‘He loved the sport’: Outdoor rink built to honour Mitchell, Ont. teen who died by suicide

An outdoor rink has been built in Mitchell to commemorate a teen hockey player who died by suicide. CTV’s Scott Miller reports.

Carter Schooderwoerd was a loving, thoughtful, active teenager who died by suicide on June 7, 2021.

“I always said it must be the worst thing ever for a parent to do is to have to bury their child, never expecting that we would be in that position, but it happened to us,” said Joe Schoonderwoerd, Carter’s father.

Carter’s family has held multiple sports fundraisers for mental health since his passing but had been seeking some sort of legacy. That’s when the idea of an outdoor hockey rink came about. The 19-year-old Carter played hockey for most of his life growing up near Mitchell, even getting drafted into the Ontario Hockey League.

“He had just signed with the Stratford Warriors when he passed, and was drafted to the Peterborough Petes, so it was quite a hockey journey. He loved the sport, although he didn’t when he was little, but ended up loving it,” said Carter’s mom, Heather.

After partnering with the local municipality, the Carter Schooderwoerd Memorial Rink, located in Mitchell’s Keterson Park, will have its grand opening next weekend.

It’s a place to come and play and remember a young life ended too soon.

“Does this give you any release? Closure? No. Does it keep it in the forefront of your mind? Yes. But it’s there, and it’s in a good way,” said Joe.

“So much support. I can’t actually believe the amount of support…community support. We’ve had people from out of town help us write grants to get some grant money for it. Something like this is an expensive undertaking. And so, you know, just to see so many people come together to make it possible is great,” said Carter’s aunt, Jo-Anne Horan.

The rink will officially open on Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. but is ready to be used now. The Schoonderwoerds want to see it busy with kids, adults, and families enjoying time together, working on their physical and mental health , because it can all change in an instant.

“The rink is open. It’s ready to use, running shoes, roller skates, roller blades, whatever. Bring a ball, bring a puck. We got nets in here. Use it. Get it dirty. Have some fun with your friends, hang out, respect it, and enjoy,” said Joe.

“If we can help one family not have to go through what we’ve gone through. If we can save one person, that’s our goal. I mean, hopefully it has an impact on more than one person, but hopefully we can help another family not have to do go through what we’ve gone through,” said Heather.