4th Dennis Squires Memorial Tournament turns grief into 'something more beautiful'

Lori Letto started the Dennis Squires Memorial Tournament in memory of her brother, who died from suicide in 2018. (Henrike Wilhelm/CBC)

For the basketball players shooting hoops at the Mount Pearl High School gym Sunday, it was about more than just winning. It was a competition for a good cause.

For the fourth time, athletes from across the metro region came together to play in the Dennis Squires Memorial Tournament. It is organized by Lori Letto, in hopes of keeping the memory of her late brother Dennis Squires, who died by suicide in 2018, alive while sparking conversations about mental health.

"Dennis was a natural athlete, but his passion was basketball," Letto said. "And this was a great way to take a passion and love of his, and turning it into something more meaningful."

Letto said the tournament has also been a gift for her family in the wake of her brother's tragic passing.

"He was a great friend and a teammate to so many. And so, this has been fantastic for our family as well for Dennis's memory. But it's also been a great way to keep a lot of Dennis's past teammates as well connected."

A total of twelve men's teams took part in the tournament, which ran from Thursday to Sunday. While the event started out with many of Squires's past teammates, said Letto, new players have started joining, carrying on his legacy.

"A lot of the younger players coming on have been asking like, 'Who was Dennis and what his story?' And it's actually been a great icebreaker for players to, I guess, open up and start talking about mental health and to share that story," she said.

"Now, they're sharing their own stories and experiences. And so that's been really great to see."

All funds raised at the tournament, including registration fees, are going towards the provincial chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association, which will use it for suicide first-aid training and education programs.

For chapter CEO Chandra Kavanagh, the partnership was "a natural one".

"This tournament is so, so special. It's because often ... when we're talking with men about their mental health, they're put into a bit of a situation where we're talking about things like therapy and talking about our feelings. That can be quite difficult for a lot of men," she said.

"So when, instead of having that conversation in this very feelings-focused way, we can have that conversation in and around athleticism and competition, I think it opens men up."

From the very beginning, Jon Pye was involved as co-organizer. Pye is director of Rock Sports Academy, but was also close friends with Squires, and used to play basketball with him. The feedback from athletes, he said, has been positive — so much so that six teams had to be turned away this year due to limited space.

"We're gonna try to tell his story and inspire others to maybe reach out, use their voice because everybody's got their own story. And even through this tournament, over the years, the amount of people that we've had come up and want to share their story and open up to us, it's been tremendous," he said. "So, even if we can do something small through the game of basketball, I mean, that means a lot."

Jon Pye is director of Rock Sports Academy, which helps to organize the basketball tournament in memory of Dennis Squires. Pye was also friend and basketball teammate of Squires. (Henrike Wilhelm/CBC)

That's why he's planning on growing the event even further, by adding another division and including women's and high school teams in next year's tournament, and expanding it to other locations across the island.

He thinks if Squires saw the event, he'd be jealous of those able to participate.

"We miss him every day," said Pye.

While Justin Halleran and Steven Earles didn't know Squires well, it was a no-brainer for them to hit the court for a good cause. It was Earles' third time around, while Halleran played in the tournament for the second time.

Chandra Kavanagh is CEO of the provincial branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Kavanagh says funds raised at the Dennis Squires Memorial Tournament will be used for suicide first aid training and education programs. (Henrike Wilhelm/CBC)

"There's a lot of people that still struggle in silence," said Earles. "I think just everyone coming together to support and fundraise for this weekend just to, like I said, take that hidden factor away and get out in the open, I think it's important."

"Even outside of sports, it's a huge issue that needs addressing and people got to know and understand this," said Halleran. "We're all kind of teammates in some way at this tournament. And we all kind of support each other, playing against each other."

For Letto, that support and network is what it's all about.

"It's personally done a lot for our family with regards of healing and being able to keep Dennis's memory alive. It's also just really great to be able to help others, really be able to prevent others from having to go through this," she said.

"It's been absolutely amazing that people are starting to get comfortable having the hard conversations."

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