Indian National Ice Hockey Team: How it's Relevant

First Indian National Ice Hockey Team, New Delhi, 2009

You may or may not be aware that along with being the founder, Head Coach and Executive Director of The Hockey Foundation, I'm also the Head Coach of the Indian national ice hockey team.  Yes...that's right...India has an ice hockey team.

Let's get a few things out of the way here...

While on the surface it may appear to be similar, no, it's not like Jamaican Bobsled (as depicted in the movie "Cool Runnings".  Whereas in Jamaica it was a group of men who trained for the Olympics in the US for a sport very much unfamiliar to their nation, in India, ice hockey has been around for about 100 years in the mountainous regions where the game can actually be played outdoors, and we do not compete at a level even close to the Olympics.  In fact, we're one of the lowest ranked teams in the world, and that's OK.

The players on my team are comprised of military and civilians.  They're respectful, hard-working, absolutely love ice hockey, and come from limited means.  Many do not own the equipment that they use, often borrowing from their friends that do not get the opportunity to represent their country in the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia, a developmental tournament for low/un-ranked Asian hockey nations.  Due to the lack of popularity and support for ice hockey in India at large (it's immensely popular in Ladakh, where 90+% of ice hockey in India takes place), the players have to pay their own way in order to play.  It's an unfortunate reality.  Until the team can garner some sponsors and/or government support (unlikely, considering the significant preference for cricket in India) the players will be expected to pay for themselves, which many can't do, ultimately creating a financial burden on their family and reducing the pool of players available to play for Team India.

It became clear to me a few years ago that coaching the Indian team is not an objective or of The Hockey Foundation, nor is it relevant to the mission.  By no means does that diminish the importance I place on having the responsibility to select, train and coach those players.  I am honored to have the opportunity to be the head coach of a national team, no matter our performance, and I care deeply for the success of the program and the players, coaches and officials that have been a part of it. 

Recently though, it's become clearer how The Hockey Foundation could and should support the Indian national ice hockey team.  Prior to and during last year's Challenge Cup of Asia, I had multiple budget meetings with the team, first as the bearer of bad news when I announced how much each player would be expected to contribute, then as the cheerleader, writing and sending letters to local officials to solicit support for their local athletes, then as banker, collecting funds, then again as the bearer of bad news, telling the players that they owe more money due to a handful of avoidable circumstances, and finally as possible ameliorator, coming up with some solution that could potentially help players reduce/recoup costs.  This is where The Hockey Foundation comes in...

First, I thought about all of the jerseys being worn by the players.  These jerseys would most likely sit in a room for 8 months before being worn again in the following winter by those players that got to wear their nation's colors.  But couldn't those jerseys be more beneficial if sold to collectors and/or supporters?  Not only would someone be able to acquire a truly rare and collectible piece of hockey memorabilia, but the proceeds would be divided between the players themselves and The Hockey Foundation, as facilitator and mediator in the process.  Many of the players wanted to retain some of their jerseys, so I was able to ensure that every player received another set of new jerseys upon their return to India from the Challenge Cup of Asia, which was hosted in Bangkok in March, 2013.  Everyone got to retain their memento for playing on Team India, and we all agreed that this was a great way to make back some of their significant financial burden.

But for those that can't afford a game-worn jersey, the Ice Hockey Association of India was able to have a handful of official Team India jerseys made before my departure from Delhi, with proceeds supporting The Hockey Foundation as a unique fundraising memento. 

BOTH OF THESE JERSEYS ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE HERE

A new plan of action for this upcoming season is to be proactive in the team's fundraising efforts.  To date, every player that has played on the Indian national ice hockey team is either from or lives in Ladakh.  They are a part of the community that The Hockey Foundation supports in our programming, and many have participated in our coaching clinics.  This year, all players have been notified, well in advance, of the expectations placed on them, including the incentive in driving enrollment in our coaching clinics, as we collect a nominal fee for the Ice Hockey Association of India to support the national association's growth and development.  The more we raise in India, the more money that can be allocated to the national team, and ultimately less is expected from each player/family.  This push for Ladakhis to take ownership over their own success is a major mission of The Hockey Foundation, as Ladakh has an issue with apathy, complacency and a reliance on outsiders to keep on giving money and equipment.  We've adjusted our methods for donating hockey equipment due to this realization, and have become more strategic, thoughtful, and collaborative in our distribution of equipment and the expectations associated with an organization receiving our support.  It's a constant work in progress, but one I'm happy to undertake and improve.

