We recently reported that the Manitowoc County Youth Hockey Association was named one of 17 Hockey Associations in the state to receive a grant from the Milwaukee Admirals.
We reached out to the man who sent in the application, Domingo Flores, who said he has been with the organization for the past 5 years, and in that time has seen steady growth in popularity. This grant looks to help that growth continue.
“They are really looking for organizations that are really looking to grow their associations,” Flores explained. “I thought it fit the Manitowoc County Hockey Association very well in what we are trying to do.”
As for how they plan on using the $750 they received, Flores said some of it will be going to their HIP program, which is the Hockey Initiative Program. Flores described HIP as a “four or five-week course on Mondays, [that last about] 45 minutes…just getting kids in there and introducing them to ice skating. As they get more comfortable, we put a hockey stick in their hands and we start doing little drills or little games” to teach them the finer points of the sport.
When Flores applied for the grant, he asked for enough money to put 10 future hockey stars through the program, at $20 per session. If the child is enjoying themselves, the next step would be to join the mini-mites program, which, according to Flores, “is a little more hands-on. You are in hockey gear, and getting out there and learning the game a little more. Some of the funds will be used to sponsor a child for that program.”
The remaining funds are slotted to sponsor one child to advance to the mites program, which is the next level up. Flores said that hockey is such a different kind of sport from the likes of football or basketball because the coordination and teamwork needed to succeed is on a different level. While there are “plays” used in the sport, the high-speed nature of hockey makes it more of a think-on-the-fly type of activity.
To learn more about the MCYHA, visit their Facebook page, or go to ManitowocHockey.org.
