Local family has found a community in hockey

Scottye and Michele Cash figured their oldest son Jake would want to play sports at some point, but they didn’t expect that sport would be hockey.

But sure enough, one day a few years ago, Jake came home from kindergarten and – thanks to a classmate who had started playing the sport – requested to get into hockey.

The Cash family was able get some gear together with help from that classmate’s mother – Natalie Darr, one of the owners of RBar and a hockey player herself – and got Jake into hockey. Later, the Cash’s triplets Jackson, Mackenzie and Cooper saw Jake playing and wanted to play, too.

Along the way, the hockey bug bit Scottye, too. Over the past few years, the Cashes have gone from a group that had no hockey background to suddenly becoming one of Columbus’ biggest hockey families.

And it’s fair to say there are no regrets.

“Becoming a hockey family helped build our community,” Scottye said ahead of today’s Blue Jackets Hockey is for Everyone game vs. Vancouver. “This hockey community has been so important to us, as we have all developed lifelong friends. In essence, strangers became friends, and those friends became family.

“The kids all feel the same way, and when we ask for some logistical support, the hockey families come through for us. The majority of the coaches that the kids have had have been just absolutely amazing, as they have focused on teaching the kids to be leaders and good teammates in addition to skills needed for hockey.”

Of all the members of the family who seem most surprised by the development, it would be Scottye. An associate professor of social work at Ohio State, Scottye had tried a variety of sports in life but had never found one that she fell in love with until she put the skates on.

As she watched her kids come to enjoy skating around the ice, Scottye thought it was worth trying herself. She attended a few Women’s Learn to Play events with Darr, who introduced Cash to the Columbus women’s league through the Chiller Adult Hockey League, and is now regular player in the CAHL’s E League.

“Mind you, I had never played hockey before and had only skated maybe 10 times in my life,” she said. “After playing for a few weeks, I was hooked, although my skating and playing skills were a little rough. I decided that I loved the sport and also loved sharing this sport with the kids.

“For me, I started out looking like Bambi on ice. I may have made a little progress since I started, but that is up for debate. What I know for sure is that I finally found my people, to where I was accepted for who I was. Hockey and the friendships I have made have helped me change my life in so many positive ways."

The entire Cash family feels the same way. While Jackson no longer plays hockey and focuses on volunteering, you can often see him around the rink cheering on his siblings. Jake has continued on his journey and is a defenseman for the Columbus Amateur Hockey Association’s 2011 A team. Mackenzie is a center and plays for the Columbus Chill Youth Hockey Association’s U-10 girls travel team, while Cooper is a goalie for CAHA’s 2013 White team.

“Jake, Mackenzie and Cooper have told me and others numerous times that hockey makes them happy,” Scottye said. “I believe they have made lifelong friendships with their teammates, and our family has made lifelong friends. For the kids it has been a supportive environment where they are learning lessons both on and off the ice that will support them throughout their life.”

Cash was also sure to point out the number of ways the family has been able to make contacts and gain experience throughout the hockey community, especially when trying to get into the game. The Blue Jackets’ Get Out And Learn and Learn To Play programs, designed to help kids get into the sport through on-ice lessons and provided equipment, have been key ways to get introduced to the game. The Blue Jackets also feature youth groups on the ice at games in a variety of ways, including intermission games.

Community groups like the CAHL, Central Ohio Girls Hockey and the bevy of youth organizations that allow kids to grow in the sport also have made a huge impact, in Cash’s eyes. In the end, she has a message for those who want to get involved in the sport no matter who they are.

“The message I want to give is look into all of the opportunities available for kids and yourself,” she said. “I don’t think there is a better community to be a part of.

“I’m 51 years old and prior to hockey I couldn’t figure out a sport that I could play. Hockey exceeded and still exceeds every expectation I have had and still have. It’s the best community that we have been a part of that accepts our family – a family with two moms – and helps us all show up and be our best selves.”

As the Blue Jackets welcomed the Columbus hockey community to today’s Hockey is for Everyone game, Cash is proof that the sport can be there for all who want to play.

“I am truly honored to be a part of the greater Columbus hockey community and our family being acknowledged and accepted as a part of the Blue Jackets community,” Cash said. “We are all truly thankful and hope that we can give back to this amazing community.

“Hockey truly is for everyone, including a 51-year old hockey-loving mom with four kids who knows to my core that our hockey family will always be there to support us individually and as a family.”