Champion’s Cup!

Ohhhh, hey there Finals! So nice to see you again.

The Toronto Rock knocked off the Buffalo Bandits in a close and scrappy match on Saturday night in Buffalo (12-11 to be exact). Of course, my friends and I traveled down to watch the team, well, some of us to get the largest cans of Corona I have ever seen, but nevertheless – we went, we cheered, we conquered!

Now what? Rematch time!

Last year the boys traveled to Everett, WA to take on the Washington Stealth for the cup, but this year, the Stealth are coming to us. Sunday May 15th, 2:00 at the Air Canada Centre.

You know what that means? New outfit! I’m serious, I actually need a Champs outfit. But that also means you get to be there Toronto! This is the first time we’ve hosted an NLL Champion’s Cup since 2005 (back when I was irresponsible at 19, memories).

Tickets are on sale as of 10:00 am on Monday morning, so get yours quick, and bring your outdoor voices. We need the 7th man (or woman) on the floor!

GO ROCK GO!

Game FACE!

Blackin’ Out Breast Cancer

As a female with ta-ta’s, this night means the world to me. The Toronto Rock took the floor on Friday vs. the Philly Wings with black jerseys and pink buckets on. Why? To raise a lot of money for Sunnybrook. Check out the latest episode of Rockin’ the Mic, featuring yours truly, Aaron Pascas, Glen Bryan and Rob Hellyer (who raised some hell on Friday during his first NLL game with his first goal!)

Also, a little blogging news. I will be guest blogging for Jason Mollica on his blog, so make sure to keep following my tweets, and stay tuned.

Love & Rockets,

SK

Rockin’ the Mic – Kids Night!

Hello faithful ‘Blackberry Winter’ readers!

I promised a new “Rockin’ the Mic” episode and here it is for your viewing pleasure! There is an interview with Rock Transition player #97 Kyle Ross, an update from Kids Rock Reporter Luke, and some highlights from our Kids Night. The next Rock home game is on March 4th (this Friday) and we are blacking out Breast Cancer again. Come on down to the ACC for a great game against the Philly Wings, and to help support our goal of naming an exam room at Sunnybrook after the team.
Go Rock Go!

Shannon in the City…

So I thought I’d post a bit about what I have been up to lately. Some pic-a-tures too. I’m entitling this blog “Shannon in the City”, because I was in the city, and my name is Shannon. Here we go…

Motionball:

On February 4th, many of Toronto’s finest YP’s headed out for a night at the Carlu. The goal of the night was to raise money for the Special Olympics, and to enjoy the open bar (some of us more than others). I have to say, I’ve been waiting to attend this event for year, and always had something going on the night of. It was worth the wait! Saw great friends, had fabulous conversations and danced my little (ok, that’s a lie, big) behind off.

Love A Heart:

This night was wild! I posted before about the premise of the evening, a bunch of twitter chic geeks auctioning off dates for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. That night $8,000 was raised, with Gail going for top seller of the night ($2,002 and worth every penny). She’s a gem, I can’t say enough about her, really. You can find Zach’s recap of the night here. I was lucky enough to be wearing a design by DeMOYO (an absolute sweetheart, thank you, thank you, thank you, for letting me rock your look).  I fetched $520, by being very persuasive… thanks to all who forked over a few bucks (especially John my date)!

Bon Jovi:

Shot through the heart, and you’re to blammmeeee. Wow, I could go on with lyrics forever. Swoon. Ok, so my Valentine’s Day started out rough with a fever (yummy) and ended with a fever (hot for BJ). Thanks to my boss at the Rock, I enjoyed a little eye and ear candy for the holiday. Who says you need a man to enjoy Valentine’s Day, I had a blast with friends.

Toronto Rock:

We’ve had 4 home games since the season started and 1 more coming up tomorrow. The first half of the home season has flown by and I have enjoyed every minute of it. A new episode of Rockin’ the Mic will be up soon, and includes my favourite 8 year old, Luke! Stay tuned for that.

That’s all for me, for now. Take care ya’ll and tweet me if ya need me.
Love & Rockets,
SK

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16, wait 25 Candles…

It’s starting to feel like one of my favourite John Hughes movies, Sixteen Candles. No one from my immediate family had contacted me to wish me a happy birthday – and I’ve seen some of them! Did they forget? Or are they thinking I am skipping this one and pretending I’m still 24? Either way, I am feeling like Molly Ringwald minus the awful style choices.

This means I get a Jake Ryan though, right?! I’ve thought long and hard about this with one of my best friends Jenna, and by long and hard I mean a few e-mails. I’m thinking my modern Jake Ryan would be Tyler Bozak – tall, dark and handsome and slightly out of my reach… not league, right?! Riiiight?! It would definitely make my birthday this year a little bit sweeter.

