Minnesota Hockey Journal

having kids that are good kids as well is just as important as wins and losses. There's rarely a kid walking off the ice without a smile on their face." WELCOMING NEW FACES Like other smaller communities that have relatively shorter hock- ey histories, Worthington is not without its challenges. Having an older arena with only one sheet of ice has its limits. "We're still a fairly new hockey community in the grand scheme of things, but I like the direction we're headed," said Kennedy. "I'm probably biased, but I see the development and success at the younger levels. We have some real talented boys and girls in the program, a good core that's been together for a few years now. And the investment in the kids has always been there, whether it's through volunteering, finding extra ice or adding a skating program or camps. If you buy into the kids, they'll buy in as well." Worthington is doing its part to welcome new hockey families with open arms. "We've done Try Hockey for Free every year I've been involved and I believe in it big time," Kennedy said. "We probably see anywhere from 20-30 kids participate and if we can get 1-2 from that group to sign up that's pretty good. We do Learn to Skate events when we have the ice time. We also have a rental program for equipment for the first year to try to alleviate some of the financial burden as well." COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER WHA has a strong foundation of community support and volun- teerism. There are a variety of initiatives and events designed to fundraise and drive awareness for the program. Last year, Worthington introduced its first Hockey Day Worthington with its own unique twist. "Volunteers and the community coming together are every- thing," Kennedy said. "Two or three years ago the hockey associ- ation ran the arena in its entirety. Now going into year three and the city runs it. We've always had volunteers to make it all happen. We have a golf outing and a couple years ago we had the Minnesota Warriors come down to play against our Worthington Wombats (the town's recreational adult hockey league) as a fundraiser for the association. From our volunteer board members, to our coach- es to team moms, it's a full effort." There's also been a concerted effort to create connections between the younger players and the high school program. "The coaches do a good job of having their varsity players help out at practices when they're able," he said. "The older kids help the younger kids put on equipment and skate for the first time. There's also an effort to watch each other's games. We always have a couple varsity games during our Mini Mite Jamboree, so you see them up in the stands." POISED FOR GROWTH Worthington is pushing hard to get a new arena built to continue to expand its organization and open new doors of opportunity for those in the area. While WHA has been proud to call Worthington Ice Arena home for more than 30 years, the town is energized in the effort to provide a new and improved facility. "Worthington Arena has that old school feel and has served us well since the 1990s," said Kennedy. "It's a single-sheet facility, so often we'll look to provide other options such as an outdoor rink or if possible, skating on the lake. Having more space, ideally with two sheets of ice, will mean more ice time, more opportuni- ties for team and individual practices and more opportunity to succeed. It would also mean we could start our seasons earlier and end later, and host more and bigger tournaments." The planned new facility would likely live just off I-90, with options for that second sheet of ice and a walking path and oppor- tunities for community use beyond the hockey season. As of April, nearly $11 million had been raised to support the new facility. "We are seeing positive momentum on the fundraising side," Kennedy said. "We have the city willing to help, the school willing to help and our residents are showing support as well. Our 10U and 12U girls have been making and selling bracelets all summer and raised close to $10,000. It's so cool to see the kids get involved and try to figure out ways they can help." 25 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M

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