He maneuvered like a veteran on skates, handling the puck as he glided down the ice at the Flyers Skate Zone last week. But Sh-Rae Marshall only began learning to skate in October, as part of the Art Dorrington Ice Hockey Foundation program for children from low-income families in Atlantic City.
"I learned quickly," said the 10-year-old, taking a break from the ice.
Now in its third year, the program -- founded by Dorrington, one of the first African Americans to play play professional hockey -- holds practice every Thursday afternoon. The foundation is one of 30 for disadvantaged youth sanctioned by the National Hockey League, and the only one in New Jersey so far.
But the Flyers expect to launch a program of their own at Skate Zones in Pennsauken and Voorhees.
Almost half of the 35 Dorrington participants took to the ice for the first time this year.
When the kids gather on Thursday afternoons, the handful of assistants teach the basics: skating, puck handling.
No contact. No checking. Not yet.
They glide up and down the rink, one end to the other. Every 10 minutes or so, they stop for instructions.
As Sh-Rae discovered, they take to the ice with ease. On occasion, a child will slip and fall; it comes with the territory. Some skills take time. Molly Nagel, 10, still has problems stopping on the ice.
That Molly, Sh-Rae and their companions take to the ice at all comes courtesy of four events held to raise the nearly $30,000 needed to purchase equipment and uniforms: two golf tournaments, including the Atlantic City Celebrity Kids Classic; a Flyers Old-Timers game; and an awards banquet. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority picks up the tab for ice time, which costs $225 an hour.
"Hockey is one of the more expensive sports to play, and these kids couldn't afford it without the funds," said Dorrington, who moved to Atlantic City in 1950 after signing to play with the Seagulls, a local minor-league team affiliated with the New York Rangers. He played a year with the Seagulls, then bounced around with other minor-league squads in Johnstown, Pa., Boston and Washington, before landing with the Philadelphia Ramblers in 1956. A severe knee injury in 1958 ended his career before he made it to the NHL.
"What Art is doing is really important," said Nirva Milord, manager of the NHL/USA Hockey Diversity Task Force, a nonprofit organization designed to introduce children of diverse ethnic backgrounds to the game of hockey.
Economics has been the biggest stumbling block to learning the game, Milord said. Costs can run as high as $1,000 per child for equipment alone. That doesn't include fees for ice time. The league's goal is to overcome the stumbling block by making hockey affordable, if not free, she said.
"It's not like basketball, where all you need is a ball and hoop," Milord said. "So we try and grow the sport so everyone has the opportunity."
The task force provides a network of professionals, both on staff and outside the NHL, to assist with fund-raising efforts and provide legal and other expertise. While the League has its own grant mechanism, in association with USA Hockey, the task force relies more on educating organizers such as Dorrington on how to find funding.
"We don't give them the fish. We teach them how to fish," Milord said.
The Dorrington Foundation, open to children ages 9 to 12, also includes a two-hour educational component each Tuesday.
"In order to play on Thursday, you have to attend class on Tuesday," said Dorrington, a retiree from the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office who still works part time with the resort's recreation department.
The classes work on basic skills, schoolwork, cultural experiences and more. Last week, the subject was Kwaanza, the African-American holiday celebration; the week before, cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
"They're learning something new each week," said Nick Russo, who helps out with the program.
Dorrington hopes to have his hockey charges play in real competition for the first time before the season ends in April.
"I'm looking forward to playing in games," said Molly, a second-year player.
Meanwhile, the Flyers organization expects to institute Kids Skate at its Pennsauken Skate Zone within two months, with the Voorhees rink added next fall. Kids Skate not only teaches ice hockey skills but recreational skating as well, with year-round activities, said Pat Ferrill, vice president of rink management and development for the Flyers.
The Flyers will pick up the costs, with help from sponsors and nonprofit organizations, such as the Comcast-Spectacor Foundation, Ferrill said.
"We have various sources, but we haven't identified them all yet."
Kids Skate is part of the Flyers' charge to expand interest in a game that has far fewer minority role models than any other major team sport.
The NHL lists just 31 minorities on big-league rosters, with another five drafted this year.
"We want to give people who wouldn't have the opportunity the experience of hockey," said Ferrill, who expects Kids Skate to receive the same sanction from the NHL as Dorrington's foundation.
Kids Skate already operates in Atlantic City, but just for the recreational component. The Flyers left ice hockey to Dorrington.
Participation in any of the Kids Skate locations isn't limited to a certain municipality, income level or age group. Instead, Ferrill will solicit participation from community groups such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Anyone under 18 may apply.
Dorrington said his foundation has a mechanism in place for those children who want to continue to develop in hockey after age 12. The organization will issue scholarships to enable players to join other established youth leagues in the area.
Which is good news for 11-year-old Miguel Garcia.
Garcia heard about the foundation this fall from his teacher.
"I thought it sounded cool," he said.
He wasn't disappointed. "I got to shoot the puck. It feels good when you score.''
This story is reprinted with the permission of the Courier-Post of Cherry Hill, N.J.
