Grade 3 and 4 students at Roosevelt Park Elementary School can now play floor hockey with brand new sticks, thanks to funding from Pinnacle Renewable Energy and private sponsors.
The kids, who are an especially hockey-motivated class this year, had only half-a-dozen plastic sticks before that continued to break. That’s when French Immersion teacher Mike McDowall approached Steve Robin, general manager of Pinnacle Renewable Energy in Prince Rupert.
“Pinnacle is very much into helping out with sports and education. It’s one of our big things that we like to contribute to. Mike brought the idea to me … it was a no-brainer to get on board,” Robin said.
Roosevelt purchased 24 sticks with the $1,000 donations — $500 by Pinnacle and $500 from private sponsors. The new sticks are fibreglass, making them much more difficult to break, and safer.
“These ones are higher quality, they’re a little safer. These ones will hold up to the everyday use of the kids. With the fibreglass blades, they’re not going to bend them and get the puck up, so it’s safer as well,” McDowall said.
The students certainly seemed to enjoy them, playing a spirited round of floor hockey as they do twice a week. They may even be starting up a tournament of sorts soon, just in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“It’s a huge difference because this is fibreglass and that was just plastic,” said Grade 4 student Thor Pedersen, who played goalie.
Magnus Veldman echoed his support.
“They’re better than the last ones because they’re harder to break,” he said.