Woolwich residents have had plenty of fun showing their support for the township’s Hockeyville bid. The community support has been fantastic, showing what can happen when we rally around a common goal. There may be more noble causes, but hockey is quintessentially Canadian, something most of us can relate to.
As of 11 p.m. tonight (Saturday), however, the serious work of securing votes – and plenty of them – gets underway.
Woolwich is going to need a concerted effort to best the competition, Terrace, BC; Humboldt, SK; Thetford Mines, QC and Harbour Grace, NFLD.
Last year’s winner, Roberbal, QC, garnered some 2.3 million votes to take the title. The local organizing committee is pushing for 5.5 million votes, that’s about 255 votes for every man, woman and child in the township. Of course, it won’t just be Woolwich residents voting for us. (In that vein, there will be more than the residents of the four other towns taking part in their efforts.)
While regionalism isn’t always a good idea, there’s no doubt that Woolwich is now Team Ontario. The feature stories about each competitor aired on the CBC will help sway voters not directly connected to the communities vying to be named Hockeyville. On that front, Woolwich has a compelling story.
There’s Dan Snyder, the Elmira man who’s perseverance and love of the game led him to the NHL, but whose career was cut short in 2003 by a horrific car accident far away in Georgia, casting a spotlight on two young Atlanta Thrashers teammates: Dan Snyder, the young man who fought hard to live the dream of every young hockey player, and Dany Heatley, a rising NHL star.
After the media coverage of young athletes, exotic cars and speed, it soon became clear, however, that the real story – the lasting impression we’ll keep of the ordeal – was the way Heatley was embraced by the Snyder family. From the day after the accident right through the young star’s court appearances on felony charges related to the crash, Graham, LuAnne, Jake and Erika have shown complete support for Heatley.
Then came the golf tournament and charitable foundation established in Dan Snyder’s name. The community rallied to build a new multi-use recreational complex – along with a bevy of other rec. facilities – setting a fundraising goal of $5.5 million, an ambitious goal for a township of 21,500. Along with the big events, there were countless small fundraising efforts, from raffles and bake sales to lemonade stands and car washes, all with one objective in mind.
The fruit of that labour can now be seen taking form adjacent to the current Elmira Arena. When it opens in the fall, the Woolwich Memorial Centre will be home to the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena.
The same spirit that made the WMC possible is now being called upon for a four-day push of voting, voting, voting and more voting.
The Observer has issued a challenge to residents, asking them to vote 1,000 times. It seems a little daunting, but it is doable, requiring only the will, a chunk of your time over the next few days and perhaps the risk of a mild repetitive strain injury. A small price to pay to see all of the effort put into the Hockeyville bid pay off with the big prize.
Vote early. Vote often.
