Jr. Lightning Merger With Titans a Positive Situation New Organization to Improve Hockey From Mites Through Midgets
By Corey Voegele T
o long-standing Tampa Bay youth hockey orga- nizations became one earlier this year and the
merger has been nothing short of positive. The Jr. Lightning, founded in 1987, and the Titans, which came into existence four years later, merged in March. It wasn’t something that was planned, but definitely something that shows everything happens for a reason. The merger plan started with a chance encounter
at an arena last February. “A couple of the coaches from the parent organiza-
tions were talking about hockey in the area and the rest, as they say, is history,” said Jr. Lightning sec- retary Danna Mullins. “The Titans had considered merging with another organization earlier in the year, but the merger never came to fruition.” After that initial discussion, things moved pretty
quickly. “We had a preliminary meeting of the two boards
of directors to have a discussion about whether or not the merger was feasible,” Mullins said. “Once we met, and realized how similar the Titans and Jr. Light- ning were, we merged in less than a month so that we would be a merged organization for the Spring 2011 season.”
Mullins went on to describe the two organizations’
similarities. “Both organizations were run by volunteers and existed solely for the benefit of youth hockey in the area,” Mullins said. “Each organization was fiscally
The Jr. Lightning Midget 16U AA is all smiles after winning the Labor Day Challenge tournament in Ellenton on Sept. 5. Photo/Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning
sound. Each organization had a strong and successful history at certain birth year levels and each organiza- tion had a team or two that needed more players in order to succeed. “The merger provided the opportunity to strength- en teams from Mites through Midgets.” To ensure that the transition would go smoothly,
the Jr. Lightning, now the official name of the as- sociation, decided to go with co-presidents Dave Rittenhouse and Mark Tardif in the wake of the merger.
Going forward, the new organization will still rely
heavily on volunteers, as both organizations had done before the merger, and getting individuals to donate their time has not been an issue. “Every member on the board brings something
to the table,” Jr. Lightning vice-president Julie Garr said. “It really does take an army to run the village. Many of those volunteers don’t even have kids in the program, but donate their time just the same. Most of our coaches don’t have any children at all; they just love hockey.” Moving ahead, organization officials are optimis-
tic the Jr. Lightning can continue to be a breeding ground for young talent. Tom Lacey, who previously coached in the Titans
organization and is now an assistant for the Jr. Light- ning, said change in hockey is always inevitable and reflected back on how the area was hockey-wise in 1987. “Back then, there were two rinks in the entire
Tampa Bay area,” Lacey remembered. “Now there are four with seven sheets of ice in a 40-mile radius, so there are a lot of opportunities to play hockey.” There were about 120 players, not including Mites, in the two organizations last season, a number that is down to about 110 this year. “We are not surprised at the slight reduction in numbers, because the economy has forced some families to use less-expensive alternatives like house leagues to keep hockey in their budget,” Mullins said. While the organization shares a nickname with
Tampa Bay’s NHL team, that’s as far as the associa- tion goes. As far as support, both the youth and NHL Lightning share a common bond. “They want to support all youth organizations and their new owner is very committed to youth hockey,” said Lacey. “We simply share that commitment.”
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