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Paralympic Sport Club
STARskaters is a USOC Paralympic Sport Club
Whether your interests run along the lines of golfing or they are more gala oriented, STARskaters has something for both in September.

Sept. 19th marks the second annual Golf Classic to benefit Sled Hockey, and we've added a few new interesting twists this year.  On the 26th, it's the on-ice Gala Dinner and ice show, and we hope you can make one or both events!

Congratulations to STARskaters Sled Hockey alumnus Kyle Huckaby who was recently announced as a member of the USA National Sled Hockey team.

Jessie Chan, a figure skating instructor and volunteer in the SkateTherapy program can also add Inventor to her list of accomplishments.  She invented a very unique design for an "Ice Cruiser" which has helped one of our blind students make incredible strides as an ice skater. 

During the last Sled Hockey Weekend, four members of the back-to-back Olympic Gold Medal USA Sled Hockey team, and the newest member, Kyle Huckaby took to the ice for skills and drills instructions sessions, scrimmages and "try it" sessions.  Read all about it in this edition.  

As part of the weekend STARskaters exhibited at the Abilities Expo at NRG Center, and held an outing for our program members and roller Sled Hockey demo at the ASTROS game.

Read more about all this in this edition as well as the Wheelchair Youth Camp STAR Skates, and much more.

Ice Skate USASpecial thanks to our amazing  Sugar Land Ice & Sports 
RINK PARTNERS, Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center, Ice Skate USA at Memorial City Mall and the AERODROME  for their ongoing support for STAR's programs.   
 
Next time you're visitng these rinks, please be sure and let them know how much you appreciate their support!
 
Sincerely,

Jim O'Neill
Founder, STARskaters.org
A U.S. Paralympic Sport Club



2nd Annual Golf Tournament
The Zebra Open returns to Southwyck Friday afternoon September 19th with a 1:30 tee time.  In addition to the golf, raffle, BBQ dinner and silent auction, CFR Furniture Rental is sponsoring a $1 Million Dollar shootout.  There is also a $10,000 hole-in-one contest, longest drive, longest put, closest to the pin and much more.

All of this for just $65 per golfer!
Hole sponsorships and event sponsorships are available, contact [email protected] for more details.  

For complete info and to register, click here for complete details

To download a golf tournament flyer, click here.
SkateTherapy Gala Sep. 26th 


The 2014 SkateTherapy Gala promises to be bigger and better than ever.  In addition to a world class figure skating demo, we've added a performance by our SkateTherapy students and a demonstration of STARskaters' other program - Sled Hockey.

 

Last year's popular BBQ dinner will be served again, and Ft. Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls will serve as the auctioneer for the evening.

 

Tickets are just $50 per person with proceeds going to benefit the SkateTherapy program.  Various levels of sponsorship and table seatings are available.


For more information or to register,
click here.    

 

To download an event flyer, click here.


Olympic Sled Hockey Weekend
Kyle Huckaby, Jen Lee, Taylor Lipsett, Andy Yohe and Rico Roman (front l-r) sign autographs during Paralympic Sled Hockey Weekend as Coach Reid Williams and STAR founder Jim O'Neill look on.

Six Olympic Gold Medals arrived in Houston with Andy Yohe, Taylor Lipsett, Rico Roman and Jen Lee to take part in Paralympic Sled Hockey Weekend activities as well as the 2014 Abilities Expo.

 

Fresh off a back-to-back Gold Medal performance in Sochi, Russia, USA Captain Andy Yohe and his team mates took the ice to teach Sled Hockey skills and drills for players from Houston and Austin and took part in several scrimmage games.

 The events started with Captain Andy Yohe at the ASTROS game on Friday night July 25th.  Players, families and coaches from the Houston Wild, Sugar Land Imperials, and Bay Area Hounds joined STARskaters athletes for an evening of baseball and special view of the game from the roof of the Union Station. The next day, Rico, Taylor and Jen arrived for an on-ice session and autograph sessions at Memorial City Mall and at the Abilities Expo at NRG park.

