Try Hockey Free Day! March 5, on the ice at 10am (gear tryon at 9am)

The Bloomington Blades and the City of Bloomington would like to see your kid (age 4-9) in hockey pads and on the ice with our coaches!

What do you need to do?

• Arrive between 9 and 9:30 am on March 5
• Bring a bike helmet, winter gloves, and close-fitting long-sleeves and long pants for each of the kids who'd like to go on the ice.
• Register each of the kids who would like to try hockey with USA Hockey (we'll get these registrations automatically)

What will we do?

• Help you gear up your hockey players for a 10 am to 11 am learn-to-skate and learn-to-play session, complete with sticks and pucks.
• Keep a good coach-to-kid ratio (1 coach for every 6-8 kids) with kids in age-appropriate groups
• Show your kids what it's like to slide, glide, and fall on the ice with full pads and no fear

What happens if your kids like it?

• The City of Bloomington offers house hockey (2 practices a week) from October to late February of every year.
• The Bloomington Blades offer travel hockey (1-2 practices a week, 8-10 tournaments) from August to late February of every year.

Who we are

We're a non-profit, volunteer-run organization with one goal: to get your kids on the ice and having fun. The BBYHA ice hockey program serves the city of Bloomington and the surrounding counties of Monroe, Morgan, Lawrence, Owen, and Greene.

We offer directly or partner to offer several hockey experiences:

• House Hockey is for kids who are interested in local-only hockey. Skating experience is helpful but not necessary.
• Hockey initiation is for kids who are just getting started on the ice. Learn to skate and wield a hockey stick at the same time! (Best for kids 6 and under)
• Travel hockey with the Blades is an add-on to our house hockey program and gives kids a bit more time on the ice.

Our mission

We provide an equal opportunity for all children to play hockey in a competitive, organized manner, under the instruction and supervision of qualified coaches, with the goal of developing athletic skills, a sense of citizenship, sportsmanship, and fair play.

Our teams' successes in competitive play come from the community they build in fun, active practices that emphasize team building.

• Our 14-and-under (14U) team won the Buckeye Travel Hockey League (BTHL) regular season championship
• Our 12U team finished second in the BTHL, Lower Division, End of Season Tournament
• Our 10U team finished second in the BTHL, West Division, during the regular season
• Our 8U players fought hard, developed skills, and had a lot of fun all season long.

Our Partners

• All of our coaches and players are registered members of USA Hockey, which focuses on team building, age-appropriate athlete development and good citizenship in addition to hockey skills.
• Together with the City of Bloomington, we sponsor a no-travel house hockey league . All of our 12U/10U/8U travel-team players participate in this house-hockey program so they can get more time on the ice with a larger group of peers.