The Crookston Youth Parent Committee and Blue Line Club held its first, of two, “Try Hockey for Free” days on Sunday, September 18th at the Crookston Sports Center. (The second is being held on Sunday, October 16th from 3:00 pm – 5:00 p.m. at the Crookston Sports Center.)
The committee’s objective is to reach children and families that may not have considered signing their children up for hockey, whether it be that they didn’t play hockey themselves or they are unfamiliar with the resources available, such as scholarships and access to affordable equipment.
The event allowed youth of all ages to try on hockey equipment, skate on the synthetic ice with the help of the Crookston hockey teams, try their hand at a shooting station, and play Plinko for a chance to win hockey gear. They also received a free stick that was taped and cut to size. The concession stand was open with free snacks and Crookston hockey apparel was for sale. Representatives from Parks and Recreation, as well as the Blue Line Club, were on hand to answer any questions as well as assist parents in signing their children up for hockey and fitting them for gear for the upcoming season.
There were about 150 people, including approximately 30 volunteers, in attendance of all ages as it’s never too late to try something new!
Thank you to all who attended and we hope to see you at the October 16th event to try out the rink when the ice is in! The event is open to all Crookston youth and surrounding areas.
If you have any questions about signing up your child for the upcoming hockey season, please contact Kristy Swanson at crookstonhockey@gmail.com or 218-470-0423 or Crookston Parks & Rec at 218-281-1242.
The Blue Line Club would like to also thank the area sponsors for all of their donations and resources to help make this event so successful.
Sponsors for the event included the following:
36 hockey sticks donated by Federated Insurance
Tape & wax donated by Melissa Perreault
Jerseys donated by Northern Lumber and Grove Mechanical Concession Stand sponsored by United Valley Bank
Plinko Prizes sponsored by Blue Line Club, Gerrells, Scheels, and UMC
All other equipment, supplies, and resources were sponsored by The Blue Line Club.
A special thanks also go out to all of the volunteers that contributed to the event running so smoothly. Those volunteers include Jared & Janessa Quanrud, Malissa Burnette and family, Tiffany Biermaier, Taylor Bryant, Melissa Wong, Emily Meyer & the girl’s high school hockey team, Cristin & Josh Hardy and the boy’s high school hockey team, Matt Hann, Evan Meyer, Nick Noah, Mike Enright, Adam Olmstead, Luke Biermaier, Amy Erdmann, Jason & Lacey Beniot, Katie & Andy Fee, Tim Persson, Jermey Lubinski, Nick & Dani Sylvester, Jake Solberg, and Kristy Swanson.
