his 100 pucks for 11 day today (Wednesday) when he gets home from school, we chose 11 days because he plays for the under 11’s team. So we’ve set up an artificial ice rink outside with a full sized net: and rain, hail, sleet or snow, he’ll be out there shooting pucks.
“Ice hockey is life to him and it’s a real family affair as his little brother plays, I coach and his mum Rachel is the manager of one of the teams, so we’re all involved with the Solway Sharks in some way.”
Durrie has set himself a £250 target, which will be matched by Scottish Ice Hockey, to go towards flights and accommodation at the tournament. But, since launching his Go Fund Me page at the weekend he’s smashed that and raised £565, so far.
David will be accompanying Durrie when he heads to Finland next month and is excited to see him play on international ice, adding: “It’s going to be a great experience for him, four days of competition against teams from across Europe and North America.
“The support has been amazing: to raise that amount of money in a short space of time is fantastic, so thanks to everyone who has donated.”
- To donate to Durrie’s Go Fund Me page visit: www.gofundme.com and search ‘Durries Scotland Ice Hockey Finland trip’.
