Columbus players skate into kids’ hearts

COLUMBUS, GA – The Southern Professional Hockey League prides itself in the way its member franchises become a living, breathing part of the communities they play in. Over the course of the season, teams take part in dozens of events from visiting schools to appearing at charity fundraisers.

The players and staff of the Columbus Cottonmouths got their “seasons of giving back” going early by hosting “Skate with the Snakes Night” on Thursday, October 15th. The event, held in conjunction with the Columbus Hockey Association’s youth hockey program, gives the youth of the community a chance to experience ice skating – some for the very first time – and exposes them to the game of hockey and the Cottonmouths. Even though it was less than a week into training camp and just a day before an exhibition game, all of the players and coach Jerome Bechard welcomed dozens of little ones and their parents onto the ice at the Columbus Civic Center. For the children who have never been on ice skates before, just trying to stay standing can be a daunting task. That is where the players come in. Harkening back to when they were just children learning to skate themselves, the players spent time with the youngsters, helping them first learn how to stand and then skate by guiding them through the steps. From staying upright to slowly moving across the frozen sheet, the players lend both encouragement and a steadying force by taking the kids by the hand and showing them how easy and fun skating can be. For those who have seen hockey on television or live at the Civic Center and want to be the next Wayne Gretzky, the players are more than happy to pass out pointers. It again takes them back to when they were that size and just learning the sport that they love. Since many of the players make appearances at youth hockey practices and games, the skate night lends itself to the start of a sort of hero worship as the little ones begin developing bonds with the players that will last a lifetime. Many of the Columbus “veterans” such as Andrew Dwyer, Orrin Hergott, Jason Slusher, Ian Vigier, Chad Rycroft, Kyle Lundale, Ryan McCarthy, Craig Stahl, Tim Greene, Josh Coyle and Will Barlow have been through the event before but still get a charge out of being with the kids. Several of the new players got their first taste of what it means to be a Cottonmouth and a member of the SPHL. To a man, they all talked about being happy to be in Columbus and the prospects for the upcoming season. Vigier, who had left Columbus for a training camp in Dayton, Ohio only to return south after a week, expressed the players’ affection for the Cottonmouths’ franchise and city perfectly. “It’s good to be home,” he said. “My heart is here in Columbus with this team.” And after the last skater has left the ice and the light are turned off for the night, it is good to know that the children of Columbus have found role models they can proudly look up to because these days, we all could use a little hand standing up and gliding over the slippery ice that is life. Contact the author at cindy.williamson@prohockeynews.com