Friday is Roman Barragan’s favorite day of the week.
“Every Friday morning he wakes up and says, ‘It’s hockey day!’ ” said his mother, Karen Barragan. “He’s so passionate about the sport.”
Roman plays in the Ducks Top Flight Street Hockey League, designed to teach hockey to players with special needs.
For an autistic 14-year-old who is minimally verbal, finding a sports league where Roman could effectively participate proved to be a challenge. Karen found information on the Top Flight league through a special needs support group she belongs to on Facebook and thought her son should give it a try.
“It’s just resonated with my son,” Karen said of Roman’s participation in the program. “He squeals with delight when he’s out there. You can hear the joy.”
The idea for the Ducks to start a league that served special needs players emerged in 2013 through suggestions made by families in the community. Jesse Chatfield, marketing manager for The Rinks, said the league began in the fall of that year by hosting a free three-week Learn to Play clinic at The Rinks-Huntington Beach Inline location to gauge how the program would be received.
“The interest was there right out of the gate,” Chatfield said.
Now in its eighth season, Top Flight has served more than 100 participants, and it has steadily added 10-15 players each session.
It continues to operate out of Huntington Beach Inline on Friday nights during the fall, winter and spring. And during the summer, free skills clinics are offered once a month to keep the players at the rink and connected to the game.
During league play, participants of all ages and skill abilities are placed into lower-functioning and higher-functioning groups and paired with volunteer aides as needed for those who require extra assistance. After previously trying several sports, such as baseball and soccer, Roman felt right at home on the hockey rink.
“They gave him a hockey stick and one of the aides took him under his wing immediately,” said his mother of Roman’s first experience. “There’s no stress on him to communicate. And it’s so clear the aides enjoy it too. They love on the kids and are always cheering and encouraging them.”
The instructors and aides work with the players at weekly clinics and games, teaching basic skills such as shooting, passing and stick handling. With benefits that extend far beyond learning hockey fundamentals, Karen has seen her son grow not only as a player but as a person.
“He’s developed these amazing social skills that he never had before. He has such confidence now,” Karen said. “I’m proud of the growth I see in Roman. I don’t know how to describe what it’s like to see your son embraced in this way.”
With funding and support from the Ducks Foundation and Children’s Hospital of Orange County, the Top Flight Street Hockey League is just one part of a larger initiative by the Ducks to help grow the sport of hockey across Southern California.
Alongside the Top Flight program, the Ducks organization offers Learn to Skate and Learn to Play programs as well as ice hockey and inline hockey leagues for kids and adults at all of its Rinks locations.
Additionally, the Ducks S.C.O.R.E. (Scholastic Curriculum of Recreation & Education) program uses the sport of hockey through educational programming to affect more than 29,000 local students annually.
League participant Kyle Hildebrandt has been playing with Top Flight for almost two years and has seen a significant change in both his skill level and his friendships.
“I get this adrenaline rush every time I go out onto the rink,” said the 15-year-old from Orange. “I’ve definitely met a lot of good people.”
Much like Roman, Kyle, who has autism, had tried other sports leagues. He was unable to find a positive experience until he joined Top Flight.
“It’s so nice for Kyle to have that camaraderie and acceptance with his teammates here,” said Kyle’s mother, Kimberly Hildebrandt. “I tell all my friends with special needs kids that they should give this a try.”
Chatfield said the growth seen in the Top Flight league could possibly lead to expansion of the program into the Irvine Inline and Corona Inline locations as early as next year. He also foresees that as the number of participants increases, the league will be able to group players into more defined skill levels, which will assist in their development.
“It’s great to see the skills development,” said Chatfield, “but most of all, it’s seeing a ton of smiles on their faces.”
Karen knows that when Roman is at the rink, his smile never leaves his face. He often has his own group of fans cheering for him at his games, including family members, his speech therapists and some of Karen’s co-workers.
After playing in the league for a year, Roman’s passion for hockey hasn’t waned.
“To see the crowds cheering for these players, it’s a beautiful thing,” said Karen. “I’m so thankful to the Top Flight program for giving Roman a place where he can be successful. I’m forever grateful.”
