After last year's highly successful inaugural event, this Thursday, Oct. 27, Ice Jam will return to Conte Forum, hoping to continue the tradition of a free half-ice, half-hardwood pep rally for students and fans meant to build buzz for Boston College's hockey and basketball programs.
The structure of the program will remain similar to the 2010 format, which generally consisted of creative segments designed by the UGBC and the athletic department to then be subsequently performed by the members of each featured athletic team, as well as notable celebrities like former Eagle quarterback Doug Flutie, emcee Bob Costas, and performing artist Vanilla Ice.
James Di Loreto, associate athletic director of external operations, said that this year Ice Jam will contain additional opportunities for students to interact with the athletes and celebrities present through several contests and giveaways.
Some of the more striking promotions include 1,500 free T-shirts, a QR code contest in the days leading up to Thursday that will dole out luxury suite tickets to winners for the BU hockey and Duke basketball home games, a $1,000 award to the student donning the best costume in honor of Halloween weekend, and even a half-ice shot that one student selected randomly will have the chance to make for a $50,000 cash prize, an amount marketed as essentially equal to one year of BC tuition.
"Overall, we received very positive feedback on the content from last year's event but definitely tweaked some parts of the program for this year," Di Loreto said in an e-mail. "Our goal this year is greater fan interaction with the teams, which will provide an opportunity to get to know the student-athletes more. We have a number of contests where BC fans will have a chance to win some great prizes."
The athletic department partnered with Odds on Promotions for the $50,000 award, a marketing firm that focuses on allowing companies and institutions to offer upscale giveaways at an insured rate so as to protect BC in case the feat is completed successfully.
The exact details of what the shot will require the chosen student to accomplish have yet to be announced.
Rather than Costas returning as emcee for the rally, famous SportsCenter lead anchor Steve Levy will host Ice Jam this year, and the event promises to yet again feature a star-studded lineup of surprise appearances from past BC grads and beyond.
Though just in its second year, Ice Jam is already being triumphed as an emerging, unique BC tradition due to the fact that not many schools possess the combination of competitive basketball and hockey programs both celebrated by the student body.
"This is a perfect opportunity at the beginning of the season to connect the Superfans with the teams," Di Loreto said. "I am hoping we can fill Conte Forum Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., as this is a really great chance to support all four teams at once with an event no other venue in the country has done. It is a great new tradition for BC."
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