ROCHESTER, N.Y. – With over 1,000 players ranging in age from 4 to 19, 300 coaches and 54 teams, the Jr. Americans are the largest youth hockey organization in the state. The hockey tournaments it hosts raise thousands of dollars every year for a variety of charities, but part of the mission is also making sure to grow the sport.

Over the past year, the Jr. Amerks have given out $35,000 in scholarships to families who struggle to keep up with the cost.

“We’ve been able to give money to about 100 different players which is about 10% of the players that are in our organization,” says Robyn Macbride, President of the Rochester Jr. Americans. “We want to make sure that they have access to games, practices, equipment, apparel, the whole 9 yards.”

Heading into the new year, there will be more opportunities to help subsidize the costs for families, including a scholarship in honor and memory of fallen Rochester Police Officer Tony Mazurkiewicz.

“Tony loved hockey, he loved the rink, I think hockey brings everybody together and it’s probably my favorite sport still,” says Lynn Mazurkiewicz, Tony’s wife. “He would stand up in his little perch and watch the kids and he loved it, he loved it.”

There are other scholarships too, and soon the Jr. Americans program will do direct outreach to schools and rec centers in the City of Rochester to try to introduce and expose more kids to the sport of hockey.

“That’s where we’d like to see our program going in the future, reaching out to under-served communities and we’re hoping to start that sometime next year,” Macbride says. 

It’s not just about growing the sport itself, but growing the kids who play it, both on and off the ice. “You’re part of a team, you’re part of a brother or sisterhood, it teaches you a lot of life lessons,” Mazurkiewicz says.

For more information about the Jr. Amerks and the scholarship opportunities: https://jramerks.com/

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