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Billet Families needed for Caps this season

Ryan Quigley

Journal Pioneer

The Summerside Western Capitals are looking for families to host players who are away from home for the upcoming 2011-2012 Martime Hockey League season.

The families would host the players, commonly referred to as billets, from the time training camp starts in late August, until the season ends in March. The team gives the player’s caregivers $350 a month as a stipend and season tickets to the Capitals.

The team is looking to have eight to 10 billet families for the season and about five more for the two- week training camp. As of Friday afternoon the team only had two.

Money and season tickets aren’t the only benefit.

Bruce Cameron has taken in seven players for the last four years. The local man remembers every player in those four years and his family stays in contact with every one.

“It’s just the thought of them being away from home and trying to give them a place that feels like home,” he said. “We’re still in contact with these kids today, a lot of them will come visit in the summer time and mail frequently.”

Cameron’s love for hockey and the Capitals influenced his decision to become one of the billets. But taking in a young hockey player has also been good for his family.

“Of course it’s a mentor for my son (Tyler) who is a hockey player,” he said. “It gives him a chance to share with somebody that’s experiencing the same thing.”

Cameron was positive about his experiences adopting another kid for the hockey season and plans on doing it again this year. He said he would recommend anyone interested to try it at least once.

“I would support anybody trying it. I mean there is some tremendous kids. The biggest concern I hear is ‘Well you don’t know if you get a kid you can trust.’ I guess you got to look at it, if you sent your kid away you would trust your kid in somebody else’s home. I mean you got to give that fairness to every kid that comes.”

But this year this isn’t enough people looking for the opportunity.

Pat McIver, director of hockey and business operations for the Summerside Western Capitals, said the team is struggling to find billet families.

“It was an issue last year as well, but we’re really nervous it’s going to be a huge issue this year,” he said. “Fortunately over the last couple of years our teams has been mostly local so the need for billet families wasn’t as strong as it is now.”

McIver said most of a family’s responsibilities would be giving the player a roof over his head, food to eat and rides to the rink if needed.

 “You treat them like their one of your own. Just the way you would treat your own 17-year old.”