Holy Cross Women's Hockey Team to Volunteer with Deaf Children

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross women's hockey team will volunteer at the DEAFinitely Skate Hockey Program on Saturday, Feb. 8 from 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. in the Hart Center Ice Rink at Holy Cross. The women's team will run drills and offer instruction to deaf children between the ages of four and 15. Younger children will be taught basic skating techniques, while older children will learn the fundamentals of hockey. Instruction will be in American Sign Language (ASL).

Rachelle Beaudoin '04, Holy Cross hockey player and ASL student says the team is "very excited for this event. It's a great opportunity for our team to use our skills to help kids." She has been working with her teammates to teach them elementary hockey signs and help ease communication with the deaf children. "ASL is a fascinating language and the team has been eager to learn new things," she said.

The program will also feature instruction by Olympic hockey player Tony McGaughey, who will be competing in the 2003 Deaf Olympics, former deaf Canadian women's hockey player Christine Whitney and former deaf Olympic players Josh Tripi and Ed Chaisson.

The DEAFinitely Skate Hockey Program for deaf children is sponsored by the College of the Holy Cross and Midstate Youth Hockey. The program runs on Saturday mornings throughout the school year.