Learning About Hockey, Learning About Life

by Darren Lowry

The Atlanta Thrashers hosted more than 140 Boys & Girls Club members at the City of Refuge gym in Atlanta on Monday (July 11) for a day of street hockey drills and scrimmages to kick off this summer's local Street Dashers Program.

The Street Dashers program is an NHL initiative established in all 30 markets to help promote hockey to children, including those who may not have been previously exposed to the sport. This opportunity allowed them to participate and learn about the game.

The Thrashers have a long-standing partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta and this outing helped mark the team's increased involvement with the group. The team has provided coaching and equipment resources and utilizes the Street Dashers program to help augment their street hockey clinics and games.

Thrashers broadcaster and Director of Community Hockey Development Darren Eliot spoke to the Boys & Girls Club members about the sport using familiar terminology to help them better understand the game.

"We're here to put on some skills competitions, so that the kids get a sense of what hockey is like," said Eliot. "Then, the next time they see the gear, it won't be foreign to them. I also find it's easier to use other sport analogies to help with the explanations."

Atlanta police officer Rod Brown, who is also the GM and coach of Kennesaw State University's ice hockey team, played a vital role in launching this project.

Brown, whose beat includes the area around City of Refuge, spoke with his contacts at the city council in Atlanta about setting up a hockey league for the area Boys & Girls Clubs.

"I wanted to get an opportunity to do something with my guys from KSU, and so many of these kids in this area have never played hockey before."

Brown was able to bring more than a dozen of his players to the clinic, and hoped that their involvement would be an inspiration to the participants.

"My objective was to have the college hockey players working with the kids in the city so that the kids can actually see and understand beyond tomorrow," he said. "A lot of the kids in this area view college as a hurdle that can't be jumped. If we continue this interaction with them, it becomes more natural thinking for these kids as they get older to think that ‘Well, after high school, college is next.'"

Atlanta City Council Member Ivory Young, who represents District Three, including the area surrounding the City of Refuge, had strong praise for the event. After firing up the crowd of youngsters, Young spoke about the impact that the Thrashers are having in the community.

"The consequences of events like this are our kids are going to perform better in school, they're going to be more attentive, and they're going to be more excited about life," he said. "I know for a fact that your money, your manpower, and your resources have really given value to this community."

Young reserved special praise for the City of Refuge, saying, "They provide a tremendous amount of service in the community, and I can't underscore that enough."

Despite the lingering effects from the remnants of Hurricane Dennis the night before, everyone involved was treated to a tremendous event and had a fun time.

Darren Lowry is a Communications Intern for the Atlanta Thrashers