Although being the head coach of the team is not a part of The Hockey Foundation, I believe supporting the players, the team and the association are, and that support in turn helps The Hockey Foundation.  Our organization's are inextricably linked.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

PURCHASE INDIAN HOCKEY JERSEYS

Jullay!

Adam

Raffle, continued

As you may know by now, we're running a raffle to support our fundraising efforts.  In the previous post, I described some of the raffle items being offered.  Now I shall present to you the remaining raffle prizes being offered.  The raffle ends on 11/25/13, so now's the time to purchase some tickets, potentially win a cool prize, and support our mission.

2 Guest Passes, Rubin Museum of Art

"The Rubin Museum of Art is a dynamic environment that stimulates learning, promotes understanding, and inspires personal connections to the ideas, cultures, and art of Himalayan Asia." -Rubin Museum of Art website

This is very much in line with the mission of The Hockey Foundation, and as it is in New York City, we've been delighted to host two events at this unique cultural institution.  2 guest passes are available in this raffle as a result for 5 different winners.

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

$50 online gift card, Harney & Sons Fine Teas

Alex Harney, one of our Board members, has been coming to India with Adam for the past few years to take photos, produce the videos, and assist in coaching.

Every year, our team of coaches brings along some Harney & Sons teas to India (yes, India is a tea-producing nation...which just tells you how good the tea from Harney & Sons is!) to keep us going and to share with locals to support our mission (tea is a great social beverage!)

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Two 1-hour ice hockey lessons with Alana Blahoski in NYC* ($300 Value)

Alana Blahoski, one of our Board members, has been kind enough to donate her time to provide some great personalized coaching to the winner of this prize.  You can use it for yourself, or gift it to someone else, and even split the two sessions, but they must be redeemed within the year whether or not you're based in NYC, and transportation/accommodation is not provided for out-of-towners.  About Alana:

• Gold medal winner with the United States Women's Hockey Team at the 1998 Winter Olympics
• 4x World Championship appearance (1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001)
• 5x Four Nations Cup appearance (1996-2000)
• Named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year at Providence College (1996)
• Head Coach for the U.S. Women's Under-22 Select Team (2008) and Assistant Coach of the 2006 US Women's Olympic Team in Torino, Italy

*travel not included, valid for 1 year

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Gift bag from Brooklyn Outdoor Provisions

Coaching hockey in the Himalayas is a pretty rugged activity.  Being on the ice obviously requires a lot of equipment, but being on and off the ice in the Himalayas requires baselayers, sleeping bags, down jackets, backpacks, duffel-bags, and more.  All of these things are available at the newly opened Brooklyn Outdoor Provisions, which has genersouly donated a backpack, insulated water bottles (great for hot beverages during winter), Helly Hanson baselayers and a t-shirt.  Value of this gift bag is $100.   If you're in/around NYC, be sure to check out their new store: 198 Utica Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Suunto Core Alu Deep Black Outdoor Watch

Suunto is a Finnish company that makes high quality outdoor sport watches.  The Core series is a very user friendly, versatile watch that includes an altimeter, barometer, compass, timer, alarm, dual time and more features that we rely upon when on long, dark drives between villages in the Himalayas.  Knowing our altitude is important for those of us easily afflicted with altitude sickness, the barometer let's us know about pending storms, the compass obviously can keep us pointing north, and the time-related function don't need explanation.  A well-built watch, it can also be worn with a suit.  Value is $400.

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Raffle

The Hockey Foundation is offering a raffle to support our fundraising efforts in advance of our next trip to India.  We're excited to offer you some unique raffle prizes, and wanted to take this opportunity to explain what makes each prize significant to our us, and hopefully to you as well.

If you've been thinking about donating, this is a great option to get a little something in return beyond supporting a great cause, changing the lives of countless children (and adults!) and being a part of something bigger than oneself, of course.

