PARENTS' LOBBYING FORCES POLICY CHANGE

KELOWNA - Lobbying efforts by a Kelowna couple have led to substance abuse
policy changes that will be enacted by minor hockey associations across B.C.

Terry and Patti Ricciuti began campaigning for the policy changes after
their son Jason Ricciuti took his own life after being caught in possession
of marijuana while his team was at a hockey tournament in Vancouver.

Jason, a 15-year-old goalie with aspirations of playing junior hockey,
committed suicide in his hotel room Nov. 23, 2002, after having been caught
in his hotel room with a small amount of pot.

Ed Mayert, president of the B.C. Hockey Association, the governing body for
minor hockey across the province, told a Vancouver newspaper this week that
the new policy changes largely are a result of the changes the Ricciutis
had been advocating.

Patti Ricciuti had pushed for substance abuse suspensions to be specified
and made known to all players so that they would know the consequences of
their actions. She also wanted no player in trouble to be left alone on a
road trip, and to have the parents notified immediately when a player is
caught violating the substance abuse policy.

"I wouldn't say everything she asked for was completed but (with) the
review that we went through, we did do almost everything she asked," said
Mayert.

Ricciuti's request for a "buddy system" wasn't possible, Mayert said,
because it is illegal to have one minor responsible for another minor.

Instead, Mayert said a new policy would call for the coach to have
one-on-one contact with that individual at all times," he said. "Whether
that means that they now sleep in the room with the coach, that is what
would happen until they could contact the parents and make other arrangements."

In fact, BCMA policy now calls for at least two coaches to be present in a
room with any player, a rule that resulted from the fallout of a former
Western Hockey League coach, Graham James, who was convicted of sexually
abusing his players.

Terry Ricciuti said he and his wife take some solace in the fact the death
of their son has resulted in some positive changes along the lines of what
they were advocating for.

"We thought the buddy system idea was fairly simple to adopt, but I guess
there are legal issues there with one minor being responsible for another,"
Ricciuti said.

"But with the substance abuse policy, at least they are going in the right
direction now as before it used to be such a grey area."

Terry said while it's been almost a year since their son died, rarely does
a day go by that they don't think about him, coming across something in the
course of the day that triggers a memory from the past.

"You try to stay busy with work and what not, but he is always there in the
back of your mind," he said.

"This is kind of a tough time of the year with hockey starting up again-we
always used to look forward to that. (Jason) being gone has left a void in
our lives that you live on through one day at a time."

He said their support for each other along with that of his employer -
Terry works for the City of Kelowna utilities division - coworkers and the
community at large has also been a big help.

"We seem to run into people every day around the city we know or had met
through Jason playing hockey and baseball," Terry said. "They've all been
very supportive."