Mountain Rec to Build New In-House Squirt Hockey Program and Soon Compete with Neighboring Rec Teams
Starting October 16th, Mountain Recreation will be launching its new in-house squirt hockey program at the Eagle Pool & Ice Rink. The new in-house rec program is set to provide local kids ages nine to twelve the opportunity to try out hockey for the first time and for others, the chance to continue their hockey journey.
“We’re so excited to offer a new squirt program in-house, and provide increased access to the sport,” said Anna Englehart, Programs Superintendent at Mountain Recreation. “As kids age out of our mini-mites and mites hockey programs, many often end up leaving the sport due to larger financial commitments and travel required to continue their hockey journey. We hope this program allows more kids to keep playing, allows others to try it for the first time, and all the while be easier on working parents,” said Englehart.
For its inaugural season, which will run from October through December, the District plans to develop the program, train the kids, run scrimmages, and ultimately draw enough interest to form a team. Once enough kids have joined, the plan for the second session running January through March, is to run scrimmages against neighboring towns’ rec teams. Mountain Rec staff are currently working to schedule scrimmages a few times during the season with other in-house rec teams including Glenwood Springs and Carbondale.
The new in-house squirt program is open to all children aged nine to twelve and will run on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 8pm at the Eagle Pool & Ice Rink. The nine-week season will kick off on October 16th and run through December 13th for just $145 per kid. Parents are encouraged to register promptly as space will be limited to only 30 kids to ensure each child receives a high level of attention from the coaches.
“With this being our inaugural season and understanding that ice time is precious, we plan to share the ice with kids of the same age who are participating in the local hockey club. Our hope is to split the ice during practice, and then scrimmage with one another to utilize the full sheet. We hope this will create a safe and supportive environment for the kids to learn new skills from one another, make new friends, and have fun on the ice,” said Englehart.
If you want to learn more about the new squirt hockey program or register, click the link below or drop by the Eagle Ice Rink.