Mighty Penguins sled hockey team hosts international athletes as part of sports diplomacy program
CRANBERRY, Pa. (KDKA) - The Mighty Penguins sled hockey team held a practice in Cranberry recently, but it was very special in a different way. During this skate, they entertained guests from far away.
The Mighty Penguins aren't just a good team; they are one of the best in the united states.
"They're back-to-back champions in two national tournaments," team president Mark McCoy said.
On Saturday, the squad had some special guests strap into sleds and go at it.
"This is incredible! We have visitors from Rwanda and Kyrgyzstan! It's beautiful!" McCoy, whose passion for adaptive hockey is all but infectious, said.
The international athletes are in the States as part of a State Department sports diplomacy program working with a group called Sports Visitor.
Sports Visitor official Jane Merriman, also from Sewickley, explained the mission of their organization.
"We bring non-elite athletes and coaches to the U.S. so they can experience a new sport and meet different people. We're just trying to get them exposed to adaptive sports that they might not have the opportunity in their home countries."
In that group, Basile Businge of Rwanda remained soft-spoken, polite, and with a wide bright smile.
"Even if it's the first time playing this game, we have to fight, and this is why I put my effort in to win," Businge said.
A lot of people might think of English, French, Czech, Russian, Finnish, and Swedish as the main languages of hockey, but thanks to Mighty Penguins veteran player and Congolese native Manny Hilton, you can add Swahili to the list.
"Some of them are close to my country; we both speak the same language, Swahili, so I was able to talk to them, and I'm so happy to see them here; it's awesome," Hilton told KDKA.
If you're interested in helping with the Mighty Penguins sled hockey team, check out penguinssledhockey.org.
For more info on the State Department athlete exchange program, log on to sportsvisitor.org.