Saturday, December 15, 2018
Hazing-A Nasty Business
It has always been my
position that if a player has the talent and the skills to become a
member of a team, he or she should not be subjected to the activity
commonly known as hazing. The
topic has been in the news recently, due to the information that came
out of St. Michael's School in Toronto, and several other incidents
which have taken place over the years.
I
recently noticed on Sean Kelly's Facebook page that he was discussing
that topic with a former hockey player, along with a doctor from
Belleville, Dr. Julie Gowthorpe. The player in question was Ryan
Munce, and he was mainly referring to his time with the Sarnia Sting.
Another of his teammates, Daniel Carcillo, has also discussed hazing
incidents from that time with the Sting, recently reported in The
Globe and Mail.
I
was able to listen to the show via the internet, as I currently
reside in Fort Myers. I have always been keenly interested in the
topic, and, for the most part, I am completely against any
dehumanizing behaviour that goes under the guise of “hazing”.
Many schools entertain activities to “welcome” new members,
particularly sororities and fraternities. I believe there are no
fraternities nor sororities at Queen's University in Kingston,
because there were serious injuries that resulted from those
activities, many years ago.
Hazing
is usually done by older members of the organization to “initiate”
the new members or the rookies. The intent is to bring the new
members into the family, so that they get to develope the team
attitude or spirit. Unfortunately, in many situations, the veterans
go far over the line. Therein lies the tragedy.
In
Junior Hockey in Canada, some of the veteran players are 21 years
old. Many of the rookies are barely 16, and do not live at home. In
some instances, far from home, with billets. Many of the billets,
families who provide a home for the players, are wonderful, and offer
a great comfort to the young players. Others are horrific, in the
game to collect money from the team, but supplying little to the
players. These young men have voracious appetites, and need plenty of
nutrients to survive. There are cases of billets who lock fridges and
cupboards; there are others who provided a can of beans and an opener
for dinner. Teams attempt to screen for good billets, but there are a
few who slip through the cracks.
Essentially,
these horrible hazing practices involve bullies. The whole topic of
bullying has become an important one in our society. I hinted that
the difference in age is a factor in junior hockey. There is more to
it than that. The older players are usually larger and stronger. They
have been together for 3 or 4 years, and may hang around together.
The “veterans” were bullied and hazed when they were the rookies.
They believe it is their right to dish it out to the new kids.
Occasionally, they go too far.
Hazing
arises from bullying. Bullies exist in all walks of life. To name a
few: sports, religion, education, politics, business, certainly in
the military. I am certain you could add many other categories to
this list, individual areas that might have affected you.
During
the interview, it was pointed out on several occasions by Dr.
Gowthorpe that hazing can be a traumatic experience, and a very
unnecessary one. For Ryan Munce, and Daniel Carcillo, it was indeed
traumatic.
To
be continued next week.
James
Hurst
# posted by James Hurst @ 9:25 AM 
