Sometimes a little friendly rivalry is just the ticket to promote a great cause, especially when it involves good hockey.
Sara Bourque and Maddux Swayze, Student Representative Presidents for Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Civil Engineering, respectively, saw their mutual camaraderie pause briefly for an entertaining showdown on the ice between their two engineering departments.
“The creation of the game brings out how people want to support their discipline,” says Swayze. “At Queen’s, people identify with engineering and their discipline more so than at other schools.”
The Second Annual Steel Cup was held on February 8 at the Kingston Memorial Centre. This volunteer-run event featured a student-led hockey match that attracted over 650 spectators. The audience primarily consisted of civil and mechanical engineering students, graduate students, parents, and professors.
"Hockey is a common winter sport among people in engineering,” says Swayze. “Many Civil and Mechanical students are on the engineering hockey team and play other hockey outside school. It seemed like the most well-liked sport, so we decided that's what we wanted to do for our fundraiser."
The final score was 7-3 for the Civil team.
The game raised a total profit of $8,000 through the help of an online application to boost ticket sales. Half of the profits was used toward the end-of-year Mechanical and Civil Engineering discipline banquets to help make ticket prices more affordable for students.
The other half has been donated to Home Base Housing (HBH), a local nonprofit organization in Kingston that provides housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness. HBH’s newest facility, the Kingston Youth Services Hub (KYSH), is currently being built and was chosen as the Steel Cup’s charity of choice.
“We wanted to choose a local cause in Kingston, and we decided to focus on homelessness,” says Bourque. “The money will go toward building a new shelter for youth and a centre to teach them life skills. We thought it would be a good way to give back to the community where people can set themselves up for success.”
“It's a good opportunity for Home Base to get its name out there. They are still looking for donations for their project, and it's great that our event can help raise awareness. That's my hope,” says Swayze.
Although this year was a resounding success, Bourque (who will graduate this year) and Swayze (who will continue to work on the Steel Cup next year) hope that next year’s third annual event will be even bigger and better. They expect it will grow in popularity annually with increased sponsorships and more opportunities to donate to important community causes. They’d also like to see more subsidized costs for their own student-run events. Eventually, being big enough to move the game to the Slush Puppie Place arena is also a long-term goal.
“My favorite thing about hockey and the Steel Cup overall is its energy and how it has the power to bring people together,” says Bourque. “Everyone is cheering for a common team, and it raises school spirit.”
Swayze adds: “The camaraderie that I saw being formed was really cool to see.”
