What began as a one-off more than nine years ago has evolved into an annual national fundraiser for the Alzheimer Society … and a whole lot of fun for Steve McNeil. Since his inaugural marathon skate on Christmas Eve 2012 at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square, the Etobicoke resident has laced on his blades across Canada for his 1926 Skate initiative.
Now he’s in the midst of a 10-city Ontario tour that will bring him to Peterborough on Saturday, February 12th to raise funds for the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton.
In the shadow of the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Canal, McNeil will skate for 19 hours and 26 minutes — starting at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday morning and ending that evening at 7:26 p.m.
Why 19 hours and 26 minutes? That’s seems to be a pretty random time target. Well, there’s a method to McNeil’s skating madness and it has everything to do with honouring the memory of his mother Eunice, who lived with Alzheimer’s disease for more than 20 years.
“There was a point where I realized my mom isn’t going to be around much longer — she was in a fetal position and bedridden and everything else,” says McNeil, noting his inaugural skate was undertaken as “a personal tribute to my hockey mom who, without a driver’s licence, got all five of her boys to their hockey games and practices.”
After his mother passed away in February 2013, McNeil committed to organizing an event that would raise funds for, and awareness of, the Alzheimer Society’s resources and support programs. As she was born in 1926, he set 19 hours and 26 minutes as his skate time.
“Shortly after mom passed, friends at Canada Post and family knew what I did at Nathan Phillips Square and said I should do that as a fundraiser,” recalls McNeil, who’s a mail carrier as well as a recreational hockey referee.
“I didn’t know anything about fundraising. I walked into the Alzheimer Society national office in Toronto and said ‘I want to raise money for you guys.’ The lady looked at me like I was from another planet. It took me awhile to convince them that I was legitimate.”
Since that initial contact, McNeil has skated across the country, including a 2018-19 tour of all seven Canadian National Hockey League (NHL) cities.
A larger-than-life character both on and off the ice, the 60 year old has garnered a lot of media attention and, for many of his skates, has been joined by NHL players, past and present. To date, he estimates he’s brought in well over $100,000 for the society’s chapters in the communities in which he skates.
“When we heard that it was our time to share in the experience, we were really excited,” says Andrea Cant, executive director of the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton.
“Peterborough is a hockey town and we enjoy the ability to skate on the canal, so it’s a great opportunity for Steve to come and gather with the community, the best we can in these circumstances, and just get outside and support our society.”
Donations of at least $19.26 in support of the Alzheimer Society are being sought and can be made at www.1926skate.com/donate (scroll down the page to the button for the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton). You can also donate directly to the society.
Cant emphasizes that, while any money raised is a huge help, the heightened awareness of the society’s work that 1926 Skate brings is equally important.
“Events such as this really do remind people that we’re here,” she says. “They let people know what kind of services we offer, whether it be counselling, education, support groups, or social and recreation programs. We have a basket of services. These sorts of events really bring awareness to the fact that we’re here and we’re here to help and you don’t have go through this (Alzheimer’s) alone.”
While McNeil’s in good shape — a byproduct of his lugging the mail on his route as well as years of refereeing recreational hockey, as well as being a roller skater of some renown back in the day — he admits each year is a little harder physically. Making this marathon skating a tougher go this time around is the fact that opportunities to referee hockey over the past two years have been few due to COVID restrictions.
“But really the skating part is easy,” he says, noting that teaching an old dog new tricks — specifically, promoting his cause on social media — has been a tougher hill to climb. “I’ve had to learn how to use Twitter and Facebook. It’s been so much more difficult for me to deal with all the social media stuff than the skating has ever been.”
As you’d expect, McNeil has faced a number of challenges over the course of his skate events. On January 15 in Kingston, he did his thing as the temperature hovered around -34°C.
In addition, he’s made a number of interesting acquaintances, including one that thrilled him to no end and took his lifelong love of the Australian rock band AC/DC to a whole other level.
“In 2014, a week before I was to skate at Nathan Phillips Square, I heard that (AC/DC co-founder and rhythm guitarist) Malcolm Young was diagnosed with dementia,” recalls McNeil, noting his infatuation with the band dates back to 1978 when he saw them in concert at Massey Hall. “I decided to cue up my AC/DC library and went out and skated exclusively to the band’s music. I just hit shuffle and have been skating to their music ever since.”
In 2019, two years after Young passed way from the disease at the age of 64, McNeil was skating in Calgary when a man standing at the side of the rink asked him if he could do a video chat with the man’s father.
“I said ‘Sure, how long has your dad had Alzheimer’s?’ He said ‘My dad doesn’t have Alzheimer’s. He was the drummer for AC/DC.’ So he hands me his phone and there’s his dad, Chris Slade, playing drums for Mannfred Mann at a Vegas show.”
A few days later, Malcolm Young’s younger brother — AC/DC co-founder and lead guitarist Angus Young — donated $19,260 to the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, asking the society to distribute the funds to dementia music programs across Canada.
As McNeil skates exclusively to AC/DC’s music, his trademark “Thunderstick” (named after the AC/DC hit “Thunderstruck”) is rarely out of his hands.
“Thunderstick is something I’ve had for 25 years now,” he says. “It’s done every skate with me. It’s what I classify as my stride stick. When I’m by myself and the weather is really extreme, that stick is the difference between making it and not making it. I do a lot of air guitar (on it). I just kind of get lost in my music.”
“I can’t empathize enough how much I have when I do this,” McNeil adds. “It’s off the charts for me how much fun I have.”
That said, McNeil will scale back in 2023.
“I’m going to one city each year on National Skate Day in January, which is Alzheimer’s Month,” he says. “I have to be realistic. I’m really lucky I can do what I do to begin with. I don’t take it for granted. I don’t train. I eat chicken wings and pizza and burgers.”
Meanwhile, in the coldest weather, on the darkest of nights when he’s doing his thing in solitude, well, McNeil is never really alone — “My mother is with me the entire time.”
That said, Andrea Cant pledges McNeil will have plenty of company during his Peterborough skate.
“Our staff team as well as our volunteers and board directors are planning to be there at some point during his 19 hours and 26 minutes,” she says.
“One of our donor relations associates plans to be there at midnight when he starts. Those of us with less skating ability will be on the sidelines to support him and let him know how appreciative we are of the event, and also be there if someone has questions about what we do and the supports available.”
“Skating is definitely not one of my strong suits,” she laughs. “I’ll put my skates on and hope for the best. I can handle the cold — it’s the ice. Maybe I’ll wear my curling shoes instead.”
The Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton, based at 18-360 George Street North in Peterborough, is dedicated to improving the quality of life for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and advancing the search for the cause and cure.
For more information about its support services, phone 705-748-5131 or visit the website at alzheimer.ca/pklnh/, where you can also make a donation.
For more information about McNeil and 1926 Skate, visit www.1926skate.com.
This story has been created in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton.
