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CHL Mississippi RiverKings

Sticks Are For Kids moves to DeSoto Central Elementary

April 11, 2005 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN—Memphis RiverKings team captain Don Parsons and forward Ken Goetz visited DeSoto Central Elementary School in Southaven as part of the Sticks Are For Kids program, in which the RiverKings provide street hockey equipment, uniforms and gear to a school for two to four weeks.

Before showing the third, fourth and fifth graders some basic moves, Parsons and Goetz took some time to talk about education and answer questions.

"In life, the most important thing is education," Parsons said. "If you don't have an education, there's not many possibilities for a good future out there."

Parsons asked the children who the President of the United States is, and whether they thought that perhaps he walked in one day and told his parents in the third grade, or maybe later in the sixth grade, that he had learned everything he needed to know and wasn't going back to school. "No!" they all said, laughing.

"You're right," Parsons said. "He went to school a long time. How many of you want to be President of the United States one day?" A few children raised their hands. "How many of you want to own your own business?" More children raised their hands. "Almost any job you want to do is going to require a lot of education and a lot of hard work. But it will help you feel good about yourself and help you fulfill your dreams."

One student asked Parsons if the team goes on the road a good deal.

"We have one of the worst travel schedules in the league," Parsons said. "We're the furthest team away from everyone else in the league. Fortunately, we have a really nice bus. It's got bunk beds, satellite TV, VCR, DVD player, microwave and bathroom and a lot of guys bring their PS2s and other video games with them, so it's kind of like a traveling hotel room. Sometimes it's fun to just get on the bus, hang out with the guys and relax."

Another student asked Goetz, who led the team in major penalties this year, why he fights.

"I fight to defend the guys who score," Goetz said. "A lot of times if you play hard against a scorer, he won't score. It's my job to create a little room for guys like Donny, to keep them off him so he can make goals."

The last question was about job satisfaction: how much do you like your job?

"I'm 36 years old," Parsons said. "I'm the oldest hockey player in the league right now. That's how much I like my job."

Parsons and Goetz introduced stick handling and passing, demonstrating the correct stance: hands shoulder width apart on the stick and feet shoulder width apart on the floor, bending at the knees and waist. They also showed some common mistakes, like holding the stick too rigidly, which will cause the puck or ball to bounce off the blade—which led into a demonstration on how to cradle a pass. After introducing each concept, Parsons invited two students to the front to try it out.

Finally, they took both goal nets and set them up next to one another facing the audience. They invited two children to the front, Caleb Gilbert and Kyle Morgan, to play in goal.

Before helping the boys dress out, however, the two players talked about safety. Goetz lifted up a pants leg to reveal a scrape a little bigger than a silver dollar, where a puck had hit his shin during the season. Despite the thick pads the players wear to protect themselves, the impact of the puck had broken the skin and still was in the healing process. Parsons held up a game puck for the children to see.

"This puck is made of vulcanized rubber, it's very hard and can sometimes go up to 100 miles an hour," Parsons said. "That's why it's so important to wear protective gear." Then he and Goetz proceeded to help the two boys into the gear, relating each piece's role in protecting the body as they went.

The next part of the lesson pertained to proper form for scoring goals. The players asked four different sets of children to come up and try different aspects. The last pair were two second-graders who are big RiverKings fans, Cally Perkins, and John Michael Morgan.

While Cally was paired with Caleb Gilbert, John Michael was pitted against his older brother Kyle. They got into position, shot, and John Michael scored. Kyle ran out of goal and rubbed him on the head, joined shortly by Caleb, who embraced him as he'd seen goalies do at the RiverKings games.

Afterward the students lined up at a table, where Parsons and Goetz signed team photos for them. Kyle Morgan said he's not ashamed that a second grader scored on him, a fourth-grader. When they play at home, he is usually the scorer, while John Michael plays more defense.

"I was glad for him," he said. "We like hockey a lot. I played seven seasons for the Jr. StreetKings and Jr. RiverKings. It's fun. I got a lot of goals and assists and I made a lot of friends."

Community Relations representative Michael Rice said that lending out the street hockey equipment helps children on two levels.

"Statistics show that children today do not get enough physical exercise, a factor that is linked to serious illnesses like obesity, heart disease and juvenile diabetes," Rice said. "Part of our mission as a sports team is to better the lives of children by promoting healthy lifestyles, including physical fitness.

"Additionally, not all children will fit into the mold of some of the more traditional sports played in this area, like football and basketball. Street hockey is a fun sport that both boys and girls can enjoy."

For more information on how your school can reserve the street hockey equipment and request a player appearance through Sticks Are For Kids, call 662.342.1755.



Central Hockey League Stories from April 11, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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