When a group of people, spurred by the collapse of our arena’s roof, embarked on a campaign to capture the hearts of hundreds of thousands across Canada and win the Kraft Hockeyville 2014 title, the monetary prize was just one facet of the final goal.
Of course another was the chance to host a real live NHL game in our remaining multiplex. The possibility of an Edmonton-Calgary game played half way between the two cities is very exciting for many of our citizens.
But as has been cited by several people, the building of community spirit is probably the most dramatic result that we could expect. That’s certainly been accomplished. People have rallied around the campaign, they’ve donated hundreds and hundreds of hours to voting and other volunteer activities surrounding the campaign. We’ve seen the support first hand at so many events. The only question that needs to be asked on a Sunday or Monday in the past week was “Are you voting?” The response has been an overwhelming, “Yes, many times!”
People have reached out to surrounding communities for support — exactly as we reached out when we needed ice time to assist our minor hockey teams complete their seasons. The reach, however, has gone across Canada. From coast to coast to coast. A chart on the Sylvan Lake Hockeyville 2014 Facebook page includes people who have reported voting from Newfoundland to British Columbia to Yukon and Northwest Territories.
We’re also gaining publicity across the country. That publicity, some of the organizers content, could well translate into a positive image of our community which will remain uppermost in the minds of people looking for a Central Alberta community to call home.
As we await eagerly the announcement on Saturday night of the Top 2 (and plan for the final round of voting) we want to one last time encourage our residents to pursue our goal to the end. We believe we can win the premier prize in this competition. And then bask in the glory of a challenge met with such fervent enthusiasm by our residents and our supporters.
Let’s do this. We can win!