Dominican natives find hockey is one cool sport

In Spanish, the translation of the word "hockey" is simple -- it's hockey. But the word is phonetically bizarre for Spanish, using one of the few c-k combinations in the language.

To most Latinos, the game is equally foreign. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, 10-year-old cousins Milderi and Leslie Caraballo not only didn't play hockey, they had never heard of the game.

"It's hot down there," Leslie said with a giggle.

But now, both Leslie and Milderi, whose families moved to Methuen about five years ago, say hockey is their favorite sport. Milderi, who started playing a year earlier than Leslie, is being looked at by high school coaches to evaluate her talent. The girls talk of hockey becoming a lifelong passion.

Vladimir Caraballo, Milderi's father, said her instructor predicted that if she keeps it up, "she's going to be a good player. So we are motivated. That's why we bring them every day here" -- to the Methuen Fun Hockey League.

The case of the Caraballos is a rare one. As of 2004, there were three known Latinos in the National Hockey League. Recent NHL estimates have pegged the league at about 95 percent Caucasian.

Because of a lack of inner-city hockey programs and the high cost of playing the sport, the number of minorities in hockey has not grown. In most youth leagues, the disparity is just as pronounced.

But the Methuen Fun Hockey League isn't a typical youth league. Started four years ago by author Jay Atkinson (who occasionally writes for the Globe Magazine) of Methuen, the league is subsidized by the city's Recreation Department and several local corporations, meaning the costs are reduced to $95 per player for 16 hour long sessions that feature instruction and scrimmages.

By comparison, playing for a Methuen Youth Hockey Association travel team, which plays about 30 games a season and practices at least once a week, costs $895 a season.

When Atkinson decided he wanted to start the league, he said all it took to lay the foundation was a five-minute phone conversation with the city's recreation director, Bill Pare.

"He's a big believer in these participatory sports programs," Atkinson said. "You don't rank and cut kids; you invite everyone to play."

And he meant everyone: After reading an article about the lack of minorities in hockey, Atkinson wanted to make sure he opened doors to what he calls "nontraditional hockey families." So his next call was to Linda Soucy, who works at Methuen Arlington Neighborhood, an advocacy organization for low- to middle-income residents.

Urban programs are "trying to tap into a larger pool of athletes, just trying to get more and more people interested in the sport," Atkinson said. "I said, 'Why shouldn't we do it in Methuen?'... Hockey's really a descendant-type game, and if they don't have any hockey-playing ancestor, they're not playing. But we're trying to start that cycle."

So is the NHL, through its program known as NHL Diversity, whose director of youth development is Willie O'Ree, the NHL's first black player. Though the program doesn't offer financial support, it helps 39 current inner-city hockey programs nationwide with such things as an all-star game and an equipment bank to provide children with new and used equipment.

For the Caraballos, the $95 fee, plus equipment costs, still would have been too much. But Atkinson found enough corporate sponsors to cover the tuition, and Methuen police Lieutenant Kevin Mahoney paid for the cousins' equipment out of his own pocket.

Milderi started in 2005, having never before put on ice skates. Leslie joined her last winter.

"When I first started, [I was] falling, falling, falling," Milderi said. "And then I started going good. That same day, I got the hang of it.... I like everything -- skating, playing, talking with the coaches, the coaches telling us what we should do, and what we did wrong."

At just 10 years old, and having skated only about 25 times, Milderi has skills that are difficult to evaluate this soon. But Atkinson said she's definitely the type of player who can branch from the Fun League -- a coed, laid-back activity -- to an all-girls' league, and eventually, high school hockey.

"She's got that sort of athleticism in her stride. There's something about her stride that stands out when I watch her that looks like a more experienced player. But a lot will depend on what happens in the next year or two, so I'm trying to shepherd her in the right direction."

At the Methuen High rink two weeks ago, Vladimir Caraballo was smiling as he watched his daughter play. He wore a Bruins hat, and said since his daughter has gotten involved in hockey, he has started watching Bruins games on TV. He acknowledged how expensive the game is, and how grateful his family was for the opportunity to play.

"Like all immigrants, I come here to get a better opportunity, a different life," said Caraballo, a certified nursing assistant. "We got a chance to see how they do, and they do very well."

Currently, the Caraballos are the only Latino players in Atkinson's league; others have played in past years. Regardless, it's a model some other leagues should look at, according to Bob Bigelow of Winchester, a former NBA player and author of the book "Just Let the Kids Play."

Bigelow has been taking a critical look at youth sports for 15 years, and he said what he's found is not pretty. Thanks to charged-up baby boomer parents, the exponential rise of ESPN's sports coverage, and more kids in need of supervision during after-school hours because of two parents with jobs or single-parent households, youth leagues took on a life of their own, and gone are the days of playing just for fun at even the earliest levels.

"What he's basically running is what we call intramurals," Bigelow said of Atkinson. "This is intramurals for younger kids. It's kids who are learning the game, trying hard, but the end game is not making the Methuen High varsity. If they do, fine. But that's not the purpose.

"Youth athletics has nothing to do with developing athletes," he said. "It has to do with developing kids, and the medium is athletics."

Bigelow said the story of Tiger Woods, who began playing golf at age 2 and worked at it for hours each day, has become an unfortunate model for some parents who push their children into intense youth leagues at a young age. He said parents don't look at it as an activity but as an investment.

"People think more, more, more, younger, younger, younger means better, better, better," Bigelow said. "Too often, they expect a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, whenever that may be."

That sort of culture has priced out certain families, especially from sports like hockey, soccer, and tennis. So, when Atkinson started the Fun League, he was attempting to combat that.

The league, for about 45 players ages 5 to 13, tries to improve hockey skills, but at the end-of-the-year party -- called the "Homework Dinner" -- it recognizes academic achievement first. No scores are kept during the games, which take place three at a time, in cross-ice fashion. The coaches are Methuen High varsity players and high school coaches who volunteer their time.

"It's sort of like the anti-youth-hockey program," Atkinson said. "I see the trend of the privatization of youth sports, particularly hockey, and I'm not happy with that trend.... I think they're taking the fun out of the game."

Atkinson appears to be succeeding, at least if you ask Leslie Caraballo. "I like it because it's on ice. I can skate and go fast. I want to play next year."