{"id":5061674,"date":"2023-04-13T15:18:30","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T15:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/?p=5061674"},"modified":"2023-04-13T15:18:30","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T15:18:30","slug":"fiesta-de-hockey-brings-together-the-puerto-rican-community-in-chicago-and-attracts-future-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/2023\/04\/13\/fiesta-de-hockey-brings-together-the-puerto-rican-community-in-chicago-and-attracts-future-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"Fiesta de Hockey brings together the Puerto Rican community in Chicago and attracts future talent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fiesta de Hockey gathered more than 120 participants at Fifth Third Arena \u2014 the Chicago Blackhawks\u2019 practice facility \u2014 last weekend. Children, teenagers and adults enjoyed sixty-two hours of programming, including training sessions and exhibition matches, of this debut event that will be held again in New York in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Fiesta de Hockey brings together the Puerto Rican community in Chicago and attracts future talent\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bVE1x4l5JpM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gisselle de Rojas traveled to Chicago from Miami with her 16-year-old son. While he played, she got to know other parents who traveled here to support their children from the stands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI already met a lot of people from different areas, so it\u2019s really nice because the community feeling is really good,\u201d de Rojas said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Players from across the country traveled to Chicago to enjoy the games or try out to join the Puerto Rico Ice Hockey Association (PRIHA). The coaches evaluated the performance of each participant and classified them into different teams depending on their age and proficiency.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is so much fun and it\u2019s more than just ice hockey,\u201d said Jake Mullahy, 19, a player from Boston who competed in his first tryouts. \u201cSeeing all the families wearing the Puerto Rico jerseys it\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Evelyn Bayo traveled from Puerto Rico to watch her grandson play. She often accompanied him to ice hockey practices when he was younger, and she gained interest in the sport through that bond. Bayo now lives in Viejo San Juan and is a member of the Puerto Rico Island Committee of PRIHA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are organizing groups of children and some adults that live on the island and teaching them in-line hockey with the hope that in the future we can have an ice-skating rink and teach them to ice skate,\u201d Bayo said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Puerto Rico joined the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) as an associate member in 2022. However, the island does not have an ice-skating rink, which is a requirement for being a full member of the IIHF.&nbsp; There was one shield of ice on the island in the Aguadilla region, but it was damaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe hope to have one or maybe two or more shields of ice in Puerto Rico,\u201d said Luis Vargas, vice president of PRIHA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"712\" src=\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/IMG_1234-1024x712.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5061678\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/04\/IMG_1234-1024x712.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/04\/IMG_1234-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/04\/IMG_1234-768x534.jpg 768w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/04\/IMG_1234-1536x1067.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/04\/IMG_1234-2048x1423.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">During the weekend, Puerto Rico teams played friendly exhibition matches. (Diana Giambona)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PRIHA, founded in 2020, has national men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s teams, as well as men\u2019s U20, U18, U16 teams and adult and youth developmental programs, totaling over 300 players.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe can continue growing the game and using it as a vehicle to help people enjoy life, help young people grow, be part of a team and be proud of our island,\u201d Luis Vargas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PRIHA\u2019s objective is to promote Puerto Rican ice hockey and compete at the highest level. To accomplish this goal, the association seeks talent among the Puerto Ricans living in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere&#8217;s quite a few Puerto Ricans that play ice hockey. As we know, the diaspora community goes to cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Orlando and Boston, and those cities have rich hockey cultures and they also have a rich Puerto Rican culture,\u201d said Scott Vargas, president of PRIHA.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The association follows the National Olympic Committee guidelines, which establish that players can compete internationally if they were born in Puerto Rico, if they have Puerto Rican parents or grandparents, or if they are residents of the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe love for the sport keeps growing and we\u2019ll get many more Puerto Ricans that will be playing ice hockey soon,\u201d Luis Vargas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Imagen154-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5061679\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/04\/Imagen154-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/04\/Imagen154-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/04\/Imagen154-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/04\/Imagen154.jpg 1299w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Families and fans supported the Puerto Rico team with loud cheering and flags. (Diana Giambona)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although ice hockey is gaining popularity in the Puerto Rican community, many still aren\u2019t aware of the island\u2019s national teams.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I tell my friends that Puerto Rico has an ice hockey team, all of them are astonished,\u201d said Noah Rosado, 16, who has been playing for PRIHA for two years. \u201cIt\u2019s really amazing to see people of our culture come together and play in a sport that we are not typically found.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Passion for this sport is also growing among women. In 2021, the Puerto Rico women&#8217;s national team won the gold medal at the LATAM Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe had a great group of girls that had a really strong passion for hockey, and we were all really proud of being able to wear Puerto Rico on our jersey,\u201d said Sofia Alvarez, 20, a player on the Puerto Rico women\u2019s national team. \u201cThat drove us to play as well as we could and come out with the gold medal.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The men&#8217;s teams have also achieved victories in international tournaments. The Puerto Rico men\u2019s national team and the U20 team won gold medals at the 2022 LATAM Cup.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen Puerto Ricans put their mind to something, they succeed as we can see with baseball, basketball and sports that are typically played at warm islands,\u201d said Julia Kramer, mother of one of the players. \u201cIf they are able to have an ice rink, I don\u2019t have any doubt that Puerto Ricans will become successful at ice hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PRIHA hopes to continue growing and eventually compete against the best teams in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe ultimate goal is that we play in the world championship,\u201d Scott Vargas said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fiesta de Hockey gathered more than 120 participants at Fifth Third Arena \u2014 the Chicago Blackhawks\u2019 practice facility \u2014 last [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5061675,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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