WHL Community Collective: B.C. Division

 

While playing hockey and academic endeavors are priorities for Western Hockey League players, community interaction and involvement are also important prerogatives that often go unrecognized. In the WHL Community Collective feature, we will highlight each team in the WHL, by division, to recognize different initiatives in their respective communities.

In this week’s #WHLCommunity spotlight, the B.C. Division is featured:

Kamloops Blazers:
For the past 25 years, the Kamloops Blazers have partnered with members of Special Olympics British Columbia (SOBC) to hold a floor hockey game against the Kamloops Special Olympian athletes. However, for the Blazers, this hockey game is a bit different.

Floor hockey is adapted from the games of ice hockey and ringette and is played in a rink surface with wood or concrete, not ice. Athletes use wooden poles (without blades) as sticks and a large disc with an open centre as pucks. The teams are composed of six players, including a goaltender. When the Blazers play the Kamloops Special Olympian athletes, both teams have a Special Olympian athlete in net. The game acts as a fundraiser for the SOBC Floor Hockey team and brings approximately 100 fans to the event.

“The Special Olympics floor hockey game is something we always look forward to,” said Kamloops Blazers captain, Jermaine Loewen. “It is a competitive game as the Special Olympic Athletes have worked hard to be able to compete at a high level. This is one of those annual community events that is a highlight for us as players.”

Not only is it a highlight for the Blazers, but as SOBC Program Coordinator Marilyn McLean commented, it’s a very special event for the Special Olympics athletes as well.

“It’s the highlight of their season for sure. Watching the Blazers and their mature, respectful interaction and comradery with our athletes is awesome.”

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Kelowna Rockets:
For the Kelowna Rockets, school appearances around Lake Country and Kelowna are a regular part of their routine. Making 13 school visits in January alone, the Rockets hold a high standard for this type of community initiative among other clubs in the league.

“With the guys who aren’t going to school, those of us who have graduated, we have a lot of extra time. It’s good for us to get out of the house and away from the rink to meet little kids who are excited and happy to see us. We read books, play floor hockey and answer all different kinds of questions,” said Kelowna Rockets alternate captain, Kyle Topping.

Assisting the kids in all of their school activities, from the classroom to the gym, keeps them engaged and shows the students that no matter what path the students take in their respective lives, they need to be well-rounded to succeed.

“I think it’s really important to interact with the community and go to different schools and see kids that aren’t only passionate about us, but hockey in general. It brightens our day to see their smiles and stuff like that, it’s a lot of fun,” said Topping.

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Prince George Cougars:
The Prince George Cougars participate in a myriad of community events, but one of the more profound initiatives centres around breast cancer. After returning from a road game in late September that didn’t go their way, the Prince George Cougars rallied together, early the next morning, for something more important: supporting current patients and survivors of breast cancer at the CIBC Run for the Cure.

Before the race began, the Cougars met and listened to the experiences and stories of breast cancer survivors, women actively fighting the disease and family members that have lost a loved one to the cause.

“It was incredibly eye-opening and moving,” said Prince George captain, Josh Curtis. “It was an honour to be able to recognize survivors and those who are still fighting. We were happy to show our support to something that is so much bigger than hockey.”

Following the presentation, the Cougars handed out pink carnations to the women in the crowd as a show of support in the fight against breast cancer. The Cougars also cheered on race participants as they came into the finish line.

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Vancouver Giants:
In the beginning of the 2018-19 season, the Vancouver Giants launched a new community initiative called “Be A Giant.” The program focuses on encouraging elementary school-aged children to practice social responsibility, while at the same time providing teachers with supplementary resources for this very timely project. “Be A Giant” is based on four pillars for students: to Be A Giant in school, in the community, at home and for their own health.

Vancouver Giants players present the program to kids and staff members, asking them to complete each pillar five different ways as part of the challenge. “Be A Giant” passports were handed out to students and teachers to aid in the success of the challenge and allow students to keep track of their accomplishments.

For every student and teacher that was involved and completed the challenge, they were given a complimentary ticket to come to the Giants game at Pacific Coliseum on December 2, 2018. In the inaugural year of the program, approximately 4,000 kids across the Lower Mainland took part in the challenge.

“Our Be A Giant program is a very important initiative to us as players,” said Vancouver Giants captain, Jared Dmytriw. “When I was younger, I had Regina Pats come and visit my school for various reasons. I know the great impact their words had on me, and it’s awesome with the “Be A Giant” program that we are able to get out and interact with kids to not only help them set goals with their school work but also explaining the importance of being a leader in the community and how everyone can “Be A Giant” and make a difference. It’s great to be able to get out in the community that supports us so well, and I know we all take great pride in it.”

For the students, the ongoing success of the “Be A Giant” program attests to the fact that they all can be “Giants” whether they play hockey or not; a truly commendable realization.

Victoria Royals:
The Victory Royals believe that literacy is a key component to the present and future success of any child. To ensure that success, the hockey club has committed to working with students, teachers, schools and parents to promote reading with today’s youth.

“I know for us it’s a big focus to continue our education and particularly reading because it helps with school and our lives in our post-hockey careers,” said Victoria Royals captain, Scott Walford.

The “Hat Trick for Literacy” program is offered to all elementary schools in the Greater Victoria School District and is aimed at students in Kindergarten through Grade 6. Royals players regularly visit schools in the area to promote the benefits of literacy to students, explain the “Hat Trick for Literacy” challenge, and either play floor hockey with the students and/or participate in a reading hour in the classroom.

The challenge involves students reading three books, writing three book reports and participating in 30 minutes of physical activity per week. When students complete the challenge, they are rewarded with one free ticket to a Victoria Royals game during the 2018-19 WHL Regular Season.

“Going out and helping out with this program, is really one of the most enjoyable things that we do. Talking with the kids, reading to them and playing floor hockey with them – it truly is our pleasure,” said Walford.

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