Sticking it to cancer: JHS girls hockey team successful off the ice too

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Brad Schaack / For The Sun Signs like this one could be seen around Jamestown in recent weeks as the Blue Jays girls hockey team raised money for cancer research in advance of this weekend’s Relay for Life event.
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Brad Schaack / For The Sun Torri Kamlitz (left), Kelsey Neumann (right) and Brenna Pritchert (foreground) wash cars during a fundraiser the team held last month.

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The Jamestown High School girls hockey team keeps raising the bar — on and off the ice.

Whether it’s going 2-1 and placing at the state tournament for the first time in school history, or raising money for cancer research, coach Brad Schaack says his girls have made a habit of exceeding expectations.

“I’m not sure how much higher we can go,” Schaack said. “The girls are pretty good at going all out in everything they do.”

This is the third year Schaack and his team has raised money for Relay for Life, the 15th annual event which will be held today and Saturday at the Stutsman County Fairgrounds.

Two years ago they raised $3,800 — the eighth-highest total of any group. Last year, they upped that to $5,400 — the fifth-best amount.

So the goal was to climb higher again and they delivered. They will present a check for $8,267 — the second-most amount raised by any group.

“There’s still room to improve. We’d like to get that No. 1 spot, but this number will be tough to match,” Schaack said. “We’re proud of the girls and what they did for a great, great cause.”

For Schaack it’s more than just raising money or getting the team together to build chemistry, it’s personal. His dad, Jim Schaack, died of colon cancer when he was just 46 years old. Jim lived four years after his original diagnosis despite being told he probably only had a year left.

The last year was hard, though. He was bed-ridden and couldn’t watch Brad’s senior year of hockey for the Blue Jays.

“He was probably my best friend,” Brad said. “He was a tough dude, though. He fought until the end.”

Schaack is a big proponent of early detection and prevention. He’s already had two colonoscopies and plans another soon, saying, “It’s not that bad of a deal at all.”

Raising the money was a team effort. He specifically credited Karen Finck, “She’s the big wheel in the operation.”

They used several means to raise the money. A car wash, banners that were placed around town and the tech-savvy Schaack also milked friends on Facebook for $2,000 and another $500 was scraped together from Schaack’s favorite hockey chat room. Walz Pharmacy also pitched in generously, he said.

“A lot of work goes into it, but it’s for a great cause,” Schaack said. “Every little bit helps and we’re happy to do our part.”

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at dselvig@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, hockey, jays