This year, the ATB Financial Charity Shootout on CTV Rink of Dreams will be raising money for the Autism Society of Edmonton Area and other charities in our community! It's a charity hockey shootout, with Josh Classen in net, and participants competing to see who can raise the most money for their charity of choice. Every charity will get at least $1,500, and the winner's charity will get more than $3,500. Plus, there will be a bonfire, hot chocolate, big sky, and lots of smiles and laughs!
The first round is starting at 11 AM on Sunday, January 15 at CTV's Rink of Dreams on 18520 Stony Plain Rd. Good luck to John Windwick of ATB Financial, who will be shooting to raise money for the Autism Society! Go John go! So why not come out and join us, have a great time, and cheer John on!
You can read the full information below:
Hello, and welcome to the 2012 version of the ATB Financial Charity Shootout on the CTV Rink of Dreams! A few years ago, after our first backyard rink melted, we were sitting around in the CTV newsroom trying to figure out how to make it better. Build it bigger? Get an earlier start to flooding? We knew we were missing something. And what we were missing was a way to make that rink do some good in the community. Don’t get me wrong. It was fun to go out during lunch or after work to play some shinny in the great outdoors, but it wasn’t all that could be done with that piece of ice.
Reporter Susan Amerongen suggested we figure out a way to have a charity shootout. An NHL-style shootout with Josh Classen in net and money going to charity. A bonfire. Hot chocolate. Big sky. Lots of smiles and laughs, all in the service of those agencies and organizations that do so much and so much unheralded work for our community. Organizations that maybe don’t have big fundraising arms. This would help them help others.
Great idea!
Where’s the money?
Enter ATB Financial.
John Windwick and his colleagues loved the idea, and put their money where there love was. That has now grown into the biggest ever ATB Financial Charity shootout, which, this year, offers $20,000 in prize money. There are a couple of new features this time around, but this first note tells you the basics.
THE COIN – Of utmost importance is the fact that today, CTV consumer reporter Laura Lowe planted the lucky loonie at centre ice. Check out the attached pic.
STRUCTURE – What you have to know about this tournament is that we conduct half of it one day, and the rest the following week. This is how it works. On Sunday, January 15, 2012, the shootout participants, the organizations and their cheering sections and anyone else you want to invite, and all of us in TV land meet on the Rink of Dreams. It is located behind our studios at 18520 Stony Plain Rd. At 11 am or so, we conduct the first round of the tournament. There are four head-to-head matches from which four winners emerge. We keep the results secret, and the highlights air on CTV News at 6 on Monday, January 16 and Tuesday, January 17. The first two first round winners then meet in the first semi-final live on CTV News at 6 on Wednesday, January 18. January 19 is the second semi. The final goes on Friday, January 20, but not before we have a ceremonial puck drop and the national anthem!
THE PRIZES – Each first round participant gets $1,500 for his or her charity. First round winners get an additional $500 each. Semi-final winners get an additional $750 each. The shootout winner gets an additional $1,000. That means the winner makes, by my unofficial math, $3750 for his/her charity. Goaltender Josh Classen gets $3500 for his charity.
THE RULES – More to come, but the rules basically follow those of an NHL shootout: three shots each followed by one shot until any tie is broken.
THE SCENE – It’s beautiful. The rink is nestled in a stand of tall spruce trees and there’s a tree with 1,000 lights in it. There is a bonfire. You can see your breath in the air. People are laughing and cheering. The rink is essentially a TV set with cameras and cables and lights everywhere.
THE HOST – CTV anchor/reporter Erin Isfeld returns again as your on-ice, on-air host. Issy, as we call her, is awesome!
THE CHARITIES – Here is this year’s roster of who the event is supporting and their shooters. It is impressive. Sport Central (CTV Morning Live anchor Rob Williams), Edmonton Down Syndrome Society (CTV editor Pam Leier), Autism Society of Edmonton (ATB vice president John Windwick), Society for Safe and Caring Schools (CTV entertainment reporter Graham Neil), iHuman (CTV weekend anchor Scott Roberts), Alberta Association for the Dependent Handicapped (CTV anchor Daryl McIntyre), The Arthritis Society (CTV sports reporter/anchor Darcy Seaton), contestant (TBA), ABC Headstart (Josh Classen).
ONE OPEN SPOT – As in past years, we save one spot in the tournament for our contest winner.
THE STORIES – We ask that the organizations be open to CTV’s Graham Neil dropping by with a camera to interview you and let us air a story about the work you do in the community. Those stories would air in the days before the contest airs.
THANK YOU! – There will be more notes (we have a new feature this year called Joe v. The Pro) and pics that we will share in the days ahead. We just want to thank all of you for making this event a great statement about who we are, where we live, what we think is important.
Now, let it snow!!!
Glenn Kubish
Director of News & Public Affairs
780-486-9280/780-271-4536
