'Your heart just sinks': Regina ringette team shocked after bottles for fundraiser stolen

A Regina ringette team is heartbroken after bottles they collected for a fundraiser were stolen earlier this week, the team's coach says.

The U-10 Regina Raptors girls ringette team had collected the bottles last weekend to raise money for a tournament in Edmonton in January, called Ringette Scores on Cancer.

But the trailer, containing an estimated $1,500 worth of bottles, was stolen sometime late Monday evening. 

Graham Lauten, the team's head coach, said the money would have covered the team's entry fee for the tournament and, if there was money left over, it would have been donated to the tournament for cancer research.

Lauten, who owns the trailer, said he was shocked when he discovered it had been stolen.

"Your heart just sinks," he said. "When you realized that somebody stole everything out from under you, it just puts a black mark on a nice evening of the girls putting in all the hard work."

He said the team's players were disappointed with the news.

"They're just wondering why someone would do that," he said. "They put in all this hard work and they feel like it's for nothing."

Lauten said it's been a hard life lesson for the team, but it won't stop them from competing in the tournament. They'll likely do another fundraiser to make up for the lost money.

He said the team has set up a drop-off account at SARCAN recycling depots and people have already started donating to the team.

Lauten said Regina police are investigating the incident, but have no leads at this point.

The trailer is described as a seven-metre-long jet black cargo trailer, with a drawbridge door. It also has a hole near its top on the driver's side.

Anyone with information can call Regina police or Crime Stoppers.

Donations for the team at SARCAN are accepted with the code "Raptors."