WHA hosts ‘Try Hockey for Free’

The Waseca Hockey Association (WHA), sponsored by USA Hockey, held its twice-annual “Try Hockey for Free” event Saturday, Feb. 25 at the ice rink. The February event is typically the smaller one according to Shannon Cliff, registrar for the WHA, since it's the end of hockey season. In November, the event has seen as many as 60 kids attend the one-hour session. “The goal is to get kids to come try hockey,” Cliff said. “A lot of people are nervous about the fees and equipment. This program allows kids who might never otherwise get a chance to see whether they have an interest.”

Attendance at the event gets kids not only a chance to try hockey, but also jerseys and sometimes even sticks sent by USA Hockey and free enrollment in the WHA's Learn to Skate weekly program. For those attending in February, the offer extends to the next hockey season.

Once they're checked in, kids go to the back of the rink to be fitted with hockey gear by Jeremy Mortenson, equipment manager for the WHA. Mortenson sets the kids up with a helmet, pads, and skates before sending them out onto the ice. The focus for most youth who attend is on skating skills. According to organizers, many who attend Try Hockey for Free will never have skated before, and will focus on trying to get moving, then gain enough balance to skate without using a chair for support. Those attendees with some skating experience get the chance to learn skills they don't yet have, like stopping, and to gain confidence. While on the ice, kids skate alongside hockey players, WHA coaches, and sometimes parents.

Anyone is welcome to attend; in the event's lifetime, participants have typically been from three to thirteen years old. The WHA maintains classes and teams ranging from three-year-olds up to high school when kids transition to playing on the school teams. There are both boys' and girls' teams, and sometimes mixed teams as well, depending on enrollment numbers for the year. The WHA is also open to those living outside of Waseca. They cooperate with Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, and New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva. The next Try Hockey For Free day is expected to be in November. When it’s approaching, it is advertised on the WHA Facebook page, through the Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce, and through the schools' communication channels.