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TIM’S KIDS
#hockeyisforeveryone

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About Tim’s Kids

How It All Began

Tim’s Kids Special Hockey Team is the Space Coast SuperCanes. The participants have a range of disabilities such as autism, Down Syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and intellectual disability. The Fuse is our special needs sled hockey team. The program is open to players with physical disabilities such as spina bifida, amputation, cerebral palsy, and accident-related injury.

Our Mission

Tim’s Kids Special Hockey seeks to provide the opportunity for Floridians with cognitive disabilities to play ice hockey. The mission of Tim’s Kid’s Special Hockey is breaking down barriers to Ice Hockey for disabled youth and adults in Central, Florida. Established organization in 2007 (and a 501(c)(3) since 2009), Tim’s Kids Special offers cognitively disabled youth and adults the opportunity to play ice and sled hockey at the Space Coast Ice Plex in Rockledge, Florida.

Our Goal

The goal of Tim’s Kids is simply to provide the opportunity to play ice hockey to those with cognitive disabilities. It is widely recognized that the cost of equipment and ice time is a major deterrent to getting kids into sport, especially in the special needs community as well as in Florida with the absence of frozen ponds. Tim’s Kids eliminates that issue by providing equipment, ice time, coaching, and volunteer support to make ice and sled hockey possible to the disabled community.

Our Impact

Tim’s Kids impact is derived from the number of participants and volunteers, and the number of athletes retained from year to year. Tim’s Kids provides all equipment and ice time at no cost to participants. We enrich the lives of those with developmental and cognitive disabilities through increasing their development and self-confidence on and off the ice by Having Fun, Learning Teamwork, Gaining Friendships and Increased Physical Activity.

SPACE COAST SUPERCANES



Our team uses the name Space Coast Supercanes and wears the colors of red, black, and white. The name and the colors maintain our connection to the history of youth hockey in Brevard, where the youth hockey teams have been referred to as the Space Coast Hurricanes over the past decade or so. The Space Coast Hurricanes adopted the colors of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, thus the black, white, and red. The Supercanes crest uses the Tim’s Kids star with crossed hockey sticks designed by Tim’s son Nick at the inception of our organization back in 2007. The red star of Tim’s Kids is modified for the Space Coast Supercanes by embedding the Superman “S” within the star.

Memoriam
& Emeritus

Our Founders

Our success depends on the strength of our team. Without these key visionaries, Tim’s Kids would simply never have happened.

Hockey fan and community activist who was determined to see children in sunny Florida learn to love a game played on ice as much as he did. Before losing his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2007, Tim directed that a portion of his estate be used to make the sport more accessible to more kids.

IN MEMORY OF Tim Szymula

Founder

Susan Szymula, Tim Szymula widow and Tim’s Kids founding member worked tirelessly to bring Tim’s Kids Inc. to life and sustain it until her recent passing. We cannot thank her enough for all she did.

IN MEMORY OF Susan Szymula

Founding member

Tyler was a teacher and led by example. Tyler was not afraid. He was not afraid to show love most importantly. He was not afraid to laugh even at himself and be happy at all times. He was not afraid to perform on the ice, in the gym, and for his teachers. He is not afraid to be in heaven now. We know he is waiting and will be happy to open the doors with the Lord when it is our turn to join him.

IN MEMORY OF Tyler Chance

Athlete • Teacher • Friend

– Former President of Tim’s Kids Board of Directors
– Founding member of Tim’s Kids
– Tim’s Kids Coach since 2007
– President Integrated Performance Manager Deep Space Logistics Project National Aeronautics and Space Administration

THANKS TO Gary O’Neil

Coach Emeritus

– Former Vice President of Tim’s Kids Board of Directors
– Tim Symula’s son
– Youth Hockey Director at Community First Igloo
– Manager of Hockey Development at Nashville Predators

THANKS TO Nick Szymula

Coach Emeritus

Guiding Principles

• We provide an opportunity for individuals with disabilities to play organized hockey.
• Winning defined as accomplishing our mission rather than scores.
• Be clear and consistent with all skaters in our program.
• Treat all players with compassion and respect regardless of their economic or cognitive ability.
• Families and friends of Tim’s Kids skaters are encouraged to participate in our programs and events.
• Every skater is valued the same with respect to playing time.
• We do not have paid coaches or staff. Tim’s Kid’s is completely supported through volunteer effort in our community.

We Are EhthusiasticWe Are DrivenWe Are PlayersWe Are ChampionsWe Are Your Neighbors!

— Space Coast SuperCanes —

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It’s The People That Matter

Our Priceless Team

Developmentally and physically disabled youth and adults are typically not encouraged or able to be supported in neurotypical sports leagues and teams because those programs lack the resources, knowledge, volunteers, and role models and or equipment to facilitate inclusion. Tim’s Kids offers a unique program in the community where potential athletes can safely participate to the extent of their abilities with the training, support, and understanding unparalleled in the community. For many of the athletes, this is the only opportunity they will ever get to belong to a team or play a sport. Funding provides ice time, gear for athletes, as well as replacement gear for athletes as they grow. The team models inclusion for the athletes and the community as well as the special needs community. It fosters inclusion and participation of physically and mentally different abled children and adults.

Rick Ninko

• FMR GM/Owner Space Coast Iceplex
• Treasure and Coach for Tim’s Kids Inc.
• Founder & fmr President Brevard AIHA
• Former US Ice Rink Association BoD
• Past VP State Amateur Hockey Assn of FL
• Founder & Past Pres of the SE Jr Hockey League
• BoD USA Hockey Junior Council
• Chair – Learn to Skate USA Program
• Past Chair & Treasurer – Heritage Isle Tennis Club

Rick Ninko

Jay Freeland

• BoD President – Tim’s Kids
• BoD & Treas. – Down Syndrome Assn. of Brevard
• Trustee, BoD President – NDSC
• BoD President, Liberty Bell Museum
• Trustee – Union College
• President’s Council, Union College
• BoD – xLumin Inc.
• BoD – Beeline Inc.
• Retired CEO – FARO Technologies, Inc.
• Fmr Chairman/CEO – Perceptron, Inc.

Jay Freeland

Theresa Mitchell

• Tim’s Kids BoD Secretary
• Parent of Tim’s Kid’s Athlete
• Former President of Down Syndrome Association of Brevard
• Team Manager

Theresa Mitchell

Tracy Boozer

• Tim’s Kids BoD VP
• Parent of Tim’s Kids Athlete
• Coach of Tim’s Kids 2016-2023
• SE Regional Dir. of American Special Hockey Assn

Tracy Boozer

Our Numbers

Some of The Cool Facts About Us

17
Years
600
Players
680
Ice Sessions
100
% Champions

Our vision is simply to make organized ice hockey available to Floridians with cognitive disability regardless of age or innate ability.

Contact

Keep In Touch



to send a check:
Tim’s Kids Inc.
PO Box 560065
Rockledge, FL 32956-0065

www.timskids.org





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Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Registration #CH28695 – A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services
by calling toll free (800) 435-7352 within the State. Registration does
not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the State.

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