Green Vibrance, courtesy of Vibrant Health

Green Vibrance, is a green super food.  It's a powder of many greens, and then some!  There are 74 ingredients in Green Vibrance, with 25 billion probiotics per serving, and can be mixed in water, juice or other liquids.  When our team of coaches is in Ladakh, one of the biggest problems we all have to deal with relates to our diet, but it's not what you think.  Sure, Ladakh is in India, a country famous for "Delhi belly", a particularly un-fun food-borne stomach illness, but Ladakh has cleaner spring water than most of India, and rarely gets to a temperature (especially in the winter) that allows harmful bacteria, viruses and protozoa to fester and multiply.  The problem in Ladakh is that during the winter there are very few options for a nutritious balanced diet.  That's not to say our team is looking to eat as per the famous USDA food pyramid (there are too many Pringles and Snickers consumed), but the distribution of vitamins and minerals doesn't seem to be present in the salt & carb-heavy diet of Ladakh.  Green Vibrance has been the complement and supplement that keeps our team healthy, energetic and digesting well.  When they return to lower parts of India, such as Delhi, Green Vibrance adds the additional support of keeping our team "regular", as the probiotics digest much of the stuff that can contribute to "Delhi belly" and the rest of the ingredients boost immune system and digestive system function, creating a tough battle for the harmful organisms.  The taste is pretty neutral, and with some juice, it's barely noticeable.  The benefit is obvious!  Vibrant Health has donated two 30-day supplies of Green Vibrance for our raffle, ending 11/25/13.

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Citi Bike Annual Membership, courtesy of NYC Bike Share

Being a New York City-based non-profit, we're excited to offer 2 annual memberships of Citi Bike, courtesy of NYC Bike Share.  This new bike-share program is less than a year old and already seen over 10 million miles traveled in over 6 million trips by nearly 100,000 annual members & countless 24-hour & 7-day pass-holders.  Riding a bicycle is one of the best ways to train for hockey.  The leg muscles get a great workout that contribute to power, endurance, agility and overall wellness.  Players like Jaromir Jagr and Chris Chelios are famous for riding bikes before and after hockey games to maintain peak physical conditioning.  Whether you own a bicylce or not, having a Citi Bike membership is a great perk for any New Yorker, as sometimes you don't want to drag your own bike around all day or lock it up in areas that may not be reliable.  For non-New Yorkers, if you have a friend or family member that lives in the area, this is a great gift for the holidays, but you can only win it if you enter our raffle, ending 11/25/13.

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

10 Skate-sharpenings, courtesy of NYC Skate Pro

Keeping with an NYC-theme.  NYC Skate Pro, the pro-shop at City Ice Pavilion in Long Island City, Queens, has generously donated a card for 10 free ice skate sharpenings, whether it be hockey, figure or speed skates.  Sharpening ice skates in NYC is an expensive endeavor, especially if you skate regularly, and there are few locations that facilitate this service.  It goes without saying, this is a great prize to win, but only if you enter our raffle.

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Hockey Books: "Tropic of Hockey" by Dave Bidini & "The Final Call" by Kerry Fraser

Authors Dave Bidini and Kerry Fraser (the famed helmet-less referee) have both generously donated their hockey books to support our fundraising efforts.  Every trip, we donate books about hockey to schools in Ladakh, whether the books be instructional, fiction or in this case non-fiction.  The Final Call is a collection of stories stemming from Kerry Fraser's final season in the NHL.  Tropic of Hockey is about one man's journey to find hockey in unexpected regions around the world.  Needless to say, we identify with that mission, as The Hockey Foundation operates in Northern India!  Of course, you can pick up these books on Amazon, but for only $20 you'll get 5 chances to win both, and still have 4 more chances to win something else!

PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS NOW

Stay tuned for more updates on our raffle, including information on the rest of our raffle prizes!

Hockey in the Himalayas?

(question mark intentional)

So many people seem stunned when I tell them about ice hockey in India.  Adding in the explanation that it takes place in the Himalayas makes it both more logical and more alluring, all at the same time. 

The most common comparison people make is to Jamaican bobsled (popularly portrayed in Cool Runnings), and on the surface it's easy to understand why, as both countries are primarily tropical and the associated sports are not native, and not easily performed, within the respective nations.

