Youth Unlimited Haliburton Highlands is trying to bridge the gap for low-income families wanting to enroll their children in hockey, launching a new grassroots club in Haliburton village.
The Haliburton Warriors Hockey Club will start playing this fall. Founder Leanne Young, who runs the Bridge Youth Centre in town with her husband, Kyle, said the team will feature boys from Grades 4-6 in its first year.
After putting her 10-year-old son through Highland Storm hockey for the past four seasons, Young said the cost and unrelenting schedule were taking a toll on her family. After talking to other moms throughout the season and connecting with hockey enthusiasts at public skates through the winter, she felt there was enough demand to support another program.
“We probably spent $4,000-5,000 this year on hockey for our one son, which is a lot of money. It also felt like driving became our entire lives. We were on the road three days a week at least,” Young said. “Now, my youngest son is getting to the point where he wants to start hockey and there’s no way we have the money or time to have two kids playing.
“With gas prices going up, it was costing us $20 to get to Gooderham and back. Then you have food to pay for, because games are always around dinner or lunch time,” she added.
She believes in the benefits of organized hockey – teaching kids about teamwork, respect and discipline. That will form the basis of the Warriors program, she said.
“I think if you teach boys how to be men of integrity, how to work together and be committed to something, then that definitely helps their future development,” Young said. “Since my son started playing, he’s speaking up more in class, he’s become a leader, confident and calm in tough situations. We’ve seen a big change in him.
“I see other boys needing that kind of positive influence. Kids have told me they want to play hockey but can’t afford it. We want to change that.”
The program will run for 16 weeks beginning Oct. 16. Sessions will run from 4 to 6 p.m. at A.J. LaRue Arena in Haliburton. The cost is $220 per person, with 24 spots available.
Volunteer Kelly Short will serve as lead coach with locals Steve Belanger, Graham Borgdorff and Paul Adams assisting. There will also be a couple of older teenagers from the Bridge helping out.
Short said the first half of the weekly meets will focus on skill development, with the second half on games and scrimmages. He coached with the Highland Storm for two years after moving to the Highlands in 2018 but found the travel to games to be too much.
He’s been volunteering with the Bridge Youth Centre for about a year, helping out with pancake breakfasts. He said he was happy to help on the hockey side after Young approached him earlier this year.
Short feels this new program is an ideal way for parents to introduce their children to hockey.
“Hockey is such a great team sport. It brings camaraderie, teaches many aspects of life they need to learn like hard work and respect,” Short said.
Young said the hope is to expand the program to other age groups, and girls, in the future.
Anyone interested in registering can do so by contacting Young at leanne@ youthunlimitedkaw.com.
