McGown & Markling is a proud sponsor of the Winterhurst Hockey Association, which is a volunteer, nonprofit, educational and recreational organization dedicated to the growth and development of youth hockey for children between the ages of 4-18.
Matt Markling and his wife, Katie, have had all three of their boys participate in the Winterhurst Hockey Association over the years. And, while he was not raised as a hockey fan, Matt has grown an appreciation and love for the sport. “It really is amazing to witness firsthand the positive effect hockey has had on our boys,” says Matt Markling. “Hockey benefits children in many ways, including educationally, physically, emotionally, and mentally. And there is a huge educational and leadership component to hockey, which will serve hockey players well throughout life.”
As stated by a lifelong hockey aficionado, Superintendent Kirk Koennecke of the Graham Local Schools:
“While ‘The Great One’ was a bit off on his mathematics, Wayne Gretzky was right when he said, ‘Ninety percent of hockey is mental and the other half is physical.’ Before you can compete at hockey, you have to learn to skate, and then play a game that requires critical thinking and anticipation, combining hand eye coordination with foot skills and balance to attempt to compete. You have to play both offense and defense and move a puck together across a large area to be successful. It takes a little math, a little physics, and a lot of communication to be successful in a game where momentum swings fast. Staying positive and being opportunistic changes outcomes. I learned more about leadership through hockey than any other activity I’ve ever been a part of – especially through a constant application of the Wayne Gretzky theorem – ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’”
McGown & Markling congratulates all of the boys and girls participating in the Winterhurst Hockey Association program throughout the 2016-2017 season. These hockey players demonstrated amazing educational, physical, emotional, and mental success, and their leadership paid off with the Squirt A3, Squirt AA, and Peewee A2 teams bringing home their Cleveland Suburban Hockey League Division and Playoff Championship banners. (Disclaimer: Matt is a little biased since his son plays for the Squirt A3 team.) And our entire McGown & Markling team is especially excited that the Peewee A2 Lady Warriors – an all-girls hockey team – crushed the competition throughout the season and playoffs.