18-19 Midget | Nov 23, 2018 | April Finney | 2055 views
Big Wildcat / Little Wildcat - Giving Back
The Midget AAA Whitby Wildcats have partnered with
the Novice AAA Whitby Wildcats in a team initiative through mentorship.
The Midget AAA idea in having a buddy (also known as their “little cat”) is to encourage the children, through positive relationship-building, the importance of character in hockey and being a contributing member of the community at large. Both teams are thankful for the privilege of playing in the Whitby Minor Hockey Association regardless of their age level.
The boys get together once a month to do team building and activities together. They also get out to watch and support each other on the ice at both games and practices as much as possible.
“Since I started playing hockey I have always followed 3 rules that my parents taught me from day one. To always try hard, listen to the coaches, and to always have fun. The Big Wildcat / Little Wildcat program allows our team to be able to give back to the community and pass on these life lessons to the Novice team. It allows both teams to take a break from hockey and lets us talk and laugh with the younger boys.” – Andrew Swan, Captain of Whitby Wildcats Midget AAA
The novice boys have also voiced a positive experience as well:
"My favourite part of having a Bigcat buddy is that he tells me how to play my position, and that we watched their game, and they watched ours." – Gage Leyes, Whitby Wildcats Novice AAA
“I like getting to talk to them and getting to know who they are. I like watching their practices and seeing them compete. I really like my buddy, he is super friendly. His name is Brendan. I feel like I have learned from them.” – Luke Haars, Whitby Wildcats Novice AAA
Both teams look forward to more events throughout the year where they can continue to build on their relationship.