Premier Wynne briefly addressed the Waterloo Ravens and Leaside Wildcats girls teams at Leaside Gardens today (Saturday, March 12, 2016) before their game. Then she dropped the puck in the ceremonial fashion. The under-nine aged girls “applauded” Wynne’s remarks with the well-known hockey stick racket. The game featured novice girls at the Leaside Wildcats March Madness Hocky Tournament. Jennifer Smith, president of Wildcats hockey, said the match saw girls in the novice development stream (DS) from Leaside against a DS team of Waterloo Ravens. The DS stream offers girls with talent and a desire to play competitively to move from house league to the “big time” of girls’ amateur hockey.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
Leaside Gardens was full Friday night as players came and went. Parents and kids talked in the hallways and checked out silent auction offerings in the William Lea Room. The social activity was punctuated by a recurrent thump thump thump of hockey bags on wheels descending the stairs to the dressing rooms. (You will hear one on the video below). Boisterous hockey dads cheered on teams as games were played one after another with just enough time between to flood the ice.
DEMOCRATIC HOCKEY
The benefits of the hockey experience to a girl (or boy) is easily understood. Teamwork, strenuous effort, new friends and a new involvement with their parents But March Madness reveals the hockey rink as a social leveler for kids. Girls on teams without fancy jerseys or socks can compete and win against those who may have better gear. When that happens, it’s a good lesson for both teams.
