My School Rocks! 2014-04 Arlene Goldstein | Page 12

Photo courtesy of Mike Lappan

D

o you think science and math start and end in the
classroom? Do you believe all that science stuff has
nothing to do with sports and having fun? Then your
school should have the Charlotte Checkers hockey team visit
for a “Science of Hockey” presentation.
For three seasons now, members of the Checkers team and
staff have been visiting Charlotte-area schools to explain how
the game of hockey – skating on ice and shooting goals – is
filled with the same science taught in school. The presentation
starts with a video that covers the definition of “matter” and
how substances change from solids to liquids to gases. After
the video, a hands-on experiment helps students learn about
forces and friction: Students slide a puck down a tabletop, and
they use math and science to predict where the puck will stop.
After the experiment, students get to ask the hockey players
questions.
“Most of the questions aren’t about science. They ask about
the sport of hockey,” according to Elle Bunn, the team’s
Director of Community Relations and Fan Development.

“Most students in the south know about football and baseball,”
adds Mike Lappan, Checkers vice president of communications
and outreach. “But hockey is new to them, and they want to
learn from the players.”
Not only do the hockey players help the students learn, but it’s
also educational for the athletes.
“The players really enjoy going into the schools and meeting
the students,” says Bunn. “I’ve seen players explaining how
they make ice for a skating rink.”
Likewise, the students love to meet the hockey players. After
all, it is not every day a professional athlete comes into their
classroom and does science experiments with them.
The “Science of Hockey” program is free to participating
schools and the Checkers will bring the program to any school
in the Charlotte area. To request a visit, go to www.gocheckers.
com and click on the “Community” page to send an email
request.
Thomas Carrig is a personal chef in Charlotte, NC. Credentialed as a

So far this hockey season, the Checkers “Science of Hockey”
program has visited seven schools and has presented to about
1,000 students.

12 – My School Rocks! | April 2014

Dietetic Technician, he develops menus and prepared meals for some
of the area’s best known professional athletes. You can find him at
www.thomasthechef.com