Ice Hockey team robbed during game
Donation protected
This past weekend, while in the middle of one of their crucial fundraisers against the alumni team, the University of Tennessee Ice Vols were robbed. A thief entered their locker room and took over $700 cash that they had raised to go toward their operating budget. It was a devastating set back for this group of players who reach into their pockets constantly to fund the sport they cherish, for the school they love. Having a lack of funding, sometimes means that they play in older or ripped jerseys, or travel roundtrip to their SEC opponents games forgoing hotel rooms because of the cost.
Most of us cheer on our favorite sports teams without really thinking about or knowing their backstory. The SEC schools give major amounts of funding to their sports teams, but Hockey is different. Hockey in the SEC schools is a Non-Varsity sport meaning that very little funding is given to these athletes by their schools. Yet they continue to thrive. There dedication to the sport means that their equipment, uniforms, travel expenses, Ice time, etc..are funded by the kids themselves.
I'm not affiliated with this team at all, but I have watched them play and I am familiar with their back story. The University of Tennessee Ice Vols were the first SEC Hockey team founded in 1966. Knowing that they have made it this many years, self funded, shows us their dedication. They have no backing of an athletic department to buy them fresh uniforms every season, and a beautiful chartered bus to travel to their games. Their success, like the other SEC teams, is a direct result of the individual players, their parents, their coaching staff, and of course....their fans. Please help donate any amount at all so that not only can we replenish the stolen money, but give them a little bit of help this year so that maybe they can concentrate on practicing and having fun, rather than on fundraisers to exist!
All funds recieved from this campaign, minus any GoFundMe fees, will be turned over to the team directly.
http://www.wate.com/story/26709831/ut-hockey-team-target-of-weekend-theft
Most of us cheer on our favorite sports teams without really thinking about or knowing their backstory. The SEC schools give major amounts of funding to their sports teams, but Hockey is different. Hockey in the SEC schools is a Non-Varsity sport meaning that very little funding is given to these athletes by their schools. Yet they continue to thrive. There dedication to the sport means that their equipment, uniforms, travel expenses, Ice time, etc..are funded by the kids themselves.
I'm not affiliated with this team at all, but I have watched them play and I am familiar with their back story. The University of Tennessee Ice Vols were the first SEC Hockey team founded in 1966. Knowing that they have made it this many years, self funded, shows us their dedication. They have no backing of an athletic department to buy them fresh uniforms every season, and a beautiful chartered bus to travel to their games. Their success, like the other SEC teams, is a direct result of the individual players, their parents, their coaching staff, and of course....their fans. Please help donate any amount at all so that not only can we replenish the stolen money, but give them a little bit of help this year so that maybe they can concentrate on practicing and having fun, rather than on fundraisers to exist!
All funds recieved from this campaign, minus any GoFundMe fees, will be turned over to the team directly.
http://www.wate.com/story/26709831/ut-hockey-team-target-of-weekend-theft
Organizer
Lori Seligson Brooks
Organizer
Knoxville, TN
