I play ice hockey for the Long Island Edge
Kidsday reporter Jack Stam plays right wing on the Long Island Edge travel team. Credit: Samantha Stam
I play ice hockey. I have been playing since I was in first grade, and my position is right wing. The name of my team is Long Island Edge, and we play September to March, but to keep my game sharp, I play in a house league from March until June.
Our team has won many games and has lost many games. We have tournaments and travel to Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Boston. We have two or three tournaments a year, and we try our best out on the ice but we never seem to win.
Last year, we got to skate on the ice with my team at Barclays Center during Islanders halftime.
My number is 1. I picked that number because 1 stands for first. My teammates and I have been playing together for five years. We know each other by heart, and trust each other.
Equipment you need to play hockey includes a helmet, armor (because it is a rough sport), jersey, socks, gloves, mouth guard and, last of all, a stick.
The Edge have different levels. I’m a squirt major — there are so many more I don’t even know. Like every sport, there are tryouts. A lot will make it, but many will not. Most teams take 13 skaters and two goalies. Then we commit to three practices a week and usually two games every weekend. When you join the Edge, you now belong to the family of more than 300 people that are the Edge.
