by Tom Ackerman
@Tom_AckermanDI
How is Andrew Shaw connected with Iowa City? Some might say it’s the people.
Shaw’s used hockey-stick, tickets to a game, and Chicago Blackhawks sweatshirts were up for silent auction at the Iowa Memorial Union. $500 were given for the hockey-stick, which will be contributed to Dance Marathon’s goal of $2.4 million.
However, Iowans showed little interest in the sport altogether.
“Coming here [to the University of Iowa] with all the kids from Chicago, you hear about a lot of the sports,” said Evan Gerdes, a UI student on the auction at Dance Marathon.
With 23 bids, the stick was bought for $500, a very high number for the silent auction in recent years, said Alli Dunklau, a student who worked the booth at the silent auction. The items also normally reflect Hawkeye sports, like football helmets or other memorabilia.
“This year we have less stuff that’s bigger,” she said, noting the merchandise had been acquired throughout the year.
Gerdes said he would be more inclined to bid for the items only after coming to the UI, where heavy populations of Illinois students roam campus.
“You tend to want to like your friends’ favorite teams,” Gerdes said.
In Iowa, students tend to watch the sports of neighboring states and pick and choose, though hockey doesn’t often make the cut.
“We wanted a new selection of people to branch out to,” Pickel said. She also said if an Iowan’s signature like Ashton Kutcher’s was available, she would risk money on a bid.
An employee’s uncle holds relations with an athletic trainer who helped the university on acquiring the Blackhawks merchandise, booth workers said.
“I’m a sports fan when it comes to football or basketball, we just never watched hockey growing up,” Pickel said.
