Sam’s Jam evolving into the ‘Regatta of CBS’

By Craig Westcott

It was the fourth year for Sam’s Jam and if anyone doubted the massive ball hockey tournament held on the grounds of Admirals Academy in Kelligrews would eventually fizzle out, the 5,000 to 6,000 children, parents, grandparents and volunteers who showed up again July 4 -5 indicated otherwise.
The tournament was started in memory of six-year-old Sammy Porter, who drowned while swimming with friends in Seal Cove five years ago and is run by the Sammy’s Climb Higher Foundation, a charity started by his family to honour his memory by raising money to help children afford to participate in sports.
Sammy’s great uncle Paul Connors, a former town councillor and now the Liberal MP for Avalon, chairs the volunteer group that runs the foundation and organizes the tournament. Even he is a bit surprised at the life the tournament has taken on in memory of a child who loved to play sports and hang out with friends.
“What started out to be a memorial event to remember Sammy, a six-year-old boy, has become so much bigger. We could never have imagined it,” Connors said. “It’s a community event that brings everyone together through sports and friendship and kindness and compassion. People tell us that families actually plan their lives around Sam Jam and that it is probably their favourite weekend of the summer. That says so much.”
This year’s event saw 152 teams comprised of 1,500 youngsters from around the province play 336 round robin and play-off games in 16 steel mesh enclosed rinks on the front and back parking lots of the school. With free bouncy castles, chip trucks and other concessions, the crowded, festive atmosphere reminded some people of the St. John’s Regatta.
“People are coming and meeting up with friends they haven’t seen in years, yes, it’s a great event for bringing people together.” Connors agreed. “Our family is very honoured. Although it’s a tragic thing that happened, what’s after happening with Sam Jam has made the heartbreaking, life changing tragedy of losing Sam a little bit more bearable for his parents Angie and Steve and his brother Aiden. As Angie has said, it’s filled with everything that Sam loved in his short life – sports, friends… there’s fun, competition, and just people coming together. And it just continues to grow evermore.”
Sam Jam has become the largest event in the town’s annual Kelligrews Soiree summer festival.
With so many people converging on the school, which is located next to Mary Brown’s and The Dollar Store on the main road, the foundation uses a traffic control company, along with volunteers, to ensure everyone navigates the area safely and there are no disruptions to traffic.
Connors couldn’t even count how many people help out, everyone from the main planners to the people who help with parking, picking up garbage, selling 50/50 tickets, and helping players navigate their way to the right rink at the right time. Some 70 to 80 volunteers serve as referees and scorekeepers.
“People come in and they know something has got to be done, and they just go do it,” Connors said. “The whole thing is how the community comes together.”
Then there’s the business support.
“We have corporate sponsors who are very good to us,” Connors said. “We don’t expect anything for free, but they always help us out. We had this year 106 businesses that in some way helped out Sam Jam either through monetary donations, or through a combination of monetary and in-kind contributions. We have construction companies that send up workers (to erect the steel fencing around each rink). We can’t say enough about the businesses that come forward to help us out.”
As a result of the monies raised at Sam Jam, and the foundation’s other big fundraiser – Sam’s Superhero hockey game staged in conjunction with the CB Senior Blues hockey team every winter – some $127,000 has been donated over the past four years to more than 150 children and families across the province who have needed help with paying sports registration fees or buying equipment.
Interest in the ball hockey tournament is so high, the foundation has had to cap the number of teams at 152 in order to fit all the action on the grounds of Admiralty Academy, where Sammy went to school. But they make sure that all those who participate have a special experience. This year, a team of 11-year-olds from Bonavista got trapped for hours in a lineup on the TransCanada after the highway was closed because of a serious accident. They called in to say they were probably going to have to default their first game. Rather than see that happen, Connors and Sammy’s mom Angie rescheduled all their games for later that evening – not an easy task given the the number of teams and games on the schedule across age groups running from Kindergarten to high school.
“Nobody in their division wanted that team to default,” said Connors. “They never got here until 7 o’clock that night and they were willing to play their three games back-to-back to back in order to get their games in… And they were so appreciative. Myself and Angie said afterwards, that’s what Sam Jam is all about. It’s not about the competition; it’s about the love of the game.”
The tournament also has an inclusion division that enables children with physical and other challenges who might not otherwise get a chance to participate to play ball hockey and make memories.
“They have so much fun,” Connors said. “When you see the smiles and the excitement on their faces when their given a Sam’s jersey or a Climb Higher award or lift the championship trophy, it’s just unbelievable. That’s a huge part of it and that goes on throughout the day.”
The tournament’s showcase rink is called the Rink of Memories. Along the boards are the names of children who were taken too soon, either due to tragic accidents, or illnesses.
“It’s an opportunity to honour kids who never spent a whole lot of time here with us, but in some way changed the world, who gave us memories that will last a lifetime,” Connors said. “It’s our way of trying to remember them.”
Connors is confident Sam Jam will be around next year and for more years to come.
“As soon as you walk into the school parking lot you can feel it,” he said. “It’s definitely a different atmosphere. The ball hockey may bring people here, but once they arrive it quickly becomes secondary. It’s a sense of friendship, support and community. It’s almost impossible to put into words. Everybody feels it.”