MAITLAND, FLA – In the aftermath of the horrific mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub just over four months ago, the city of Orlando came together as never before to help heal the wounds both physical and emotional in the wake of the tragedy. This Saturday night, when the Orlando Solar Bears open their fifth season as members of the ECHL, they will make their voices heard in remembering the lives lost, those left behind and the brave first responders who heeded the call to duty that fateful night.
In a show of solidarity for the city and its people, the Solar Bears have designated the 7 p.m. game against the Florida Everblades as “Orlando United Night” with a number of special items added to what was already going to be a festive night. Many of the items, including a special jersey auction, will benefit the Central Florida Foundation’s Better Together Fund that is helping the families of the victims return their lives back to as normal as possible.
“Earlier in the summer, we did a Facebook poll on some theme nights and a lot of the fans wanted a Pulse night. We decided that opening night was the best night to do that,” team owner Joe Haleski said. “It’s our first opportunity to honor the victims. We wanted to include everybody in Orlando because it’s a night for everybody to come and celebrate being a united community.”
The Orlando United logo, a heart colored in with the rainbow representing the LGBTQ community which was most affected by the tragedy, will be the centerpiece of how the team will remember the victims both on Saturday night and throughout the season. The heart logo will be added to the ice surface behind both nets as a constant reminder of what the City Beautiful and its people have gone through. The heart will also be added to the helmets of the Solar Bears players in the form of a decal that will be worn all year long.
The Solar Bears will play the game on Saturday wearing a specially designed jersey. On the front, the Orlando United heart logo will border the team’s primary logo while the trim will carry the rainbow colors as well as the hashtag #OrlandoUnited. The jerseys will be auctioned off to help raise additional money for the Better Together Fund.
The design of the jersey was the brainchild of Mark Nolte, the Solar Bears’ Vice-President of Marketing and Creative, along with Samantha Piotrowski, the team’s Vice-President pf Merchandise and Game Entertainment.
“When we initially decided that we were going to do an Orlando United night – a tribute to those that were lost and the courage of our first responders – we knew that we wanted to have a jersey that was kind of subtle and respectful and still included that great Orlando United heart that we saw the community rally around right after the tragedy,” Nolte said. “Sami and I batted through a few different designs. We knew we wanted to include the rainbow in there and the Orlando United hashtag to keep the community togetherness and the community spirit going. Orlando is really an inclusive community and we saw that after the tragedy. We wanted to make sure we captured that in the design of the jersey.”
Piotrowski, who is one of a handful of staff people who have been with the Solar Bears since their rebirth in 2012, said that the entire staff considers themselves privileged to be a part of the Orlando landscape. She said that it was very important to everyone involved that whatever the team did set the right emotional tone.
“It was an emotional time and it still is. It’s still very new, still very fresh. That’s why we want to be able to give a nod to the community that we see you, we respect you, we are a part of you. We are Orlando United,” Piotrowski said. “That’s why we wanted to bring it into the jersey and we want to bring it into the night.”
The emotions of the city were never more evident than when the Orlando City Soccer Club played its first home game following the tragedy. Solar Bears head coach Anthony Noreen and assistant coach John Snowden were a part of a group representing every facet of the community that came together behind a large banner with the Orlando United hashtag. Noreen said that the experience on that evening at Camping World Stadium was something he will never forget and hopes that Saturday’s rememberance will continue the healing process.
“John and I were able to be a part of that ceremony and it was probably the most emotional thing I’ve ever been a part of,” Noreen said. “There’s a lot of people who are hurting here. There’s a lot of people who were affected by that. There’s a city that was affected by that. We have an opportunity as an organization to maybe bring a bright spot, bring their minds in a different direction, get the city to rally around something that they can take pride inside from what is going on in their personal lives or however they might have been affected. On Saturday, we’re playing for the city.”
Like Noreen, Snowden was moved by the OCSC tribute and believes that come Saturday night, the Solar Bears and their fans will rise to the occasion to show their support.
“It was unbelievable to see all the support and all the people out there [at the OCSC game] to make sure they knew it was Orlando where everybody was standing together,” Snowden said. “I would expect that it is going to be the same thing [at our] opening night.”
The emotions of the summer even resonate with the players. Defenseman Eric Baier, who has adopted Orlando as his second home, was living in the downtown area not far from where the shooting took place. He witnessed the physical and emotional aftermath and believes that in talking with his teammates that they can feel and sense where the city has been and how it is rallying back.
“I think a lot of the guys realize now that they’re here in the community [that] they can still feel that presence that something happened and how strong the community has emerged from something like that,” he said. “They won’t see what it was like beforehand but they can experience the benefits that have happened after [the attack] as far as the community’s mentality and the bonding together [that has happened].”
Fans can help the cause simply by purchasing a ticket through orlandosolarbearshockey.com/united . Thirty percent of ticket sales will be donated to the Better Together Fund.
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