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Teddy Bear Toss Returns!
Tension built for more than two and a half periods before the dam finally broke and stuffed toys poured down on the Charlie Purdey Arena ice last Friday in Shawnigan’s second annual Teddy Bear Toss ice hockey game.
Teddy Bear Tosses have become popular at ice rinks across Canada and the US over the last 30-plus years, recently spreading to other countries and other sports. Fans are prompted to throw teddy bears and other stuffed toys onto the ice when a team scores its first goal, and the toys are donated to local hospitals or other charitable organizations.
Shawnigan’s hockey program worked alongside the Victoria Hospital Foundation and the Child Life Unit at Victoria General Hospital and a private donor to generate a charitable donation of $15,000 towards the unit, in addition to all of the bears collected. The U17 Prep team was responsible for generating $5,000 of this donation through sales of bears in the Houses, with a combined bear sale between pre-sales and door sales of over 400 bears.
The U17 Prep team helped decide that the funds will be used by the Child Life Unit to help support patients with iPads and stands.
The players, who wore special teddy bear-themed jerseys for the event, were joined in the dressing room before the game by Jeremy Lister, an inspiring young cancer patient who has received a significant amount of care at VGH, including chemotherapy from the VGH Pediatric Oncology Clinic as a baby, and has been supported by Child Life throughout his health journey.
Shawnigan U17 Prep captain Matthew M. was in and out of the Victoria General Hospital for the first 10 years of his life. For last Friday’s game, he brought in a teddy bear he was given by the Child Life Unit during one of his stays for a major treatment, and talked to his teammates about the impact something like that can have on a child.
“The money we raised is big, but the teddy bears are bigger for those kids,” he said.
Shawnigan’s first goal – which was also the first goal of the game – didn’t come until after the halfway point of the third period, when Spencer C. broke a scoreless deadlock with Pacific Coast Hockey Academy and caused hundreds of bears to rain down. Local minor hockey players helped the Shawnigan players collect the toys in what U17 Prep head coach Mr. James Gaertner called “a heartfelt moment of community.”
“The excitement of finally getting a goal, it was all any of us could ask for,” Matthew said. “After all that buildup, it brought so much joy to everyone.”
The game ended 2-0 in Shawnigan’s favour, with Matthew adding an empty-net goal and Donagh E. making 25 saves for his first shutout of the season.
“The Teddy Bear Toss event was overwhelmingly successful,” Mr. Gaertner said. “The team played hard, with poise and discipline throughout the match.”
Mr. Gaertner expressed thanks to Eleanor Diekert and Kevin Scott of the Victoria Hospital Foundation and Becki Steel of the Child Life Unit, and to the parents and players for their support for making this event a success.
Several of the U17 Prep players will be travelling to Victoria this Friday to drop the bears, and Matthew is looking forward to seeing the faces of the young patients when they receive their stuffed toys.
“It will be exciting for them,” he said, “and for us.”
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful Pacific Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
