Lee Croucher of Robert’s Arm, N.L., shows off the soccer ball he discovered earlier this year while fishing. The ball, originating from Pond Inlet, drifted in the Atlantic Ocean for 10 years before it washed up on shore 3,000 kilometres from home. (File photo)

Some tales need a 10-year journey before they’re ready to be told

Stories we loved to tell: How a soccer ball floated nearly 3,000 kilometres to its final destination

By Jorge Antunes

Pond Inlet is on top of the world, 644 kilometres above the Arctic Circle.

It is a small community of about 1,500 people and a favourite stop for cruise ship travellers as they dare to venture through the increasingly accessible Northwest Passage.

Nunatsiaq News reporter Jorge Antunes (File photo)

The hamlet is nearly 3,000 kilometres from Beaumont, N.L., and though both are located in Canada, it was quite remarkable when I came across a Facebook post about a lobster fisherman’s discovery of a faded yellow soccer ball with the words “Ulaajuk school” written across it.

Pond Inlet’s Ulaajuk Elementary School backs onto the Arctic Ocean. About 10 years ago, kids from the school were playing soccer when one of them decided to see how far they could kick a soccer ball.

One can imagine the ball flying through the air, maybe getting picked up by an Arctic wind and sailing into the frigid ocean water.

In July, I caught up with the lobster fisherman Lee Croucher.

He was working out of Beaumont, off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, but lives a short boat ride away in Robert’s Arm, N.L., population 805.

He first noticed the ball on May 30 while fishing with his uncle. He didn’t pay much attention to it but with two young daughters at home, he eventually decided to salvage the ball for them to play with.

When he discovered the school’s name, written in black Sharpie and still legible, he knew he had found something special.

About 10 years ago, a teacher at Ulaajuk school had taken it upon herself to label all of the school equipment in black Sharpie.

The teacher, who has since retired and did not want to be identified, said she clearly remembered when the soccer ball was kicked into the ocean.

She was delighted when she learned where it ended up 10 years later.

As a journalist, the stories we tell can be sad, humorous, deeply political, inspiring, sometimes even rather ordinary. It is rare that they connect people thousands of kilometres apart.

I haven’t reached out to the Guinness World Records, but a 3,000-kilometre kick has to be some sort of record.

Share This Story

(1) Comment:

  1. Posted by Sally Bowen on

    Truly a wonderful story. Terrific for the kids now at the school, and for those once kids who were there 10 years ago, to hear about this.

Join the Conversation

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*