OACS News Service

TCS Williamsburg fantasy hockey league 'a fun way to build community'
Principal Gary Postma organizes online league of 14 hockey teams
Friday February 5, 2010 -- Michelle Strutzenberger
An online hockey league consisting of members of the Timothy Christian School (TCS) community in Williamsburg is proving to be a fun way to build school community, say those involved.

Launched in September by principal Gary Postma, the fantasy hockey league has 14 members who are all either current or former parents, current students or alumni of the school.

Each of the members manages a team in the fantasy league and does what all team managers do, including making trades, drafting players and picking up free agents.

They are all vying to reach the top spot in the league, which they achieve through a win-loss-tie formula arranged by the fantasy sport’s organizer yahoo.com.

Postma has designated prizes, all TCS clothing items, for the winning three managers in the TCS league.

“It just kind of builds good feelings, it’s fun to play, and it keeps the TCS community together in a totally different context,” says Postma.

“We’re not working on a committee, we’re not doing any planning for a bazaar. We’re just sitting at our computers, we put in five to 10 minutes a night, and just play against the other teams.”

Former TCS board chair Art Pol, who is currently in the winning position in the TCS league, says he got involved because he’s a huge hockey fan.

“I think you have to be a big hockey fan to do this,” says Pol.

“You have to manage a team on a daily basis, stay up-to-date on what’s going on in the NHL and stuff like that.”

He agrees with Postma that it provides a fun venue for connecting members of the school community.

“It’s a way of building community spirit,” says Pol, noting he now communicates with people almost daily that he wouldn’t be in touch with for weeks or even months at a time.

Once the fantasy hockey league season is over, which coincides with the end of the real-life sport's season, Postma is planning a TCS fantasy baseball league.

He says he would like to alternate between the two sports throughout the year.

“I would expect that (the fantasy sports) will grow quite a bit in the next few rounds, because it’s proving pretty popular,” he says.

To learn more about the fantasy hockey league visit this link.

If you have feedback on this article please contact michelle(at)axiomnews.ca, or call the newsroom at 800-294-0051.

The OACS News Service is independently written and produced. The stories are researched, written and posted by Axiom News Service without prior editorial approval from either OACS or their members.

Stories may be reprinted in their entirety with permission and when appropriately credited. Please contact Axiom News at 1-800-294-0051 for more information.