 

Astros Logo Several players also demonstrated Sled Hockey on wheels at the Expo, then all headed to the Willowbrook AERODROME for scrimmage and instruction games on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

 

By mid-day Sunday there were a lot of sore muscles but many new friendships formed and everyone was already looking forward to how soon we can again share the ice with our Gold Medal friends.

Jessie Chan's STAR Invention
The Ice Cruiser - Fantastic Skating Aid for SkateTherapy participants
The Ice Cruiser - Fantastic Skating Aid for SkateTherapy participants

17 year old figure skater and instructor Jessie Chan always waited for the opportunity to give back the gift and passion of skating to others. When that opportunity slid along last October in the form of a blind Skate Therapy student too terrified to take the ice, she had her chance.

 

5 months later, Jessie debuted her first original invention, the Ice Cruiser, a unique 360 degree walker that aids beginning skaters and those with physical and mental disabilities in learning how to skate independently. The multi-storied structure and all-around barrier design provides skaters with both the freedom and security to roam across the ice without the fear of loss of balance or direct collision with anyone or anything. 

 

The power of the first Ice Cruiser can be demonstrated in Shoureek, that same blind skater who once struggled to even stand on the ice in only the arms of his instructors. Now, Shoureek spends his Saturdays happily and confidently gliding across Skate Therapy ice on his own, the comfort of his own Ice Cruiser assuring him of the power he himself has to transform and grow stronger. 
 

Today, Jessie holds a provisional patent and has big plans for the Ice Cruiser. Recently, she got down to work with her dedicated team of SkateTherapy volunteers and constructed the first Small and Medium sized Ice Cruisers to be donated to the Skate Therapy program.  
 

Jessie is currently in the process of establishing a charity to fundraise for the construction and sharing of Ice Cruisers to skaters in need across the nation, starting right at home with SkateTherapy's own budding STAR skaters. 

 

As she plans to head off to college next fall, she hopes to continue research and development for the Ice Cruiser in partnership with her future university and dreams of seeing the Ice Cruiser enter the medical and physical therapy fields one day. 
 

STAR Alumnus Huckaby Named to USA National Sled Hockey Team
When Kyle Huckaby first took the ice as a goalie for STARskaters Sled Hockey team in 2011, it was clear he was a gifted athlete.  What few could have guessed is that just three years later he would already be named to the USA National Sled Hockey team.

When Kyle about 9, he started playing goalie in roller hockey, sitting on the floor playing against able-bodied players. This helped him begin to sharpen his hockey skills.  Later when an ECHL hockey team came to the Beaumont area, he played goalie at a few junior practices.   Again, sitting on the ice to play in goal against the able-bodied players.  Kyle finally got his first sled when some adult hockey players were able to get a local refinery to donate money to purchase a hockey sled.  However, he was only able to play in the sled a couple of times before the ECHL team left in 2008 and they no longer had ice. 

Kyle didn't play hockey on ice again until he was introduced to STARskaters at the Metal & Muscle Expo in Houston in the fall of 2011.  After that meeting Kyle and his family made the long drive from Beaumont to Houston every weekend where Kyle started the day on the ice with Sled Hockey, then on to Wheelchair Basketball and other activities.

In April of 2012, STARskaters invited Kyle to play goalie in the USA Hockey Disabled Festival in Dallas.  It was the first National Tournament for STARskaters Sled Hockey team and Kyle did double duty, playing for both the Houston adult team and in the Junior division for a team from Minnesota.  His stellar performance in goal caught the eye of JJ O'Connor of USA Disabled Hockey.  Kyle was invited to the National Development Camp in New York, and subsequently was named to the the USA National Development Sled Hockey team.  

In addition to Sled Hockey Kyle played wheelchair basketball for TIRR Houston Hotwheels from 2010-2013, and won the 2013 NWBA Junior National Championship.  He currently plays wheelchair basketball for the University of Texas Arlington where he is majoring in journalism.
 
