New sights, old game take field for Viking Cup 2006

Published 8:00 pm Saturday, May 27, 2006

POULSBO — With a drop in team registration for 2006, Viking Cup organizers have slated new attractions for this year’s event in an attempt to go above and beyond what other Memorial Day weekend tournaments offer.

A carnival, a skills contest and cultural concessions will make their Viking Cup debut this year during the four days in which North Kitsap will be filled with soccer.

Viking Cup games started Friday and will be played through Monday. For a complete game schedule, visit the North Kitsap Soccer Club Web site at www.northkitsapsoccer.org.

“This was for many years the only tournament (in the state) this weekend,” Viking Cup promotions director Jim Bilbao said of Viking Cup’s 22-year history. “Now, there are a couple more tournaments going on around the state, so we don’t have as many teams coming. We’re hoping that by enriching the program, we’ll improve our draw.”

An added attraction for the swift-footed players will be a skills contest called King of the Juggle, which will be ongoing throughout the weekend. Contestants will put together their best ball handling tricks in 30 seconds, and be judged by a panel.

“They’ll get points for mix and control, and bonus points for creativity,” said Bilbao, who will be one of the judges.

Prizes are being sponsored by Regal Cinemas and McDonalds, he added.

Paradise Entertainment, the company which provided last weekend’s Viking Fest carnival, will be holding the carnival for one more weekend in Poulsbo and offering discounted prices for ride tickets and wristbands. This weekend, the carnival will be held in the parking lot of the North Kitsap Baptist Church on Little Valley Road in Poulsbo, just north of Central Market.

“We were looking for a spot to play that weekend and talked to Viking Cup because it’s a major event,” said Paradise Entertainment spokeswoman Kacee Quintana. “They said, ‘This would be good for our soccer kids to have something to do when they don’t have games,’ and it just grew from there.”

Discount tickets for the carnival are available online at the NKSC Web site and are also available at Viking Cup venues.

Discount prices will be $17 for an unlimited ride wristband and $19 for a book of 30 tickets, Quintana said, adding that the carnival will run throughout the Cup.

And in addition to the Cup’s traditional concessions, this year there will be a French crepe booth, Bilbao said, “for parents who want something more than a hot dog.”