The ATA recently received wonderful feedback from an 11-year-old student hockey player who competed in the EuroChem Cup Challenge this past May. This young competitor had the goal of playing hockey in a tournament in Russia and we are humbled to have played a small part in making that dream come true!
“Great experience, lasting memories!”
“I will forever be grateful to the Albany Tula Alliance for providing the opportunity this past May of 2019 of going to Russia for an international hockey tournament. I am incredibly thankful for having this opportunity, as Russia was a great hockey as well as a cultural experience for me. We played teams from all over the world.
This will probably be a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I was very fortunate in my spare time there of getting to see one of the most beautiful landmarks in the world, the Saint Basil Cathedral, as well as visit local schools, eat traditional Russian food, and make new friends from Russia who I stay in contact with. I hope that one day they can come to visit us here in the Capital Region.
I would especially like to thank Coach Brad Chartrand, Coach Styles Bridges, and Anton Konev from Albany-Tula Alliance for putting in the work and effort to make this experience happen for my fellow teammates and me. I would also like to thank both coaches for putting together practices before heading out for this tournament as it helped us prepare and work better mentally and physically as a team. I would also like to thank the local cheerleaders from Lyceum School of Managers in Novomoskovsk, Russia that supported us at every game we played and invited us to visit their school. I also appreciate Lisa, who was our tour guide for all of her help and guidance while we were in Russia.
The EuroChem Cup was a great challenge for our hockey team as this tournament allowed us to play more experienced and top elite hockey teams than we would normally have played in the U.S. This was a real challenge but made us better hockey players. If anyone ever has the chance to go to Russia for this hockey tournament or to visit I would recommend definitely saying yes! The EuroChem cup was a great experience that has provided me memories that will last forever.
Thank you,
Timothy Barcomb
