Success for Euclid Youth Hockey 2009 - 2010
C.E. Orr Arena, home of the Euclid Youth Hockey Association, will be decorated with four brand new, Division Championship Banners for the 2009-10 season. All four EYHA travel level teams were successful in winning division championships for the regular season. This level of success is significant, not just for Euclid, but within the entire Cleveland Suburban Hockey League. According to Hockey Director, Rick Kish, no other organization in the CSHL had the level of success that Euclid experienced this season. Two of the four teams then went on to claim Play-Off Championships and one was the Play-Off Runner-Up. Even the Panther Tracks 1 group, with the average age of 5, is technically undefeated having won their first (and only so far) scrimmage which was against Shaker Heights.
If you'd like to get your son or daughter involved in hockey, it's never too early or too late to start. Your child can learn to play in the Panther Tracks programs. Panther Tracks 1 is for ages 4 - 8 and Panther Tracks 2 is for ages 8 - 15. Your child doesn't know how to skate? Most didn't before they started. They can learn to skate as they go under the guidance of the dedicated coaches. Give them a few weeks and you won't believe your eyes! The travel teams are organized as Mites, for players up to age 8, Squirts, ages 9 - 10, Peewees, ages 11 - 12, and Bantams, for ages 13 - 14.
Do you cringe at the thought of your handsome and beautiful children getting their teeth knocked out or your little sweetheart getting in a hockey fight? You will be relieved as we all were to know that helmets with face masks are now mandatory for all players and there are strict rules against fighting. The gear has lots of padding, too, but really, at first, they are not going to be big, strong and agile enough to get any real momentum going to be able to hurt themselves or each other.
There are risks with any physical activity, but for the most part, the most painful thing will be for the parents to have to stand back and watch their little ones fall on their butts quite a bit at first as they learn to skate. Remember though, that those butts are well padded with gear and they are shorter and lighter than we are, so they don't fall as far or as hard as we imagine. If you can discipline yourself as a parent, and I know it's easier said than done, to be patient when they fall and confident that they're going to learn, you will be impressed with how determined they will be to get back up and keep at it.
Worried about investing in expensive equipment? You're not the first, nor will you be the last. The Panther Tracks programs maintain a stock of donated gear to loan to beginners. Each beginner does need to buy or rent their own skates and buy their own hockey stick, and most families get them for a reasonable price at Play it Again Sports or on-line.
The organization is run independent of the city by volunteer Board Members and Coaches in accordance with USA Hockey guidelines for player development. And, as with any great community organization, it is run with grassroots wisdom and spirit. Many parents of players and other community members bring their talents to the administration and coaching of the teams with the common goal of developing the spark of our youth.
The program is funded directly by participant fees, sale of team gear, social fundraising events and some sponsorships. This year's board members were: Frank Vidmar, President; Barb Tingley, Secretary; Penny Meaney, Secretary; Scott Linderman, Equipment Manager. Some of the main coaches that should be mentioned were: Chris Leonard, Panther Tracks; Ted Kohanski, Mite 2; Joe Trobenter, Mite 1; Rick Kish, Squirt; Chip Macko, Pee-wee; Dennis Disbrow and Nick Vertch, Bantam.
The season gets rolling in mid-August, so make a note to put EYHA on your list of things to follow up on when back-to-school preparations begin. The Great Lakes region is known for its long, cold winters. If it freezes - skate on it! It's the application of the old proverbs: "If you can't beat it, join it" and "If life hands you lemons, make lemonade."
The lights in the arena are like the proverbial hearth we are drawn to for light and warmth in the dead of winter, and the adrenaline of winter sports gives us the momentum we need to tread on until Spring. Whether or not you have kids in the program, make it a point to stop by anyway. Everyone should see at least once in their life how adorable these little skaters are when they start out waddling around like penguins. As a member of our community, you can share with us our pride as their drive and skills mature and align in their transformation into athletes. They may even inspire you to take the adult Learn-to-Skate course or pick up your old hockey stick and play on the adult league.
Plan to enjoy your winter next year at the C. E. Orr Ice Arena with other positive and active Euclid families!
Check out the Euclid Youth Hockey Web site at: euclidyouthhockey.com.
For more information about the other skating programs at the arena, see the Euclid Recreation Department's page at: euclidrecreation.com/Arena .
From that link, you can browse the city's summer programs that can hold you over until the ice skating rink opens again next season.