This weekend, the South Coast Ball Hockey Association will proudly host the U-14 Team USA Ball Hockey tryouts at the Swansea YMCA, where they rent land each season.

From Saturday, July 20 to Sunday, July 21, 75 of the top hockey players will be playing next weekend where the USA program will be selecting only 20 players to attend in next summer’s World Tournament being held in Finland. Out of the 75 kids, six local kids from Fall River, Somerset, and Swansea will be attending the tryouts. These children, ages 12 and 13, have been hand-picked from all over the country to compete in these ball hockey tryouts.

In addition to selecting the tournament players, there will also be a fundraiser for a rare disease known as Rett Syndrome, which according to rettsyndrome.org is "a rare non-inherited genetic postnatal neurological disorder that occurs almost exclusively in girls and leads to severe impairments, affecting nearly every aspect of the child’s life: their ability to speak, walk, eat, and even breathe easily."

At this weekend's U-14 Selection Tournament, there will be a hardest shot competition for any child or adult attending to enter. There will be three different age groups, and there will be a donation of at least $1 per shot attempt. All money raised will be donated to help with the research for Rett Syndrome.

"We have all been given a great opportunity to be part of something special in the USA Program. It's our opinion that with that opportunity comes a responsibility to give back to kids that are not as fortunate as our children," coach Eddie Costa said. "This will be a trend with the U-14 team. At each camp and along the road to Finland, we will give back to our communities."

More From WBSM-AM/AM 1420