The “Learn to Play: Girls’ Hockey Clinic” was recently launched to help local girls get involved in the sport.

By Cathleen Twardzik

Girls have been getting things done since Seneca Falls. But that was just the beginning of the modern woman. It started with simply getting the right to vote, then, getting jobs, then, every aspect of life, which includes tweens and young teens in sports – and in Somerville, that means girls ice hockey.

From Tuesday, August 6, to Thursday, August 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the Somerville Veterans Memorial Skating Rink, which is located at 570 Somerville Ave., hosted the “Learn to Play: Girls’ Hockey Clinic” for girls between 9 years old and 14 years old. The cost to participate was $25, but equipment was “available” to borrow, according to the Somerville Parks and Recreation (Somerville Rec/SPR) website. The deadline to register was August 1. No experience was required, and 12 girls took on the new challenge and were taught by female instructors – exclusively.

Along with Somerville City Councilor At-Large Kristen Strezo, the Somerville Youth Hockey Association (SYHA), and Somerville Parks and Recreation partnered together to launch this inaugural program in the city of Somerville.

Hard work pays off. “The [pilot] program has been many years in the making. Finally, the stars aligned to make it happen. For me, personally, as a city councilor, it’s my primary focus to make sure that everybody has a chance to thrive. Equity inclusion is just paramount,” said Strezo. She continued by explaining what Somerville Rec did to help to launch this clinic. They asked her, “What do you need? How can we make this happen? We’re doing it.”

An all-girls hockey program emerged because “One of the Somerville Parks and Recreation (SPR) initiatives for this coming year is to increase female participation in all recreational programs,” said George Scarpelli, Program Developer of Somerville Parks and Recreation, which is managing this new program.

“SPR programming processes often includes city partners, both in our public sector and in the private sector. We often connect with our youth sports organizations to gauge any gaps that have been identified. Then SPR and our partner organization work together to close any gaps,” Scarpelli said.

However, the most significant part of this program is, “I think making sure that equity in sports is happening is crucial. That occurs especially with girls’ sports. We know that their participation peters down as they get older,” said Strezo.

In today’s ever-changing and ever-inclusivity-growing world, “We also need to make sure we’re considering girls when we consider sports and that we’re funding girls’ sports just as equally, and that everyone has a chance to play and has a chance to experience and find a sport that they truly love,” Strezo said.

“Equity in sports” and ensuring girls’ participation is vital. Everyone who would like “to participate should have a chance to participate. It’s just so important,” said Strezo.

This clinic was a great success. “Our young people showed up to the ice rink with no expectations, but to try something new and enjoy themselves. Having our elite female coaches and female volunteers from our Somerville High School/Medford High School hockey program showed all our new participants that they can strive to be part of an all-girls team,” said Scarpelli.

What’s next for these girls? “The goal also is to continue on the program and have something in the fall and have something in the winter because this is just a launching pad to all inclusion in sports – especially with girls in hockey – and in sports, because when girls get on the ice some get really excited about it and want to go on to play hockey,” said Strezo.

Will this hockey clinic spark a national increase in programs for girls of this age group in hockey or in other sports? Maybe. For now, though, the program is in its infancy.

However, “Moving forward, SPR will strive to grow our group of 12 girls to hopefully a national movement,” said Scarpelli.

So, see your girl get things done – and in this case, it’s ice hockey. In the future, keep your eyes peeled for girls creating a new Olympic sport called Women’s Ice Hockey.