When Loren Tillotson, physical education teacher at Nederland Elementary and Flatirons Elementary, heard that the Colorado Avalanche had a program involving elementary schools, she signed up.

Players from the Avalanche Amateur Hockey team first came to Tillotson’s physical education classes at the elementary schools, offering Hockey 101. There the students learned basic hockey skills like stickhandling, passing, and shooting the puck (or ball, in the case of street hockey).

On January 21 members from the Avalanche Amateur Hockey team and staff came to NedRINK to offer the Try Hockey for Free session. This was designed for students who attended Hockey 101. The event was open to students ages 5-12. Since there was space remaining, some Nederland middle school students also were able to join in on the fun.

Some students from Flatirons Elementary in Boulder came up to Nederland to take advantage of this program. Students from Nederland Elementary were already at their home ice rink. Previous skating experience was not a prerequisite. Some kids were skating for the first time. The goal of this experience was to get kids on the ice, and to teach them some hockey skills at the level that they are at.

Tillotson said, “It’s been a pleasure working with Taylor Patrick, coordinator for the Colorado Avalanche Amateur Hockey Development, to bring ball hockey sessions to Flatirons Elementary and Nederland Elementary, and the Try Hockey for Free session to NedRINK.”

It was a beautiful morning of skating with mild weather. The kids loved seeing Avalanche mascot Bernie. Bernie skated around with the kids and signed autographs at the end.

One Nederland fourth grader whizzed by on his skates and said, “This is awesome!”

Tillotson shared, “Taylor and I are already talking about next year. It is a program and partnership we plan to continue and grow. NedRINK is a huge asset to our community and our youth, and I am thankful for everyone who came together to make the event a success.”

Hockey is an energy-filled game that takes an enormous amount of skill, strength, and willingness to cooperate with a team. These activities introduced some kids to the game of hockey and got some kids in ice skates for the first time. It also advanced others in their knowledge of the game and sharpened their skills.

The program developed by Colorado Avalanche Amateur Hockey Development and the partnership with Tillotson has created an opportunity for students at Nederland and Flatirons Elementary Schools to learn about hockey. Hopefully it has sparked their interest to get out on the ice rink and skate.