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Members of a snowball fighting team who want to break a world record have secured some celebrity support.

Comedian Rick Mercer is expected to be in Saskatoon to film a segment for the Rick Mercer Report as members of Canada’s national Yukigassen team look to smash the world record on Jan. 31.

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Chad Reynolds, one of the organizers of the snowball fight, said the group is thrilled to have Mercer on board, and hopes his presence will draw more participants.

“Rick Mercer is synonymous with Canada, and this is such a Canadian thing to be doing,” Reynolds said.

“What does Seattle know about throwing snow? This is a record we need to own.”

Photo by Morgan Modjeski / Saskatoon StarPhoenix

The group hopes to rally a crowd of at least 6,000 people at Saskatoon’s Victoria Park to smash the current snowball fight record, which stands at 5,834 participants and was set during an event called Seattle Snow Day in January 2013.

While Mercer is expected to get everyone amped up, Reynolds said he hopes everyone in attendance can remember to “be nice” and “throw gently” during the high-flying event. He also wants to remind everyone not to throw snow at Mercer all at once.

“It’s a family event and we want to see everyone out there laughing and smiling and reliving their childhood,” Reynolds said.

“We want everyone to be a kid again and to make sure they throw like a kid.”

A massive pile of snow placed in the middle of Victoria Park should provide plenty of ammunition, said Reynolds, who also plans to film the snow skirmish for a documentary.

“There will be heaters placed near the snow so we can make sure the conditions will be perfect for snowball making,” he said.

The cool record breaking attempt is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.