SEATTLE — The Seattle Kraken are on a mission to introduce western Washington kids to hockey.
Since the organization’s inception, they have been slowly distributing field hockey, or floorball kits, to local schools and programs.
Thirty-six Tacoma schools are the most recent recipients of the kits, which each cost about $1,000. Between Tacoma, Seattle, Highline, Renton and Tukwila school districts, 162 kits have been distributed. The kits are shared with Metro Parks to be used during after-school hours.
Andrew Bloom is the community engagement and youth access specialist for the Seattle Kraken and said the goal is to create access and interest.
“You don’t need ice, you don’t need to be able to ice skate, so it’s a really simple way for kids to be able to learn the sport and be able to play and participate, without having that extra need for equipment or needing to know how to ice skate,” said Bloom.
Rhianna Bedient, the physical education teacher at Whittier Elementary and district lead, said in just three days of teaching floorball to her students, she’s seen multiple benefits.
“There are kids that have maybe already made up their mind that 'Oh I'm not a good soccer player, I'm not a good basketball player', but when it’s something they’ve never tried before, they get to start with a fresh slate and their confidence changes and builds and they can feel like they’re good at it,” said Bedient.
Plus, the Kraken connection is helping build a bridge for these students to the new team.
“A lot of these kids in Tacoma have never even been to Seattle so for them to feel like, no Seattle is part of your community and what’s going on there is pertinent to you,” Bedient said.