JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Although the Jacksonville Icemen wrapped up their season in May, the team has stayed active, particularly in community outreach. The Icemen are currently planning several youth camps aimed at minority communities. During the season, they hosted a handful of similar events.
Charles Williams, the Director of Community Hockey and goalie coach for the Icemen, emphasized the growing popularity of hockey. "You're starting to see AAU teams, you're starting to see HBCU hockey teams, you're starting to see a focus and push in women's hockey, Division I and down here, Division III," Williams said.
Williams noted that the team is committed to contributing to this growth. The Icemen created the "Street Hockey Program," which aims to increase minority participation in the sport.
"We went to schools, we went to after-school programs, the YMCA, and pretty much just an opportunity to say, 'Hey, we're here. We're the Icemen. We want to bring some of our players and the coaching staff,'" Williams explained. The program aims to eliminate as many barriers as possible.
"Financial barriers, transportation, just coming out to these organizations and making it easy for them and having everything there for them. The hockey sticks, the nets. They can just bring themselves and have fun," Williams said.
Williams shared a personal connection to the cause, noting that a similar program had a significant impact on his own life. "I was in that boat a little bit for me. It was a field trip that our class took. Other than that, probably wouldn't have experienced hockey or got into hockey," he recalled.
For many of the campers, the exposure to hockey is a new experience. "Some of them didn't know who the Icemen were and that was exciting because it's still with all that hockey is growing, there's still a population that's new or for whatever reason, hockey wasn't on their list," Williams said.
In addition to the street hockey program, the Icemen have a youth hockey program designed to educate and involve more people in the game. Williams noted that they have hosted five camps in the past year.