Equipment grant fuels tremendous growth of new players in Sauk Rapids

01/04/2011, 1:26pm (CST)

By Minnesota Hockey

SRYHA received grant as part of Gear Up Minnesota!

On December 7^th representatives of the Minnesota Wild Foundation and Minnesota Hockey were in Sauk Rapids delivering 12 sets of starter hockey gear and celebrating the tremendous growth of new skaters in the Sauk Rapids Youth Hockey Association this year.

The Sauk Rapids Youth Hockey Association received the gear as part of the Gear Up Minnesota! equipment grant program.  The Gear Up Minnesota! equipment grant program grants sets of starter hockey equipment to deserving associations through an application process each spring. The goal of the program is to continue to grow the game at the grassroots level by making entry into hockey as affordable as possible. The Sauk Rapids Youth Hockey Association applied for an equipment grant last winter and was granted 12 sets of new starter hockey equipment for the 2010-11 season. Sauk Rapids will use the equipment to offer hockey gear free of charge for kids who would like to try hockey for the first time.  The program is funded by generous grants from the Minnesota Wild Foundation and Total Hockey.

“The equipment grant motivated the entire Sauk Rapids Youth Hockey Association board to recruit more kids to give hockey a try,” said Tory Van Halbeck, , President of Sauk Rapids Youth Hockey Association. “And the results were amazing!  We have 28 more new skaters than we had last year and we are fielding an 8U girls team for the first time ever.  We appreciate the generosity of the Minnesota Wild Foundation and Total Hockey for assisting our association in our efforts to get more kids in skates.” 

Sauk Rapids was one of 10 associations statewide that were granted equipment last season.  Youth hockey associations in the following communities also received grants: Chisago Lakes, Faribault, Grand Rapids, Hutchinson, Irondale (New Brighton), Montgomery-Lonsdale, New Ulm, Park Rapids, and Woodbury.

“It is exciting to see what the Sauk Rapids Youth Hockey Association and other community hockey associations throughout Minnesota are doing to ensure that boys and girls have the opportunity play hockey,” said Margenau. “Their efforts, combined with support from the Minnesota Wild Foundation and Total Hockey, will ensure that the number of young people playing hockey in Minnesota will continue to grow.”