Know Your Host- Sault Ste Marie

Know Your U15 Boys & Girls Championship Hosts!

The OBA Championships are here and many regions around Ontario have graciously agreed to host the Ontario Cup in their area. In this series, we will highlight details about the community and the many things to do there during your stay in the region.

Sault Ste. Marie

Located on the Canada-US border, Sault Ste. Marie is the third largest city in Northern Ontario and is the host to this year’s U15 Girls and U15 Boys Ontario Cup. This is the only Ontario Cup in 2022 that will be hosted in Northern Ontario.

As Sault Ste. Marie is home to the Steel City Slam (proud members of the Steel City Sports Club in Sault Ste. Marie), we connected with Steel City Slam & Tourism Sault Ste. Marie representatives to determine their motivation for hosting the Ontario Cup Championships this year.

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Q: What was your motivation to host a 2022 Ontario Basketball Championship event?

SSM: Our primary reason for hosting here in Sault Ste. Marie is to continue to increase the interest and exposure to our youth and community to this tremendous game that is equitable and inclusive. Also, we are so proud of our community; from its hospitality, the tremendous restaurants, first class facilities, as well being a community that ‘loves’ their sports. The feedback from teams and individuals is always, ‘Wow the people in Sault Ste. Marie are so nice and helpful’!  We are proud to continue to showcase all the great things that the Sault has for everyone who attends. Finally, there is no better feeling than to play in front of your family and friends. Being in the North, out teams are constantly travelling down South to compete and it is nice to have the opportunity for our teams to play at home. We look forward to hosting all of the tremendous clubs from around the province!

Q: Has your club or organization ever hosted an Ontario Basketball Championship event before?

SSM: We had the privilege of hosting the U17 Boys OBA championships in 2019.  It was a great weekend of basketball here in Sault Ste. Marie. We were proud that our club had 2 teams participating in that tournament.

Q: What does hosting an Ontario Basketball Championship event mean to the local basketball community? Are you hoping to establish a hosting legacy?

Steel City Slam: One of the primary reasons for hosting was to help our community. Tourism contributes to the success of our businesses, and hosting an OBA provincial Championship brings a TON of people to our community.  It allows them to see ‘all that we have to offer’, and in turn could become a summer or winter destination spot for families outside of basketball.

Tourism Sault Ste. Marie: Steel City Slam has worked tirelessly to elevate the presence and standards of the local basketball community, investing countless mentorship hours into players, recruiting and training volunteers and coaches and increasing the overall media presence of basketball in Sault Ste. Marie. In tandem, Tourism Sault Ste. Marie has seen the culture of basketball explode in Algoma and has done its best to assist and invest in the sport. Sault Ste. Marie has a proven track record of providing first class facilities and support hosting multiple large-scale events such as the Everest Canadian Senior Curling Championships, the Special Olympics Winter Games, OFSAA basketball Championships, CARAH Hockey world cup and more. We hope that these 2022 OBA championship will be the introduction to a long OBA and host community relationship where we will continue to develop the culture and exciting atmosphere of basketball and will solidify this Northern community as a true basketball town.

Q: Can you highlight a few tourist attractions or events in your host community? What is your host community known for?

SSM: Sault Ste. Marie is truly #outsideofexpected – the #1 outdoor adventure town and the best destination for biking in Ontario. Discover four seasons of biking for every age, ability or style and arguably the best mountain biking trail system in the province. With over 40km of Mountain Bike Trails, and 22.5km of urban biking paths all connected, this is a must do experience.

In the heart of downtown you can find multiple museums including the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site, and Entomica Insectarium where you can interact with historic actors, mighty planes that have travelled the skies as well as play and learn with live, exotic insects.

Take our self-guided walking tour of eleven downtown mural installations featuring work from world renowned artists such as Jerry Rugg (birdO) and Alexander Bacon. While taking in these larger than life murals enjoy downtown shopping as well as traditional Syrian cuisine, multiple gourmet pizza stops, traditional BBQ and more. Additionally, Sault Ste. Marie is home to two micro-breweries and wineries.

The Sault is also home to incredible Indigenous and eco-friendly tour operators. Canoes for Conservation guides The McGuffinsThrive Tours or Forest The Canoe are all are highly recommended and offer a variety of day tour options. Then of course there is fishing. Sault Ste. Marie was built around the rapids of the St. Mary’s River and the fishing is legendary!

Tournament Date(s):

Gymnasium Venues:

Hotel Accommodations:

For hotel accommodation in the Sault Ste. Marie area, please click here.