10 Years Later: Returning to the Ice With the Anchorage Girls Hockey Program

Originally published on DICK'S Sporting Goods Sideline Report

Written By Christopher Fanelli

In 2013, the Anchorage School District in Alaska announced it was dropping girls’ hockey to save money. A local non-profit provided temporary funding to keep the program going, but that funding would run out at the end of the 2015 season. The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation got word of this and came in with a major holiday assist: a $200,000 Sports Matter Grant and new equipment to keep players on the ice for years to come! Now almost a decade later, the program and its alums continue changing lives through sport but were in need once again.

"The cost of the season right now is around $80,000 dollars. Coaches have foregone their stipends and volunteer their time," said Brian Gross, the director of the Anchorage Girls High School Hockey program. "It's been extremely challenging finding sponsors, and we've been getting to that fundraising goal by the skin of our teeth.”

Gabi Gibson and Amber Steinhilpert, two program alumni, recently returned to Anchorage Hockey and shared some news that would help girls in the Anchorage area benefit from hockey the same way they did.

To celebrate The DICK'S Foundation's 10th anniversary, Gibson and Steinhilpert showed up to a recent practice, where they presented the program with a $100,000 Sports Matter Grant and new gear for the entire Anchorage Girls High School Hockey program.

In partnership with Bauer, The DICK'S Foundation provided the girls with new helmets, gloves, water bottles, neck guards, elbow pads, sticks and jerseys.

It was an emotional moment for Gross as he realized the fundraising weight that would be lifted over the next few years.

“With this money alone, we can get four to five years of hockey," Gross said.

Understanding the impact of the original Sports Matter grant on their lives meant a lot for Gibson and Steinhilpert to be involved.

"If sports had been taken away, I honestly don't know who I would be," said Gibson. "Amber is one of my best friends, and we have made a lot of memories together. Coming back here and being with her for this event has been amazing."

“If you took hockey away, I couldn’t imagine it,” Steinhilpert said. “Hockey is the heart of the city.”

For the past decade, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s Sports Matter Program has committed over $100 million to inspire and enable youth sports participation by addressing barriers, creating awareness, and giving more than two million youth athletes the chance to play.

To learn more about The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s Sports Matter Program, visit www.sportsmatter.org and watch the Anchorage Girls High School Hockey Sports Matter video here!

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