Get a Hair Cut Jacko!!

“When I saw Jackson Skerratt come into Main Camp this year I was really surprised,” said Pete Zubersky with a wry smile.  “I had seen Jackson around the rink since he was a small boy, coming out to every single Panthers games over the years, scoring goals in Minor Hockey and I had never seen him with hair this long.  And now here we are in December, it is really time for a hair cut!”  And with those words, Jackson Skerratt and the Peninsula Panthers want to get out as much information as possible and raise public awareness about the “Locks of Love” cause that is clearly so very dear to Jackson.
 
The Peninsula Panthers host the Saanich Braves on THURSDAY evening, December 5^th and after the warm-ups have been completed, Jackson will come into the Lobby where the tickets are sold and will have his hair cut off for “Locks of Love.”  Please come early and join Jackson and the Peninsula Panthers celebrate this important moment.
 
The following article is really in two stages:  the initial part tells a story about Jackson Skerratt and his travels through the game of hockey and how he arrived with the Peninsula Panthers.  The second part discusses “Locks of Love” and why Jackson has grown his hair so that he can play a small part in a very big picture.   The Panthers Organization believe he has done much more.

Jackson Skerratt, #25 for the Peninsula Panthers.
Jackson began playing hockey at the ripe age of four years old when he joined the Peninsula Minor Hockey Association.  He remained a Peninsula Eagle going through all age groups until playing his final year in Midget AA .   Unable to make the jump to Junior “B” after the completion of his Minor Hockey, Skerratt was left with no choice but to hang up the skates and focus on school.   Jackson played “Beer League” hockey with some friends about once a week while pursing his education.  He found this to be a lot of fun but also found that it did not whet his competitive juices in the game. 
 
 In December of 2012 at the age of 19,  Skerratt was in a class with former Panthers’ forward Logan Gibson who suggested that he come out and skate with the Club.  He skated for almost a month never missing a practice however, it seemed like his efforts were all going to be for not.
  
“It was Christmas Eve in 2012,” explained Skerratt.  “Pete Zubersky called me and my family as my Mom was preparing dinner and told me that the Panthers were going to sign me.  I could not believe it, it made my Christmas.  I was over the moon to be able to step away from the beer leagues, and to step on the ice, representing Peninsula once again.”  Coaches Brian Passmore and Ben King had agreed and were willing to take a chance on a 19-year-old rookie who hadn’t played competitive hockey in over a year.
 
Skerratt reminisced about his younger years.  “I remember growing up coming to almost every Panthers game on Friday nights, and idolizing guys like Jeff Lawson, Scott Hawthorne, Greg Scott, Jamie Benn, and Steve Simpson.  Steve was the reason I changed my number in minor hockey to 17 to remember and honour the player he was.  Although I was still young, I understood the impact he had on the Panthers and the community.  He was my favourite player growing up, and I am proud to wear his number whenever I can.”
 
Skerratt was rusty the remainder of the year but now in his final year, he seems to have caught fire and has found himself in the top ten in VIJHL scoring.  “My experience with the Panthers has been one I’ll never forget,” explained Skerratt.  “All of my teammates were so welcoming when I joined the team late into the season last year and the organization as a whole has been really good to me.  As a 20-year-old this year, the most rewarding part of it all is to be able to be a part of the great young players futures in hockey and try and help them move on to higher levels, and grow as people.   It’s obvious to see that the Panthers Organization has made this a priority.  Moving guys up as much as possible, that’s what the Panthers make Junior “B” about.  It’s s a stepping-stone for the young kids to get a taste of junior hockey before making it big.”

Jackson's Words: 
Before I joined the Panthers last season, I had already made a commitment to grow out my hair for the charity Locks of Love.  Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada suffering from a long term medical hair loss diagnosis.  The most common condition treated by Locks of Love is Alopecia.  Alopecia is an auto-immune disorder which causes hair loss to the scalp, and in some cases all over the body.  There is no known cause or cure for the condition, however Locks of Love focuses on restoring the confidence and self esteem in these young children.
 
My commitment to grow out my hair began August 2012, when I found out that my girlfriend at the time, Ali Russell, has had Alopecia since she was just a kid.  The Alopecia had affected Ali enough for her to have to wear a wig as a young child.  Ali has long past the stages of wigs now; in fact I never would have guessed she had any hair loss whatsoever when I met her.  She informed me that she has had Alopecia for as long as she can remember, and at that point I had no idea what Alopecia was and had never even heard the term.  After looking further into the hair loss condition, I decided that I could show my support by growing out my hair as a donation.  Its been over a year now, and my hair is finally ready to be cut for the donation.  I couldn’t be happier to share this experience with the community.  The whole purpose of this event was to hopefully raise some awareness to a condition that is very common among youth.  I’m not asking for any financial donations for this cause, but if you would like to donate to Locks of Love or simply find out more information about this worthy cause, please visit www.Locksoflove.org