Sport In Profile UK Issue 01 | Page 54

Whitley Bay Lightning Whitley Bay Lightning Whitley Bay Lightning Ice Hockey Club has come together in order to enable players to enjoy the game in a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere. Sport in Profile Magazine caght up with current player Stuart Leach to find out more. Involvement He told us, “I have been involved with Whitley Bay Lightning from the outset. All of the team have come together from across the rinks many teams to bring alive a dream we had. My role as a player is challenging as I have to maintain a physical presence, but the hardest thing for the club is the finances. As I am sure you are aware Ice Hockey isn’t a cheap sport as we have to have enough players to pay for the ice time.” This Season “The general mood at the club is alright at the moment. We have a few competitive games lined up and are very anxious to skate as soon as possible. We are working both on and off the ice to prepare ourselves for a hard hitting season. For the new campaign our ambitions are to recruit a load of new players and get as much ice time as possible. We are more a group of mates wanting to hit hard on the ice and win games. The most important factor for the club is that we enjoy ourselves. We have played a couple of games as a registered team but our main focus is to play in tournaments across the country and win as much silverware as we can.” 54 ISSUE 01 Youth “Youth hockey is particularly important to Lightning as many of the players across the team have kids in the Warriors youth development (Whitley Arrows). 2 of the player’s sons are promising for the future. Both Corbyn Grace and Bobby Campbell are training at Best of British camps. Their parents, Darren Grace and Iain Campbell, are the spine of the Whitley Lightning and their vision brought the team together. They support the youth teams heavily and hopefully we will see both Bobby and Corbyn at a high level in the future.”