Brunswick School Honors the Life of Teddy Balkind with its Balkind Balcony
By Anne W. Semmes
Last week at Brunswick School, its varsity ice hockey team was set to kick off its ice hockey season on December 1 playing a game against the Loomis Chaffee School inside the Hartong Rink when the players first paused for a moment of silence to remember the life of Teddy Balkind, a 16-year-old sophomore from St. Luke’s School in New Canaan. Balkind died after his neck was accidentaly cut by another player’s skate on the Brunswick ice 11 months ago on January 6. The tragic incident had brought an outpouring of support from across the world for the Balkind family.
Today, there is the newly named Balkind Balcony overlooking that Hartong Rink. “In his permanent remembrance,” the public statement begins on the Brunswick School website, “the Brunswick community has resolved to dedicate the Hartong Rink’s Balcony in Teddy’s name — and to commemorate this dedication with a plaque cast in bronze, now installed just inside the balcony’s entryway.”
The plaque reads “The Balkind Balcony Dedicated by the Students, Faculty, Alumni, and Parents of Brunswick School In Memory of Benjamin ‘Teddy’ Balkind, November 9, 2005 -January 6, 2022.” It is followed by a memorable poem “To an Athlete Dying Young” by A. E. Houseman.
The public statement continues: “As we prepare to begin a new hockey season this evening, our hearts and minds remain with Teddy Balkind and his family. In the days, months, and years ahead, we will all continue to play in Teddy’s honor. One shift. One period. One game at a time. It’s the hockey way. And the way our community will celebrate Teddy’s life and carry forth his spirit — now and forever.
“On the Balkind Balcony, Teddy will have the best view in the house, and will forever watch over us and a game that he loved. Visitors to Hartong Rink are always welcome to stop at the balcony for moments of personal reflection and tribute to Teddy.”
