It all started with a sock … a look … a memory.
When Jake Bauman and Riley McCabe, both members of the PeeWee Arthur Aces lacrosse team, suffered the loss of a mentor and friend this past February, something made them want to start to talk.
What did they remember about Steven Hutchison? Everyone else they knew – family members, friends, and sisters – were all talking about their memories. The thing that stood out for Jake and Riley was “the sock.”
Hutchison, who took his life at his residence during his first year at Brock University, was someone the boys looked up to; someone who would tease them, someone who could make them laugh, but most of all he was an athlete – an athlete they loved to watch, specifically during Elora Mohawk Jr. B games.
They loved his style of play and enjoyed watching all the “locals” put on a show along with the other Mohawk boys.
When Hutchison passed away, the boys talked about how in the past they saw him sometimes wear “one high knee sock” when he played.
They wanted to do something to honour Hutchison’s memory, and decided they would wear one high Aces-coloured blue sock. Coaches made it clear that if this was going to happen, it would happen with unity, as a team; everyone working together to make others ask or notice.
The boys all proudly wore their sock, proving they were ready to talk and share their story if anyone asked, all season long, making a difference one game at a time.
They hope that by publicly talking about mental illness it will help stop the stigma that is attached it. They feel no one should ever feel like they can’t tell someone what is wrong or ask for the help they need.
