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Rinkbuddies Mentorship Program Back and Bigger Than Ever

By Kaleb Roedel, 11/19/14, 9:30PM CST

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By KALEB ROEDEL kroedel@owatonna.com

It was the night over 100 young girls had circled on their parents’ calendars.

Rinkbuddies Mentorship Matchup night.

On Tuesday at the Four Seasons Centre, roughly 105 girls found out which Owatonna varsity hockey player would be their mentor for the season as part of the Rinkbuddies program, which officially entered its second year.

Spearheaded by Owatonna Girls Hockey Association board member Lisa Lehrer, Rinkbuddies first dropped the puck last year to increase participation and build a sense of excitement amongst a younger generation of hockey playing girls in Owatonna.

That excitement was palpable on Tuesday.

The eyes were wide and the smiles were wider as girls of all ages carved up the Four Seasons Centre ice rink. Casual drills and games geared more toward player interaction and less toward skill development were led by the 16 varsity players and OHS girls hockey coach Tim Hunst.

“Basically this is just a sisterhood of bringing girls hockey and youth, all the way through the high school program, together,” said Jill Achterkirch, who is co-chairing this year’s program with Lehrer. “I think our numbers have almost doubled in the park and rec program. What we’re trying to do is just establish that mentorship and that sisterhood of hockey.”

After a string of drills and laugh-filled games — one included players being pulled across the ice by gripping the ends of two hockey sticks; another consisted of players sliding belly down between a row of players’ legs — the girls ages 12 and under had their mentors for the year announced. Each varsity player was called to center ice as a crowd of eager young girls waited to, first hear their names, and second, skate out to their mentor.

“We’ve had parents say, the only reason that my daughter wanted to sign back up for hockey was because she wanted to take part in the Rinkbuddies program,” Achterkirch said. “And I don’t know how many comments from parents of, ‘My child was so excited this morning, they couldn’t wait till tonight to find out who their mentor was.’ The girls are just excited about the mentorship.”

And that, in turn, excites the OGHA board members who cultivated the Rinkbuddies program in hopes of injecting more life into Owatonna girls hockey.

“It’s been really good,” Achterkirch said. “And it’s a real positive thing for the high school girls. It just helps them with some of those leadership skills.”

The mentors’ duties include attending their mentees practices and games and serving as a good role model.

Added Achterkirch: “And really, it’s just kind of that … the greeting of them when they seem them maybe at a game, or even out in the community. And just being able to make that contact.”

Reach sports editor Kaleb Roedel at 444-2374, or follow him on Twitter.com @OPPKaleb