Humphrey and the rest of the Lightning Made
Street Hockey team along with Lightning alumni,
will visit different schools throughout the year and
distribute street hockey sticks and balls to the
students. The main point is to introduce as many
people as possible to the game, and to hand
out sticks and street hockey balls to middle
school students.
During their visits, they do a bit of drills
and then play some games. The Lightning
also donate complete sets of street hockey
gear to area schools. Some of these schools
have even added ball hockey as part of their
Physical Education classes. Every student
is also given a street hockey stick and
ball, an autograph card, and a discount for
tickets to an upcoming Lightning game.
Three years ago, the goal was to deliver 100,000
sticks and balls over a five-year period. So far,
they’ve already visited over 350 schools and
donated 90,000 sticks and balls. I think they’re
going to beat their goal!
Not all of Lightning Made’s efforts are to introduce
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One program that most people have never heard
of is called “Guide the Thunder.” This effort
pairs young students with mentors from Tampa
Bay Sports and Entertainment to give them
opportunities they might have never had. The
students and mentors work together for multiple
years, beginning in seventh grade, so they really
have a chance to get to know each other well.
Learning about hockey is a big part, but not the
most important. According to Kristen Bowness,
Manager of Diversity Development & Sled Hockey
programs, the most important lessons they teach
are the things that go beyond the game itself.
Character development, like forming a line and
shaking hands with your opponents after every
game, lessons about sportsmanship and respect.
Other skills are also taught, like how to properly
shake hands with someone or how to tie a tie.
Sara Bustad, who works directly with Kristen,
loves Guide the Thunder, adding that, “kids make
everything better!”
Feedback from the schools show the success the
program is having beyond the rink – principals
and teachers have reported that students’ grades
have gone up and absences have gone down,
along with fewer discipline problems.
Mr. Feaster thinks that the staff might actually get
more out of this program than the kids do, and he
may be right! Aaron Humphrey, now Community
Hockey Coordinator for Youth & Street Hockey,
misses the time he spent in Guide the Thunder.
“This is a great program, and I hope to see it
continue for many years to come.”
Kristen and Sara also lead the growing girls’
hockey program. “It’s just fun to be around
kids,” said Sara, adding that the U12 girls team
is probably her favorite age group to work with.
The girls’ hockey program now has its own hockey
camps and clinics, travel teams at multiple age
groups, and recreational teams at local rinks.
Some players even got to meet and skate with
members of the US Women’s National Team when
they returned to Tampa, after winning the gold
medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. They really
are proving that hockey is for everyone.
The reality that we live in a warm weather state
provides some challenges to the Lightning Made
team. Ice rinks are not always available, so they
had to come up with a better way to share the
game of hockey with more local youth. The answer
to that challenge is the very popular ball hockey
program for local schools.
younger players to the sport, however. Recently,
the Lightning took over the high school hockey
program in this region, creating the Lightning High
School Hockey League (LHSHL). I sat down for a
brief interview with Mike Ross (no relation!), who
is a coordinator for the LHSHL. Our interview didn’t
start off very well, though: “Who is your favorite
hockey team besides the Lightning?” I asked.
“The Boston BOOOOins, bleh,” Mike answered.
(OK, I might have changed his answer a little.) He
grew up in Boston, so I guess we can let that slide.
Besides, the rest of his answers were better.
Next, I asked him what his favorite part about his
job was. “Probably seeing games and watching
cellies,” he replied. Now, who doesn’t like a good
celly? While their main objective is to grow the
high school league, going from 430 studentathletes
last season to over 500 this season, Mike
measures success in smiles.
“I really just like to make people happy,” he
concluded. It sounds like more teams and more
players are in the works, and that should certainly
make everyone happy.
I really learned a lot of new things about Lightning
Made in just one short afternoon. I had no idea
how many programs they now have, and how
much impact they have had on this city.
In fact, there were so many new things I learned,
that I couldn’t fit it all in one article. You’ll have
to come back next month to find out the rest. For
now, though, you should have a better idea of how
Tampa became a hockey town, and if someone
asks you, just say, “it’s Lightning Made!”
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