Hendrickson Festival Showcases a Charity That Never Dyed Its Grass Roots
I had no idea what to expect while driving up to the Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota, for my first Hendrickson Foundation Festival. The parking lot was packed with trucks, trailers, and tailgaters, all hanging out and having a blast. Not something I expected to see at a charity hockey event. I have a personal rule never to park front and center at any place I go because I know that there are other people in the world that might need those spots more than I do, and nowhere is this more true than at the annual Hendy Fest.
The Henderson Foundation Festival is an annual event for sled, special, blind, deaf/hard of hearing, and warrior military hockey. Hundreds of teams from all over the country descend on the Super Rink for one big weekend to give these players a chance to shine in their very own tournament.
The diversity of the event was unparalleled and on full display. I watched a deaf and hard of hearing hockey game where coaches and players were signing to each other to communicate. I was amazed by the perseverance of kids playing blind hockey where the puck has a bell in it to alert players to its location. The special hockey showed that disabilities that may not be visually evident can also be overcome through the love of sport. I was shocked by the physicality of warrior hockey where military veterans unleashed their battle ready aggression on each other. And I was inspired by sled hockey where I watched kids with disabilities glide around just like anyone else.
The sled hockey hit me hardest as I witnessed players, including multiple National team members, some with no legs zooming around on their sleds fully in their element and as graceful and elegant as top NHLers. Only to watch the horn blow and see them come off the ice, when things became completely different. I watched the players get lifted over the lip of the boards and army crawl their way hundreds of feet back to the locker room. Like sharks out of the water, they went from peak performance to carrying the full weight of their physical challenges. Watching that moment, it clicked. Hockey is an escape for these kids. The ice provides a level playing surface where they can be themselves and their “disabilities” are no longer inhibitors.
I even got the chance to try out sled hockey in a sled race before the celebrity game. 4 words: SLED HOCKEY IS HARD. Honestly, I was nervous all day about this sled race. I was afraid of falling over and embarrassing myself in front of a whole arena. Not to mention I was competing with the Minnesota Wild’s Brock Faber, Jake Middleton, and Matt Boldy who were taking in the entire Hendy Fest experience even coaching a sled team.
When they yelled “Go,” I was lucky to make it a grand total of approximately five feet before tipping over and helplessly trying to tilt myself back upright with zero luck. Laying on my side on the ice for the entire race, I was able to truly appreciate the skill and effort of the players who play sled hockey. That’s when I realized that I wasn’t out there to compete against the other sled racers, rather to showcase that sled hockey players are just as much of hockey players as the rest of us.
On the bright side, Wild defenseman Brock Faber seemed to have as much difficulty as I did, also getting stuck in neutral in the starting block. And if any family knows the power behind the Hendrickson Foundation, it’s the Fabers. Brock’s sister, Paige, plays special hockey. Brock’s father, Jay Faber summed up the event perfectly, “This is their Super Bowl,” explaining sometimes the players actually roll their eyes when they need to play another hockey game because they’re having so much fun hanging out in the social areas and nearby bouncy house.
Later on in the day, I had the chance to get to talk to some sled hockey players from the Carolinas. One player was in his 30’s and was paralyzed from the waist down after a mountain bike incident. Initially, he tried wheelchair basketball but was deemed “too aggressive” so naturally, he transitioned from basketball to hockey. Well done! Playing sled hockey, he became a part of a community he never knew existed and it helped him accept his injuries and have an environment where his condition isn’t a setback.
In a time when charity funds are constantly skimming profits, the Hendrickson Foundation never dyed its grass roots. Whereas many charities quickly become “Charity Corp LLC” losing the plot of their original mission, the Hendrickson Foundation’s annual tournament is a shining example of a charity where every single dollar makes a meaningful difference. Known for their low overhead, the Hendrickson Foundation is still as messy, beautiful, and totally focused on the players as the mission of their late founder, Larry Hendrickson.
The mission of the Hendrickson Foundation is to make hockey accessible to all people no matter any disabilities they may face. Seeing kids who may struggle in everyday life on the ice having the time of their lives in a level playing field is what it is all about. Players no longer dwelling on limitations, rather smashing expectations to accomplish something great all while having fun.
As I walked back to my car at the end of the day in the back of the parking lot, I couldn’t help but smile realizing the tagline of the Hendrickson Foundation, written by Larry Hendrickson himself, is as accurate today as it was when he first said it, HOCKEY CHANGES LIVES.
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