Matthew’s cool move to play ice hockey in Vegas
A12-YEAR-OLD boy from Stockport has been invited to represent a Czech Republic based ice hockey camp in Las Vegas in February 2018.
Matthew Cross, from Hazel Grove High School, has been playing ice hockey since he was seven and started his career playing for the Manchester Phoenix under-10s.
This summer Matthew enjoyed a week-long trip to Nymburk in the Czech Republic, with the Czech International Hockey Camp and he was so successful they have invited him to represent the camp at a competition in Las Vegas.
His mother, Celia, said: “He works really hard. He practices twice a week and he’s got his own programme to follow.
“We’re really proud of him because he puts the effort in and he’s done very, very well.”
Going from strength to strength, Matthew has represented both the Trafford Tornados u11s and u13s, before moving to the Bradford Bulldogs in February this year.
Matthew is also currently in trials for the EIHA Northern Conference team, which will be his fourth season there if successful, and the England u13s trials.
Travelling to train with the Bradford Bulldogs can take up to two hours and, on top of his training, Matthew plays ice hockey games at weekends and exercises after school.
Celia, 44, added: “It’s very difficult for him. It’s a chore for him when his friends are going out on their bikes and he can’t do that because he’s part of a team.
“There’s a lot of commitment, he’s taken it very seriously and he’s got really good coaches who are very committed to him as well. “He’s doing really well.” The team will be competing at the 17th annual presidents’ day tournament at the Las Vegas Ice Center between February 16 and February 19.
Matthew will be part of a 17-strong team and will be away from February 14 until 21, which includes a trip to the Grand Canyon.
Matthew’s parents, Celia and David, will be setting up a fundraising page to fund the seven-day trip next year which costs 1,190 euros (£1,055) without a visa or flights.
The Czech International Hockey Camp has been running since 1999 and is visited by 8,000 players from more than 34 different countries each year.
Camps are run throughout the year with the majority taking place in summer and feature on-ice and office training by professional coaches.