Let’s start with Josh and Aaron and the Youth &
Street Hockey programs. As you probably guessed
already, their focus is on the youth programs,
which include both ice hockey and street hockey.
Ice hockey activities include the Holiday Camps,
Summer Camps, and Clinics that are more wellknown.
But they also have a Fantasy Camp and skills
clinics for adults. Off ice, they are building street
hockey leagues across the area and offer summer
camps and skills clinics very similar to their onice
programs.
Lightning Made recently moved into a 7,500
square foot office and training space, which
includes two indoor, air-conditioned ball hockey
rinks. The Youth & Street Hockey effort also has
a goal to build ten outdoor rinks by the middle of
2020.
The Youth & Street Hockey program also has
responsibility for the very popular school visits
across Tampa Bay.
Lightning Made originally set a goal of visiting 500
(mostly) middle schools to distribute 100,000
sticks and balls. Each participating school also
gets a full set of street hockey gear, so that they
can continue any type of street hockey program
they’d like.
Some schools have even incorporated street
hockey into their Physical Education curriculum.
In just three years, over 350 schools have already
been visited, and over 90,000 stick and ball sets
have been handed out.
Not wanting to sit back and relax, the street
hockey team set a new goal to reach even
more students at more schools. They worked
with stick manufacturer Bauer to develop and
produce custom, smaller street hockey sticks for
elementary students.
The new goal is to distribute an additional 100,000
stick and ball sets to 500 area elementary schools,
in addition to the original program goals.
Kristen and Sara handle the Diversity & Sled
Hockey programs, which include some of the
programs I introduced last month, like the sled
hockey program, girls’ teams, and character
development for disadvantaged youth.
The sled hockey program has grown tremendously
in just a few short years, with the team traveling
to compete in regional and national tournaments.
The girls now have their own travel teams and rec
teams playing at various local rinks, along with
exclusive girls-only camps and clinics. And there
can’t be enough said about the impact of “Guide
the Thunder,” the program that works to teach
hockey and life skills to middle school students
in need.
Kristen and Sara work hard, but they’re doing a
great job reaching out to new hockey fans that
may have never even thought about playing
hockey.
Tom and Mike run the very successfully Lightning
High School Hockey League (LHSHL).
Currently, there are 17 varsity teams and 9
development / JV teams in the league.
Participation has grown steadily, and there are
now over 500 student-athletes from over 50 high
schools.
Every team plays 22 games during the regular
season, followed by playoffs and the crowning of
a league champion.
They also have the opportunity to qualify for the
State playoffs and USA Hockey Nationals. Through
a partnership with Johns Hopkins All-Children’s
Hospital, all players are given a free medical
exam and baseline concussion testing prior to
participation, and the hospital also provides a
Certified Athletic Trainer at each game.
Last but not least, Jassen and Mathieu ensure the
quality and consistency of all hockey programs
offered by Lightning Made.
They design the curriculum and drills for the
camps and clinics, and they work with the
numerous part-time coaches to make sure every
participant has a fun learning experience.
They really take a hands-on approach, as you’ll
usually find them on the ice at the camps and
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