Eagles in need of billets and volunteers

Posted by Canmore Eagles on September 03, 2009

With the Alberta Junior Hockey League season quickly approaching, the Canmore Eagles are now turning to the public for help.

The Eagles are currently looking for more full-time and temporary billet homes for the players as well as a number for volunteers for game day staff.

According to billet coordinator Jenny Palmer, the Eagles are looking for about three or four more full-time billet homes and she is homing to get a database of temporary home compiled. “Sometimes you have kids that are here for a week or two because they are going back to their Midget teams,” said Palmer. “Plus, say, if a billet family is going on a holiday and aren’t comfortable with the player staying in the home we have a back up.”

Palmer said temporary billets usually house a player for two or three weeks at the most.

Temporary billets are mostly in demand from the time the fall camp starts to mid-September. Full-time billets will house players from September to March.

Palmer said overall being a billet could be a great experience. She said many of the billet families have kept in touch after the player has left and they have built a friendship for life. “Some of the other billet families have said past players have become god parents of their children,” said Palmer. “The families have been invited to the past players’ weddings. It’s not with every player, but most players’ families keep a good connection.”
Eagles president Darryl Lockwood has been a billet with the hockey club for 14 years and he said it has always been a great experience.

“It has been a fantastic experience,” said Lockwood. “One of our billets, him and his fiancé, we up at the golf tournament and he continues to support of the team and is a close friend. It is really neat.”

There is a living allowance for all billet families of $350 per month. If a player isn’t staying for the full month, Palmer said the allowance in pro-rated daily. Palmer said it isn’t a lot of extra work to billet a player and the hockey club tries to make it as easy as possible. “We have partnered with Sobeys for the last few years where they’ve been generous enough to give a 10 per cent discount card on grocery purchases for the billet families,” said Palmer.

Billet families are also given season tickets and playoff tickets for the Canmore Eagles.

Volunteers are also needed for game day staff with the Eagles. They need everything from ticket taking to security at the games as well as a P.A. announcer, music coordinator, someone to don the Eddy the Eagle Costume and bartenders for the lounge.

“I think it is a great opportunity or someone who is new to town and wants to get involved with the club,” said Lockwood. “It is a great way to get involved and meet new people.”
Lockwood said volunteers are one of the most important aspects of the hockey club.

“If we don’t have a significant amount of volunteers we can’t put on the show that we need to put on,” said Lockwood.

Those interested in becoming a billet or want to volunteer for the Eagles can contact billet coordinator Jenny Palmer at 678-2297 or 609-5128, or president Darryl Lockwood at 688-6067.