On March 30, the players in Parkland’s hockey academy took to the ice to face off against their toughest competitors yet: the Parkland staff. This took place during the Parkland Cup, an annual event hosted by the Parkland student council to increase school spirit and showcase the players in the hockey academy program.
The Parkland Cup was started by Kim Blair, a Grade 12 student at Parkland and co-chair of the student council. She was inspired by the Viking Cup, a similar annual hockey game that is held by North Saanich middle school. When Kim came to Parkland in Grade 9, she wanted to continue the tradition, and since Parkland already had a hockey academy program, it was a perfect fit. Now the event is in its fourth year, and every year the crowd of spectators has grown.
“I’m super proud of how it’s grown and pleased it’s now become a community event,” Kim told me. “I wanted to start a legacy and this is it.”
The Parkland hockey academy is an eight-credit course that consists of three on-ice sessions at Panorama Recreation Centre and two dry land training sessions at the school per week. The students receive instruction in fitness, physiology, and leadership and are coached by professional instructors.
The program allows hockey enthusiasts to develop their skills while receiving credit for it at school, and as a bonus, they get to test their skills against some familiar faces in the Parkland Cup.
Parkland Cup was an exciting game this year, ending in a 7-4 victory for the staff, who turned out to be surprisingly agile. However, many of the students appeared to be quite talented, which made the game a close one until the end. The referees and coaches for the students’ team were students as well and they did an excellent job of making sure the game ran smoothly.
Attending the Parkland Cup was an entertaining way to spend the afternoon. Watching peers and teachers go head-to-head in a friendly match was definitely worth watching, and it was great to see so many community members attending this year.
Hopefully next year’s event will be equally exciting, and we might even be able witness the students taking back the cup from the currently victorious staff team.
Catriona Dempsey is a Grade 11 student at Parkland secondary school.