MISSION ARIZONA
New Mission Special Edition program progressing rapidly By Greg Ball
T
he Mission Special Edition program has finally gotten off the ground, and it is already having a significant impact on special needs children and their families in the Phoenix area. After a number of years in the planning stages, the program took a giant leap forward in early November when director Brandi Goltz and head coach Rod Rihela – along with a number of others from the Mission AZ family and volunteers – organized an equipment drive that brought in mountains of used skates, sticks, pads and other gear to outfit players who mostly had never skated in their lives. The group then organized a fitting day in which each player made their way around the locker room and filled gear bags with everything they needed. On Nov. 16, Rihela guided 14 kids through the program’s debut on-ice session and by the following week, there were 20 participating from ages six to 16. Players from Mission’s Bantam and Midget teams served as mentors during the 30-minute sessions, which are scheduled to be held approximately once a week throughout the hockey season. “The goal of the program is to give kids who would never otherwise have the opportunity to be part of a hockey program a chance to enjoy the sport and learn what we consider to be the greatest game in the world,” said Rihela, whose 12-year-old daughter is participating in the Special Edition program. “We want to expose
them to something they normally wouldn’t have a chance to experience. “We had kids who had never touched the ice before standing up on skates, shooting the puck and just enjoying themselves. The smiles are unbelievable.” Rihela said that while the reaction of the kids was
priceless, he was even more moved by how thrilled the parents were to see their children trying something new and expanding their horizons. Beyond the opportunities that are being provided for the special needs players, Mission’s Bantam and Midget players have grown as well in their roles helping the Special Edition players on the ice. They’re learning lessons about compassion, helping others and teamwork that are more impactful than perhaps anything else they have experienced. Rihela said that at a recent session, one
of the 16U players approached an assistant coach and thanked him for letting his team work with the Special Edition players. The experience has also reinforced in them that they’re extremely fortunate to have been blessed with the gifts that they have, as well as to have the opportunity to play hockey at a high level. “All it took was a few minutes for them to get comfortable working with the Special Edition kids,” Goltz said. “They really leaned into this – they didn’t just go through the motions, and they got every bit as much out of it as the Special Edition kids did. “This whole thing has been amazing. I had so much anxiety leading up to the first on-ice session, and when I saw the kids out there, I said to myself ‘What were we so worried about?’ It was absolutely fantastic.’” Next on the horizon, Rihela hopes to be able to organize some cross-ice intrasquad games. Skill sessions will be incorporated into practices for some of the players who are more advanced. He said he’s looking forward to watching the kids grow as hockey players and involving more kids in coming weeks. “This could be one of the greatest things I’ve ever been a part of,” Rihela beamed. “We’re changing how kids and families look at the sport and how they can participate in it. I’ve had parents stop me in the locker room and tell me how they can’t wait until next week. “There’s an inner athlete in each one of these kids. It’s incredibly rewarding.”
MissionArizonaIce.org
MISSION STATEMENT Do young hockey players still have a team-first mindset? I
recently saw an article in USA Hockey Magazine that got me thinking about how we are losing sight of the purity and reasons why so many play this great game. It was an article that talked about how 14and 16-year-old Goltz kids can promote themselves to get on the USA Hockey Development Camp radar. I see articles like this contributing to the lack of focus on hockey as a team game, and more and more parents and players are focused on the wrong things and what this sport is truly about. I have played, coached and currently scout for college hockey and junior programs, and can tell you the No. 1 thing coaches are looking for are good, coachable kids who will be an asset to the college or junior program. They want kids who understand the humble nature of being a piece to a bigger puzzle. They look for kids who are coach-
able, and are willing to learn and take on roles in order to make teams and players around them more successful. Kids should have individual goals and aspirations beyond youth hockey, but it can’t come at the expense of their team goals and other teammates’ aspirations to be successful. In the last few years, with all the marketing, showcases and money-making adventures, hockey is becoming a breeding ground for individual focus rather than the intended focus of the team first. Players jump jersey to jersey, leave town early, and could care less about team success. It has more and more become about who can climb the ladder and do it no matter what the expense may be. I managed to do some great things in the game of hockey, and can tell you there wasn’t a day in that process where I focused on my individual agenda. Team success was always a priority, and
through that mindset, individuals would be recognized individually. This is a battle I fight every day, not only with my older kids, but now younger kids who are being pushed with the promise of “being seen” or as players that you have to “market.” It is destroying the essence of the game and in reality, is creating less and less of what coaches are truly looking for – players who are coachable, humble and are willing to be a small piece of a bigger puzzle. I had the opportunity to go to Tucson on a recent weekend and hang out with some of my teammates from my college playing days. We had great teams back then and it was a reminder to all of us how special we were as we focused on a common goal and common purpose. Youth hockey should be the very definition of what “putting the team first” is all about and all the lessons that come with that process. It should be magical, and about the common jersey. These days, sadly, I see a change as the name on the back is indeed more important than the name on the front.
Jeremy Goltz is the director of hockey operations for Mission Arizona. AZRubberHockey.com
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