WORCESTER—If the ECHL rule book included a penalty for too many fourth graders on the ice, the Railers would spend a lot of time shorthanded.
There were about 110 of them skating at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center Tuesday morning and into the afternoon as part of the team’s popular “Skate to Success” program. The students, all from city public schools, were joined by Railers players Zach White, Nick Pennucci, Anthony Repaci and Anthony Callin.
The kids got skates and helmets for their ice time, Railers jerseys, player instruction, free transportation and — this can’t be overlooked — pizza as part of the day. All of it was provided by the Railers at no cost.
Skate to Success has been happening since 2017 at the Ice Center. Each week during hockey season one or two schools, depending on the size of the classes, come in for one of two skating sessions.
Thirty-two schools are signed up to participate. Tuesday’s campers were from the Gates Lane and Thornyke Road schools.
“Developing players, developing fans, it’s all of the above,” Railers COO Mike Myers said. “It’s developing exposure to the game. We can use the Ice Center’s downtown location to provide access to a sport and activity that normally these kids would not have access to, especially without cost to them.”
Repaci is the Railers’ captain and grew up outside Toronto. Most Canadian kids do not have to learn how to skate. They usually skate from the maternity ward to their ride home.
“I love it,” he said of the chance to work with young athletes. “It’s obvious I do because I coach two Junior Railers teams, too. I think this is a great opportunity to give back and help kids learn how to play hockey, learn how to skate.”
The Skate to Success age group is not just some random number picked out of a helmet.
“We picked fourth graders and that age for a reason,” Myers said. “They’re resilient. They’re at a very pleasing stage of their life. They want to try to do what’s asked of them, and they have a lot of stick-to-itness. You see a lot of kids, they bump their knee, then they get back up. They just want to get out there.
“It’s one of the favorite field trips for the kids. When they’re in the third grade they look forward to being in the fourth grade so they can come and do Skate to Success.”
There are no exact numbers to tell how many of the fourth graders are on ice skates for the first time. A rough guess, according to Myers, is that anywhere from 50 percent to 80 percent of the kids are skating for the first time in their lives depending on what schools are involved.
“The amazing thing is watching the difference between the first five minutes and the last five minutes,” he said, “and how many of the kids are up on their feet. A lot of them have also tried roller skating or maybe skied or done an activity that has a little crossover, so they have a little more coordination.”
Repaci is one of the many Railers who make skating look easy. It’s not that simple, according to the captain.
“You know, honestly, it’s pretty hard,” he said. “You take it for granted when you grow up with it and you don’t think about it. You just skate. But you really have to look at the dynamics of how to skate, break it down for the kids and it’s harder than you think.
“They’re all nervous because they’re afraid to fall down but once you get them up and they’re skating, they’re having a good time. For me, I always played hockey, but a lot of kids never had the opportunity to get skates that are supplied like this. It’s great for them to have a chance to learn to play hockey.”
Learning how to skate won’t do much for these fourth graders when it comes time to take their SATs, but for some Skate to Success might be their first step on the way to the ECHL.
Bill Ballou covered the Red Sox for the Worcester Telegram from 1997 through 2018. He has covered pro hockey in Worcester since 1994 and currently does a weekly column for the Worcester Red Sox. Ballou can be reached at vetgoalie@aol.com
