Anyone who knows former Tyrone mayor Pat Stoner knows that, when funding is needed, she\u2019s been the \u201cgo-to\u201d for digging up those sometimes elusive grant sources, whether it be on the state or federal level. One such project that was facilitated through her efforts and her knack for \u201cshaking the money tree\u201d is the borough\u2019s in-line hockey rink, next to the pool at Reservoir Park.
\nThis marks the third year that young and old alike have had the opportunity to enjoy the innovative recreational facility and it\u2019s been a smashing success, attracting many, not only to play but also to spectate.
\nStoner said she\u2019s one of the rink\u2019s most avid fans.
\n\u201cThe kids have really been active at the park and I just love to go up there and watch them play,\u201d Stoner said in a recent interview with The Daily Herald. \u201cIt\u2019s been very rewarding to see this grow into what\u2019s now a community roller hockey league with a solid core of players of 13, 15 and sometimes as many as 22 players at a time.
\n\u201cWhere does it go from here? That remains to be seen, but they\u2019re hoping this interest continues to expand, even to other communities.\u201d
\nAccording to the former mayor, who\u2019s reluctant to take much credit for the success of the rink, the kids have really dedicated themselves to becoming not only better skaters and hockey players, but also better sportsmen. She attributes that to the involvement of several fathers who have volunteered their time as coaches and mentors.
\n\u201cWe have four fathers right now who have stepped forward to take over the coaching,\u201d she noted. \u201cThis is a critically important component and we\u2019re very grateful to those who are giving of their time to help.\u201d
\nSelf confidence is being bolstered among the regular participants and real \u201cskilled\u201d hockey players are beginning to emerge. Clinics are being offered \u2014 the first one just took place in June \u2014 and it was \u201cvery successful\u201d according to Stoner. Game skills and tricks were the emphasis of the inaugural clinic, and more are being planned, some specifically for the \u201clittle ones.\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s great to watch the younger players \u2014 5 and 6 year olds \u2014 learn the fundamentals of skating and playing roller hockey,\u201d Stoner said.
\nSome of the advanced players are beginning to take their games to the next level, which is drawing the attention of area ice hockey instructors.
\n\u201cThey have scouted our players and have tried to entice them to ice hockey,\u201d Stoner explained. \u201cThe best thing is, they can do both because ice hockey begins in November and outdoor roller hockey is a fair weather sport, so it wouldn\u2019t interfere with what\u2019s going on at the park.\u201d
\nStoner said the kids, ranging in age from five to high school age, have been making some noise about playing other teams from other towns; to form a Blair County roller hockey league of sorts.
\n\u201cThe kids really have a desire to take this to another level,\u201d Stoner said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been talking for some time about inviting teams from other communities to come together to form a league and I think that\u2019s a marvelous idea.\u201d
\nNow that school\u2019s in session, some of the players are involved in school sports, so the roller hockey schedule is being adjusted to accommodate. But, as Stoner explained, fall is a great time for roller hockey, due to the cooler temps and the crisp autumn air.
\nAnother facet of the roller hockey program is that kids don\u2019t necessarily need to have their own equipment to take part. Many items such as helmets, about 75 pairs of skates, sticks and protective gear have been donated or purchased for the program to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part.
\nThere is no fee to use the park, which is open daily from 8 a.m. until dusk. Stoner said kids who want to get involved in this great program can contact her so she can get them in touch with the right people.
\n\u201cI\u2019m so thrilled with what\u2019s going on down there,\u201d she said. \u201cNot only are kids from the community getting great exercise and the chance to play in a team sport, but there are even adults who are making use of the rink when games aren\u2019t being played.
\n\u201cI hope the interest continues to grow as it has and, wouldn\u2019t it be great if we could interest other communities in the region in forming a league? It\u2019s such a wonderful experience for everyone involved and I\u2019d encourage more people to come see what it\u2019s all about.\u201d
\nThe fall roller hockey schedule will be Saturdays at 9 a.m., and Tuesday evening scrimmages, which currently start at 6 p.m. may shift to Mondays. A Thursday night play time is also being considered.
\nFor more information, Stoner may be reached at 684-5590.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Anyone who knows former Tyrone mayor Pat Stoner knows that, when funding is needed, she\u2019s been the \u201cgo-to\u201d for digging up those sometimes elusive grant sources, whether it be on the state or federal level. One such project that was facilitated through her efforts and her knack for \u201cshaking the money tree\u201d is the borough\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area","category-excerpts-from-the-tyrone-daily-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3555\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}