But that's about it.

While bobsled was a sport that a handful of Jamaicans were able to undertake and compete in, ice hockey is growing in popularity in India, especially in Ladakh, a remote region in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, which is sandwiched between Pakistan and Tibet (China).  It's also being played in Shimla, in the neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh, on and off in Dehra Dun, the capital of the state south of Himachal, Uttarakhand, and even at a small indoor facility on the border of New Delhi and Gurgaon (Gurgaon is kind of like the Bangalore of North India...corporate parks, call centers, suburbia, middle class & upper class boom, trendy clubs, Western restaurants, and many many malls).

Hockey has been played in India since the British introduced it in the early 1900s (in Shimla), and has been growing in popularity in Ladakh since the Indian military brought it with them in the 70s.  Today, hundreds of Ladakhi children and adults play hockey for 2-3 months every winter, when temperatures in the region are consistently below freezing.  Schools are off during the winter, and tourism is low (other than people trekking the Zanskar River), so hockey has become the literal pastime, the sport that passes time.  But it's become more than that.  It's become a way of life, as so many Americans, Canadians, Swedes, Czechs, Russians and more can understand.

We've interviewed children (boys and girls) and adults about what hockey means to them, and the answers are wonderful.  So many of them remark that hockey has given them confidence, it's allowed them to work together better as a team, it makes them happy, it keeps them healthy.  One women, in particular, said she's happily married to hockey.

This love of the game can't be tought, it can only be noursihed.  The Hockey Foundation strives to not only nourish that love, but to focus the understanding of the game, and to reinforce many of these qualities that so many intrinsically understand once the game captures their hearts and minds.  

We strive to teach not only the young players, but the organizations that ultimately interact with them every day, that they need to work together (organizationally, regionally, nationally), that they need to be accountable for their actions on and off the ice, responsible for their own success, that they need to be resepectful, humble, yet confident, that they need to be tough when necessary, but gentle otherwise, and that they need to have fun!

It's not easy to survive a winter in Ladakh.  There's very little indoor heating and running hot water.  It's cold, all the time, everywhere.  You see your breath when you sleep, you have to use buckets for showers, and bathrooms are either outside or the ones inside don't flush.  There are very few options for food, and not much in the way of entertainment, but there is hockey in one of the most beautiful mountainous regions of the world, with a vibrant history.

Resources are limited though.  Coaches are few and far and getting equipment is both difficult and expensive.  The Hockey Foundation's coaches go with great expense to themselves, not only to travel to Ladakh, but the time away from home not taking in income.  It's a burden in many ways, but one we all feel a calling to undertake.  We also bring as much equipment as we can transport with us, in addition to any equipment we ship to India through the year (more on that in another post).  In the past 5 years, The Hockey Foundation has donated 300+ pieces of equipment throughout Ladakh (Leh and Kargil Districts) and we've coached over 500 children and adults.  This year is looking to be another record-setting year in all measurable categories, and it's with your support that this is possible, so thank you to all that have donated, and to those that have helped in countless ways!

Adam

Dealing with Adversity

It's said all the time, but founding and growing a non-profit is not easy work.  Even when things are done properly, there are many challenges.  One of the key principles of The Hockey Foundation is to teach all of the children we coach that they must work through adversity.  Hockey is a challenging sport that requires discipline in mind and body, and learning to conquer those challenges on the ice directly leads to learning to deal with adversity off the ice.  This is fundamental to all sports, but as hockey lovers, I'm sure we're all together in believing that hockey is the premier sport for challenging players to work through adversity.

2013 began on a high note for The Hockey Foundation!

Shortly before departing on another trip to India to coach hockey throughout Northern India (Delhi, Shimla, Ladakh, Kargil) - something I'll write about in future posts - we took in a large quantity of donations & completed form 1023, the application for tax-exempt status from the IRS (US Government).  Prior to this, The Hockey Foundation was (and is) incorporated as a tax-exempt organization in New York State, where we are based out of.  This was a necessary and incredibly important step in the development of The Hockey Foundation, since form 1023 is required to obtain the coveted 501(c)(3) status.  