STARskaters is proud to have had a small part in Kyle's success but the real credit goes to Kyle's family for their support, dedication and countless hours on the road shuttling Kyle to his many sports activities.  And, of course, Kyle himself for the hard work and dedication that took him from sitting on the floor of a roller hockey league in Beaumont to competing at the highest level of the sport against teams from all over the world.

Everyone at STARskaters congratulates Kyle on his most recent success and we look forward to seeing his STAR continue to rise on Team USA.
Wheelchair Kids Camp STAR Skate

Some of our favorite events each year are the summer wheelchair youth camps held by the City of Houston and the City of Pasadena.  The events get kids out on the ice to give Sled Hockey a try.  Others even take their chairs out onto the ice to get the cool ice rink experience, and some kids even get to use the special "push sleds" to enjoy a very unique on-ice experience.

Memorial City Ice Logo The smiles on the faces of both the kids and volunteers show that people of all ages and abilities find the cool feeling of ice skating is a universal thrill.  Thanks to Ice Skate USA and Memorial City Mall for the generous donation of ice time that makes these events possible.

If you would like to schedule a STAR skate for your organization, contact: [email protected]
AmazonSmile -Shop & Support!

Here's the EASIEST way to support STARskaters, and it comes at NO COST to you.  All you need to do is shop AmazonSmile by pointing your browser to smile.amazon.com,

You'll then be prompted to select a charity.  To support STARskaters, just type (all one word) STARskaters, and a % of your purchase is automatically donated to STARskaters.

You'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to STARskaters.  It's just that simple!
 
Click here for more information and we hope you'll choose to support STARskaters when you next shop at Amazon!
Abilities Expo 2014
Jen Lee and the Houston Halos (back row) with Andy Yohe and Kyle Huckaby (front l-r)
For the third year in a row, STARskaters attended and exhibited at the Abilities Expo held at NRG (formerly Reliant) Center.  As in previous years, the blades were removed from Sled Hockey sleds and replaced with wheels so that attendees could give Sled Hockey a try.

Expo visitors learned about both the Sled Hockey and SkateTherapy programs, and had a chance to meet the Gold Medal USA Sled Hockey team members Andy Yohe, Taylor Lipsett, Rico Roman and Jen Lee, as well as the newest team USA member Kyle Huckaby.

The Houston Halo cheerleaders were also on hand to ensure the 2014 Abilities Expo was our most attractive exhibit ever!

The Abilities Expo dates for 2015 will be July 31st to August 2nd, so save the date and make plane to join us, meet our athletes, and once again give Sled Hockey on wheels a try!
FOX26 Features SkateTherapy
SkateTherapy on FOX26
SkateTherapy featured on FOX26

Sponsors Needed
Sled Hockey, Therapeutic Skating, Brochures and Web

If you'd like to support our Sled Hockey and SkateTherapy programs as a sponsor, we have many ways to get the word out about your business:
  • Web ads
    • STARskaters.org
    • TexasSledHockey.org
    • SkateTherapy.org
    • HoustonHockey.net
  • Newsletter promotion
  • Event signage
  • Sled signage
  • T-shirt logos
  • Jersey sponsorship
  • Printed brochures
  • Electronic brochures
Any or all of these are available to you based on your level of sponsorship.  For more, contact [email protected]
New STARskaters Brochure
Online PDF available by clicking here

STARbrochure 2012
Sponsors are being sought for the 2014 version of the STARskaters brochure.

The brochure is distributed at area ice rinks, sponsor locations, outreach events, and at Sugar Land Imperials games.  

Inside, you'll read about the history of Sled Hockey and learn more about STARskaters programs:
  • Skate Therapy.
  • Sled Hockey.
  • STAR Skate events.
You can also read more about how you can get involved in the STARskaters program as a volunteer, donor or organizing a STAR Skate for groups with special needs.