25 – wow, where have the years gone? I have to say that while looking through old photos yesterday, and coming across a photo of a little girl with her whole life ahead of her, I wondered “what if she knew, what I know now?” I wonder if I would have made the same choices. Cared as long about those who broke my heart, and realized that most who have come and gone have merely been a blip on the timeline of my life.

To be honest, I don’t think I would change a thing. I haven’t been around the world, but I have met some incredible people in my travels. I have had numerous experiences that most wouldn’t be able to have in an entire lifetime. Loved and lost hard, cared deeply for friends, and have had friends who have returned the favour. I wouldn’t change any of it all. When I was 13 sitting with my Mom, munching on Smarties celebrating another year gone by, I believed my life would be a whole lot different than it is today – and that’s ok by me. I’m kind of glad I didn’t grow up to be the person I thought I would be, I’m glad I turned out to be exactly the way I am.

Speaking of my Mom, this day is really about her. She did all the work, literally. And for that, thanks Mom. Love you to death – and I appreciate you tolerating me for all of these years.

So as I blow out my candles this year, in between wishes for Jake Ryan and a Toronto Rock championship (here, here!) I will wish for another splendid 25 years of growth, love and opportunity. Cheers!

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Filled with Thanks, Turkey too…

“Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.” – Margaret Peters

Every day an e-mail is sent around my office sharing an inspirational quote of the day, and this gem couldn’t have come at a better time. Fresh off a turkey a coma, I am ready to share what I am most thankful for – time. Time has blessed me with the ability to share moments with loved ones, to gain a better understanding of me as a person, and the wonderful realization that some people just aren’t meant to continue with you on your life path.

Without taking a spin down negative lane, I am thankful for some of my wonderful friends, who while I don’t necessarily understand all the time, bring joy to my life in forms that they will never know. 4 am phone calls that don’t go unanswered, daily e-mails to chat about nothing and everything all at the same time, and road trips to shoe sales that only result in one pair – but a grand amount of entertainment. I am lucky that I have a best friend in my mother, a concerned security guard in my younger brother, a big, strong yet emotional football lover in my dad and a variety of confidants in my friends. Each serve a different purpose, and for that I am thankful.

I am healthy, loved and live in a world filled with choice. I am thankful for the Dallas Cowboys (even though they continue to frustrate me beyond belief). I am thankful for the Toronto Rock and their continued support and belief in my “talent”. I am thankful for my sense of humour, and for the humour of others I have come to adore in my daily life. I am thankful for good acquaintances, my job, as I know many wish they had one, and of course my puppy Texas even though he chews my shoes.

So be thankful. Take moments to realize that life isn’t perfect and we need to appreciate what we have been handed. I took that time yesterday on a long bus ride home to my family. I am also thankful that you chose to read a post of mine not filled with wit and blatant sarcasm.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The Baby of the Sports Family

I have a dream. Where jersey colours don’t matter and the blue jerseys can tweet with the red ones.

I have a dream. Where baseball fans and hockey fans can come together over a pint and root for a lacrosse team.

I have a dream. Where sports teams in Toronto come together as one and kick social media ass.

I HAVE A DREAM!

Ok, so maybe it’s not so much a dream as it is a wish, or a hope for the future. Last night I attended #SCTO aka Sports Connect TO where panelists from sports teams and leagues in Toronto discussed social media and what it means for their brand. As the video blogger and in-game “host with the most” for the Toronto Rock, I was ecstatic to see what other teams (who I follow on twitter) thought of integrating social media strategies to be one big fierce social media family. Toronto is already seen as the sports hub for Canada, we have teams in all leagues truly holding it down on the sports scene, so why not show people we care about all of our fans by promoting each other.

Panelists Jaime Stein (@CFL), Rob Jack (@BlueJays) and MLSE’s Jonathan Sinden (@BigThinkerJon) discussed the in’s and out’s of using social media. My favourite recent initiative was discussed, #TweetingTuesdays that the Jays implemented this season. Giving tweeting fans an opportunity to have priceless experiences simply by tweeting their seat location. Even I have been tweeted back by the Blue Jays, something as a 9-year-old picking dandelions in the outfield, I wouldn’t have dreamt of. It is that fan engagement that is taking sport watching to a whole new level. This was also the case for Grey Cup this past year as fans got a behind the scenes look at the week leading up to Grey Cup. Not only could you watch the game, but you could feel like you were there; minus the cold and the expensive beer.

While I may be the baby of the bunch in the social media world, I feel like my role with the Toronto Rock is like the youngest sibling who dominates all her brothers at Nintendo. My team wins, but we have a lot to gain by learning from our older more established siblings.

