At the end of the fall term, the Men's Hockey team visited the Children at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital. Many of these children are paralyzed for life and may never walk again. Similarly, some of these children have blood disorders and cancer that has a daily effect on their mental and physical health. Although a few of the players on the men's hockey team had final exams when the team took the trip, many of the players were able to make it. Peter Boldt '10 had a final exam presentation when the team went but Peter remembered his trip there last year and is really looking forward to going back soon. Boldt described how he was, “privileged to visit some children in the Critical Condition area. Some were too shy to talk to us, but one in particular really enjoyed having myself and two teammates in his room.” Boldt continued to remember his experience and said that, “we probably spent about 30 minutes talking about Christmas, his family, the accident that caused his trip to the hospital, and hockey.” Boldt is really excited to go next year and highlighted the fact that, “it's not very often that we get a chance to support the people who cheer for us throughout the year.”
A few of Boldt's teammates, Joe Stejskal '11, Jody O'Neill '12, Doug Jones '12, and Kyle Schussler '12 were all very enthusiastic about their trip to CHAD. Stejskal said, “it was great to see the look on the kids' faces when we arrived with toys. They seemed a little nervous at first, but when we began playing with them it was apparent that we brightened their day.” Ultimately, Stejskal thought that the experience was positive for both himself and the kids at CHAD because, “it was something that both the kids and the hockey guys do not get to experience very often.” Freshman Goalie Jody O'Neill echoed similar themes from the team's trip to CHAD because, “it really reminded me how much I have to be thankful for. It was a very humbling experience.”
Other Big Green Skaters, Jones and Schussler were just as ecstatic as Boldt, Stejskal, and O'Neill about their visit. Jones described it as, “a great opportunity to give back to the community. Even if those kids were not interested in us as hockey players, it was awesome to see the smiles on their faces as they played with the toys we brought”. Similarly, Schussler hopes that “the kids had as much fun as we did playing with their race cars and video games.” Schussler really wants for the team to do it again soon.
It is a great tradition for the Men's Hockey team to go to CHAD every December and the team's ability to go to CHAD and spend a few hours there playing with young, ill children shows the Men's Hockey Team's dedication to the community. Hopefully, other teams will also have the opportunity to visit the children at CHAD. The experience seems to be just as, or even more enjoyable for the athletes to be playing with the kids than the kids seeing the athletes. It is a very rewarding experience and we look forward to featuring future highlights on other student-athlete visits to Children's Hospital!
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