Sliders brave the cold at Chapman Valley to raise money and awareness for FightMND

A bunch of 13 brave sliders took the plunge into the ice bath on Saturday to raise money and awareness for MND in the Valley’s Big Freeze event. For the fifth year in a row, the Valley was the hub of footy with the stands at Mazzuchelli Oval packed out to watch the clash between the Royals and Railways, before seeing a group of VIPs tackle the slide. During the league game, marquee player and social media star Tom “Prime Train” Baulch suited up in the Royal blue. The online superstar drew a crowd to Chapman Valley and made sure to deliver, kicking 2.1 and had plenty of touches during the Royals 58-point win over the Blues. Following the league game, the spectators stuck around with a sea of big freeze beanies warming heads in the stands. Donators pledged $234 for every goal kicked across the day from both Chapman Valley and Railways in the league, colts and reserves game. With 44 goals kicked, the total raised from pledges was more than $10,200. Then more fundraising efforts came from a live auction in the crowd, with signed guernseys from Collingwood and Fremantle, and a match worn Chapman Valley jumper signed by Baulch – which sold for $1000. When it was time for the sliders to go down, costumes ranged from Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story to Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, Uncle Fester from the Aadams Family, cricketer David Boon, Baywatch’s David Hasselhoff and Alan from The Hangover films. The highlight wasn’t Baulch as an uncanny Warwick Capper, but his camera man Jack “Fusey” Williamson, who was a crowd favourite and surprise slider, coming out to chants of his name in a Valley speedo. Event organiser Mark Houston said that they managed to raise more than $30,000. “Really happy with how everything played out ... the crowd was good enough, the football was good certainly from a Chapman Valley point of view, and a lot of fun afterwards,” he said. “It’ll be around $30,000 — goal kicking I think was $10,200, there was $10,000 from socks, $3500 from beanies and then the auction items was about $4000.” The big drawcard was Baulch, who Houston said really got around the club and drew a crowd to the Valley. “All the boys really appreciated having him around and obviously brought a lot more kids to the day,” he said. “I think there was more kids then adults in our change rooms after the game.” All the efforts across the goal kicking pledges, auctions and merchandise sold from the day went to FightMND, to help boost research and awareness for motor neurone disease.