 Side Note: Thanks to the organizers of #SCTO for bringing sports leaders and enthusiasts together to talk shop. The pizza and beer was icing on the cake.

Toronto, we have something to cheer about!

The last time these Toronto teams appeared in a Championship game…

The Toronto Maple Leafs: 1967

The Toronto Raptors: Never

The Toronto Blue Jays: 1993

The Toronto Argonauts: 2004

Now, I am a Toronto Sports fan, always have been and always will be. I would like to be proud of that fact, but I’m not. I sit in company with the suits, the die-hards, the bandwagon jumpers and the “free tickets? I’ll go” fans. It’s such a vibrant group, but really, what are we cheering about? None of these teams have put up a great show in years.

I could only imagine what the streets of Toronto would be like if we won an NHL playoff series. Montreal fans would be put to shame for not looting longer, looting harder and looting stronger! We sit and judge the shenanigans of last nights ‘Habs’ debaucles, and I don’t agree with any of what occurred in the least, but to see the passion of sports fans when their team is pulling out all the stops is inspiring. Get behind our teams, our teams that win! (No window smashing necessary).

The Toronto Rock, my favourite Toronto team, are vying for the NLL Championship this Saturday in Washington. A team of talented vetrans (see Sandy Chapman, NLL Defensive Player of the Year) and even more talented rookies (see Stephan Leblanc, NLL Rookie of the Year) have shocked the NLL with their skills and ability to perform when it really counts. Didn’t see the playoff game vs. the Buffalo Bandits at the Air Canada Centre? You’re not alone. Only 10,000 fans experienced a night I will remember for a long time.

Maybe all it takes is a legacy and a lack of wins to fill seats for some teams, but for me it is all about the commitment to success.  Toronto Rock Owner Jamie Dawick was quoted in the Toronto Star at the beginning of the season saying, “[w]hen I talk about returning to good, old days, I’m talking about winning teams, a home-field advantage and great fan support.” The fans are what make game day so vivacious, so full of energy. I know because I am a part of it.

I have had the privilege of working with a team committed to bringing home a Championship in 2010. When it didn’t look plausible, the Toronto Rock made is acheivable. I support them because they are not just a team looking to fill seats, they are a team willing to work hard for their fans. Now that is something worth cheering about, Toronto.

Rockin’ the Mic: Playoff Edition

The Rock take on the Orlando Titans tonight in a quest for the Championship. The Divisional Finals weren’t a walk in the park to get to, check out the latest Rockin’ the Mic to find out our perspective on Saturday’s game.

A 6-0 defecit. Well, for most teams that would be enough to throw in the towel. The Toronto Rock isn’t like most teams.

For those of you Rockers who weren’t in attendance at our playoff game on May 1st, the ACC was electric! While our Hot Rocks and staff members handed rally towels to the first 10,000 fans entering the ACC, we handed them out to fans patiently waiting in our will call line in order to get everyone ready to cheer on our boys. We even gave some to the Bandits fans, to wipe their tears – after the loss of course. Chants were heard from Union Station all the way to the gates and you could tell we would be in for an epic night.
Everyone was energized, hoots and hollers came from every end of the arena during O’Canada and the game was about to begin. The first promo that Shannon does every game is the “JB Goodhue Big Boot Relay”. There were 4 contestants, 2 Rock fans and 2 Bandits fans and she said, “make sure to start the night off the way we want to finish it, with a Rock victory.” They did just that, with a Rock fan race to the end we named Dave our winner (the Bandits fans had barely begun when our fans crossed the finish line). From there on we kept on a tight schedule with numerous promotions while listening to Buffalo fans applaude their team 6 times before the tables turned.

At the half, Rock owner Jamie Dawick put his money on the line as we played “Rock the Owners Wallet”. Not only did Scott, a season ticket holder, walk away with $500 cash from Jamie’s wallet, but also a jersey signed by all of our Rock players! Congrats again Scott. The Rock emerged from the dressing room, fired up, and we went on to dominate the second half of the game. Goal after goal we jumped up and down in our high heels screaming and high-fiving everyone in sight. Fans were up on their feet as we counted down the remaining seconds of the game 5… 4… 3… 2….. WHHOOAAAA!

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the Toronto Rock, and to all of you for your wonderful compliments about Rockin’ the Mic this year. While our next playoff game will be on the road, we had an amazing home season with each and every one of you. Keep rockin’ and make sure to cheer on our boys from wherever you are next Saturday. Maybe we’ll be cheering from Orlando?! Mission fit in a lacrosse bag starts now!

- S & K

Rockin’ the Mic: What’s your favourite 2010 Rock Memory?

We wanted to know what everyone’s favourite Toronto Rock 2010 Season memory was. A first goal? Colin Doyle returning? Me being quiet? Check out what staff, players and fans said before our last regular season game.