Ashley Mouzzon missed playing hockey when she moved to South Carolina. That turned into creating tournaments and programs to draw more people to ball hockey.
There are many concrete ways hockey continues to grow globally, including through a version of the sport often played on concrete – ball hockey.
Columbia, S.C. is not the epicenter of ice hockey, but it is home to a program, Ball Hockey Boot Camp (BHBC), trying to grow the game in the region. By removing the cost of ice and equipment, BHBC founder and registered ball hockey coach Ashley Mouzzon hopes to entice more people to play the sport she loves.
“When we moved here, I thought about what I could do to change the lack of hockey in the area and make hockey more accessible for youth,” Mouzzon said. “I wanted to provide more opportunities for kids and youth at little to no cost, events and clinics, and also more opportunities for women.”
Named in recognition of Mouzzon’s military background and her husband currently on active duty, Ball Hockey Boot Camp was also launched because Mouzzon missed playing the sport in more hockey-focused regions. She saw her own need and believed other women and youth in the area would enjoy the sport if the opportunity was there.
Ball hockey, whether it be with groups like Hockey Diversity Alliance and its Grassroots Original Hockey League in Canada or Mouzzon’s program, has been identified as a low-cost, reduced barrier entry point to hockey. It’s also a pathway to increasing diversity and inclusion in the sport.
“We recognize the lack of diversity present within the game of hockey on all levels and we are focused on encouraging more young women and people of color into the sport,” the BHBC website said.
Having run multiple free clinics already, BHBC is already achieving their goal. After launching last spring, Mouzzon hopes to continue growing to provide more programming, free equipment, and financial aid to youth and underserved populations.
“People might not think the game is for them, but that’s where I’m trying to grow.” - Ashley Mouzzon
To continue to grow, BHBC will also host tournaments, including what they believe to be the first-ever ball hockey tournament in Nashville, Tenn., “Ball on Broadway,” an all-women’s event scheduled for Feb. 24 to 26.
Ice hockey in Columbia, S.C., had a brief period of excitement when the ECHL awarded an expansion franchise, the Columbus Inferno, to the city. The Inferno played from 2001 to 2008, seeing nearly a dozen players graduate from the team to the NHL and winning three division titles. The region, however, was removed from the ECHL’s list of potential “future markets” in 2014, marking the decline of hockey in the area.
While Mouzzon and Ball Hockey Boot Camp hope to give youth their start in ball hockey, she said eventually, an interest in ball hockey in the area can translate to an interest in ice hockey.
“One of my goals is that if I get any kids that ask where they can keep playing, or if parents say their kids love the game and they want more, I’ll refer them to the closest ice hockey program,” Mouzzon said. “Ultimately, I’d like to help them get equipment so that barrier of cost goes away.”
“We want to get into different areas where hockey isn’t relevant yet because the kids and families haven’t been exposed to it, especially in those underserved areas,” Mouzzon said. “People might not think the game is for them, but that’s where I’m trying to grow, by targeting these areas that are underserved so that they can be aware of the game, and that this is a fun sport they can play as well.”
Ball Hockey Boot Camp has already hosted multiple events for youth and women in Columbia and Charleston, S.C., and has future events scheduled for Hilton Head, S.C. and Nashville.