October was designated as Celebration Month in response to several special hockey teams that received their Kaye Trainer device during the month. The first team that celebrated was the Bowling Green Black Swamp Ice Frogs on Saturday, October 11 at the BGSU Ice Arena.
The BG Black Swamp Ice Frogs received their Kaye Trainer on behalf of members from UCT’s Baton Rouge Council 499 in Louisiana, who donated the full $2,500! What’s even more impressive is that UCT Past International President, Randy Young, along with UCT Mississippi-Louisiana Regional President, Janelle Geautreaux, took time out of their schedules to travel up to Bowling Green, Ohio, to be on hand to actually present the Kaye Trainer to the special hockey team. The celebration was more than moving!
After the presentation, several athletes took turns on the device showing how important and helpful the Kaye trainer is. In fact, one athlete who could barely be on the ice for longer than 20 minutes now doesn’t want to come off the ice!
Fast forward one week to Saturday, October 18 – three other ASHA teams celebrated the arrival of their donated Kaye Trainers! The Pittsburgh Emperors, the Montgomery Cheetahs, and the Washington Ice Dogs all took time to celebrate the device and show how important and needed the trainer is within their programs.
Father and coach for the Montgomery Cheetahs, Sean Twombly, stated, “Both David (Lucia) and I were thrilled with the device and its impact could be much greater than originally envisioned. While the device will certainly benefit those whose physical disability makes it challenging to skate, its impact as an instructive tool for those who need to work on nuanced elements of skating may find it even more beneficial. The harness system creates a safe environment that builds confidence and allows athletes to stretch beyond their comfort zone. The simple fact that they know they won’t fall changes the effort level.”
As you can see, the UCT Kaye Trainer International Capital Campaign is a worthwhile cause to support, and special hockey teams in North America are in need and appreciative of this device. Please continue to support this campaign and help us reach our goal of providing every special hockey program with a Kaye Trainer. And most importantly, THANK YOU to all who have donated to the campaign already! With your support, we have raised more than $25,000. Should you donate the full $2,500 for a device, your name or council’s name will be proudly displayed on the UCT Kaye Trainer Donor Wall of Fame at the UCT Home Office.
Sean Twombly continued by thankfully explaining, “We are so appreciative of UCT for this donation. Its impact has been immediate and we can already envision how it will shape the way we teach our athletes to skate.”
With Gratitude…. Thanks for reading!
Jen Szymczak, Community Outreach Manager
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