Press release:
The Genesee Amateur Hockey Association hosted 37 registered youngsters as well as five “walk-ins” at the David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Evans Street on Saturday for a Try Hockey For Free Event as part of “USA Hockey Week Across America,” which was celebrated at 285 ice areas across the entire United States.
Starting at 10:40 a.m. and going until noon, local youth, ages 4 to 9, were welcomed at the rink to experience getting on the ice, learning how to “skate”, getting up after falling, basic skills with a hockey stick and shooting punks into a hockey net (all by being guided by the head coach and on-ice helpers). This year, the youngsters had the experience of shooting on actual goalies.
“We welcomed families to McCarthy Ice Rink from Batavia, Buffalo, Byron, Corfu, LeRoy, Nunda, East Bethany, Alexander, Byron, Brockport, Albion, Wyoming, Rochester, and Elba to try our great sport of ice hockey,” said Sharon Gray, coordinator of the “Try Hockey for Free” event. “Our goal is for these families to enjoy watching their kids learn new skills with big smiles on their faces and for the youngsters the on-ice experience.”
The head coaches for today’s event were Tim Sprague and Dan Calkins – both with more than 30 years plus starting out as GAHA players, high school players and GAHA coaches over the years. Most of the on-ice helpers were from this year’s Batavia-Notre Dame United high school team along with their coaches – Marc Staley and John Kirkwood.
The youngsters were excited to be coached, aided and skating with these local athletes. Also on the ice were coaches and players from the GAHA organization. The beginning of the event featured the playing of the National Anthem, and the little people stood so proudly alongside the BND players!
The event is hosted by Try Hockey for Free Coordinators, Sharon and Bob Gray, and the GAHA Beginner Player Coordinator, Marcia Barnes, on behalf of the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association, which provided the ice, and the McCarthy rink staff, Katie Murray (general manager), Matt Gray (rink operating manager), and their staff.
It is the team’s goal to provide the hockey experience to area youngsters free of charge and encourage them in October to become a player in the GAHA Beginner Program, which starts the first week of October. The Beginner Program consists of two sessions (October to December and January to March) with a total of 15 on-ice hours per session.
The skates used by the youngsters were provided “free of charge” by the McCarthy Rink Management Group.
USA Hockey’s Try Hockey program, with the support of the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs, among others, is designed to provide youth hockey associations with a national platform for introducing children to the sport, free of charge. Pure Hockey (sponsor of USA Hockey) provided free USA Try Hockey jerseys to each child.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: THE NEXT THFF EVENT WILL BE THE FIRST SATURDAY OF NOVEMBER 2024!!!
Photos by Howard Owens.