If you would like distribute STARskaters brochures at your location, contact [email protected]
About STARskaters.org
STARskaters mission is to provide an on ice skating experience for therapy and recreation for children and adults with special needs, and to support Sled Hockey in Houston.

The program is open to anyone five years of age or older who would normally be unable to enjoy an on-ice skating experience due to their disability.

STARskaters.org is a public charity registered in Texas as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Tax ID number 26-1657556. 

All donations are tax deductible.

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In This Issue
2nd Annual Golf Tournament
SkateTherapy Gala
Olympic Sled Hockey Weekend
The Incredible Ice Cruiser
Huckaby Named to Team USA
Wheelchair Youth Summer Camp STAR Skates
Support STAR with Amazon Smile
Abilities Expo 2014
Skate Therapy on FOX
Sponsors Needed
STARskaters Brochure
Video, Audio & Social Media
STAR Supporter
STAR Volunteer

Sponsor Links



*YOUR COMPANY HERE*
For more information, contact [email protected]


Video

 

 

Francesca's Story - Skate Therapy

 

Joseph's Story - Sled Hockey

 

Roberto's Story - Skate Therapy 

 

Video - What is Sled Hockey?  

 

Raising an Olympian - Taylor Lipsett

 

Get Sledding - Sled Hockey Music Video  

 

Sled Hockey on KPRC   

 

STARskaters Mission Video   

 

Social Media, Brochure, Audio  

Texas Sled Hockey on Facebook  

 

SkateTherapy on Facebook  

 

STARskaters Brochure - Download

 

STARskaters Radio Spot

 

SkateTherapy in Skating Magazine

 

 

Find us on Facebook

STAR Supporter
2020 Exhibits
2020 Exhibits
 
We all know how important it is to make a good first impression.  That's why we are especially grateful for our STAR supporter 2020 Exhibits who again donated the exhibit for STARskaters exhibit at the 2014 Abilities Expo in Houston.

STARskaters founder Jim O'Neill was aware of 2020 Exhibits as a customer in his GEWI software business. When he asked for their assistance with an exhibit shortly after STARskaters was founded, they responded to assist without a moments thought.

Since then 2020 Exhibits has provided many exhibits, signage, portable displays and donations to support the STARskaters programs.

Every visit to their facility near the West Belt and Highway 90 is more impressive than the last.  2020 is constantly investing in new technology and equipment to provide their customers with a first class experience.  It is no surprise that for the 4th time 2020 Exhibits was named to INC's list of fastest growing companies in the USA.

One visit to their facility or website and you'll also be convinced that when it comes to exhibits, events and environments, nobody does it more professionally than 2020 Exhibits.  Thank you so much for your continued support!
 
STAR Volunteer
Roger Davis

 

Volunteering for STARskaters is a family affair for the Davis family.  Roger's daughter Michaela has been an active volunteer with SkateTherapy.org for 4 years, and Roger has been instrumental in the construction of the IceCruiser.  

 

Michaela has not only had many successful teaching experiences with her assigned students, but her own skating experience has been impacted as well.

 

She now compares what she once thought was "working hard" to struggles she sees her students have with the determination to learn to just stand on a 1/8" blade when there is not enough leg strength to stand alone.  Tears of joy are not foreign to her, as she watches successes happen.

 

Just recently it was decided one of her assigned skaters should wait until the new Cruiser was completed in a smaller size.  

 

That new Cruiser was constructed by Roger on 8/31.  The circle is now complete.  Her skater will now be able to get back on the ice with the new Junior Cruiser, which will provide the extra support needed.

 

Michaela volunteers on-ice as a Skate Therapy instructor while Roger uses his construction skills to help bring Jessie Chan's Ice Cruiser invention to life, now in three sizes!

 

This is a family in action!  Roger and Michaela we are so thankful for your support and love of the SkateTherapy.org program!

 

If you'd like to get involved, contact us at [email protected]
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