The application took many months to prepare.  Being a small organization with limited resources, I wrote most of the content, with help from the law firm that represents The Hockey Foundation, Proskauer Rose LLP, and some financial reporting support from a friend.  Together, we edited the application over and over again, making sure every detail was covered.  Altogether, after completing a long application unto itself, the Appendices of form 1023 was over 7,000 words!

I also worked to ensure that all state filings were current and accurate, and that the organization moved it's office of incorporation from Long Island to New York City (there's more support available within the city than in the suburbs, as one can probably imagine).  

It took a lot of work, but ultimately, everything was completed, and just a few short days before returning to Ladakh, India in January, I mailed out the form to the IRS.  Of course I didn't expect to get a response within a couple of weeks.  But I did expect to get a response within 90 days, as we worked so hard and diligently on being thorough.

I routinely checked the IRS website to see if The Hockey Foundation had been added to their tax-exempt organization database, even when I was actively fulfilling the organization's mission in India.  Nothing.

In the middle of this programming, I stumbled across a grant that seemed tailor-made for The Hockey Foundation.  The deadline for submission was smack in the middle of Ladakh programming.  There was a night where all of my assistants, volunteers and primary partners in India were sitting in a hotel lounge together, enjoying some late night snacks and drinks.  I was obsessing over this grant and the support it could provide to The Hockey Foundation.  It was decided that night that I would leave Ladakh for Delhi, meet with representatives at the U.S. Embassy, and dedicate my time and energy on completing this application.  The assumption was that the IRS should be approving the 501(c)(3) status at any moment, and I had some volunteer coaches I entrusted with continuing the mission in my absence.  This was not what I envisioned for 2013, but sometimes challenges present themselves that need to be met head-on. 

The meetings with the staff at the American Center and Embassy offered some great perspective and promise, and so I tried to utilize what I learned while filling out the grant application.   Additionally, the volunteer coaches seemed to be holding their own in Kargil District, and provided me with the reassurance that as The Hockey Foundation grows around the world and starts to have overlapping schedules, the mission can be fulfilled by people other than myself, which is a concern of mine, being the founder and Executive Director of this organization.

If there's anything I've learned in my travels and experiences, it's not to get too comfortable when things are going well (conversely, don't sweat the small stuff when times are tough).  The 501(c)(3) status never came, a mandatory requirement for the grant, and as a result, the deadline was passed without submission. 

With the grant application behind me (at least for this year), I started to press on why  the 501(c)(3) status hasn't been granted.  In so much of life, timing is everything, and for The Hockey Foundation, timing has been one of our greatest challenges.

The past 12 months have been particularly challenging for the IRS as well.  First came a U.S. government sequester, which reduced all government spending by 10%, impacting staff resources.  Shortly thereafter, a scandal at the IRS based on the determination of tax-exempt 501(c)(4) political organizations erupted.  The office that determines the status of 501(c)(4) exemption is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is the same one that determines exemption for 501(c)(3) organizations.  Scandals typically force organizations to reallocate resources in order to address the issue at hand.  While I am not privy to the inner workings of the IRS, it's hard to imagine them being exempt from this organizational behavior.

Finally, and most importantly, there seems to be a few clarifications needed on our application, due to either a misfiling by the IRS or an oversight by the applicant, in the case, me.  We've been waiting for 6 months to be told what clarifications are requested and required, but have yet to hear from our venerable Internal Revenue Service.  Surprisingly, for an organization that knows so much about the population it collects from, they're incredibly difficult to contact, especially in the case of non-profit exemption determination (the other E.D.) 

So what does this all mean? 

Well, quite a bit, and very little good. 

When an organization applies for 501(c)(3) status, they are legally able to operate as a federally tax-exempt non-profit, so in this regards, The Hockey Foundation is doing so.  Unfortunately, no database can verify that, since the determination isn't finalized, so there are many services The Hockey Foundation is not eligible to receive or utilize (too many to list) and more importantly, it prevents The Hockey Foundation from applying for and receiving foundation grants, governmental grants, corporate charitable giving, and large-scale donations (even though it shouldn't).  This has slowed the progress of growth for The Hockey Foundation, and in case you can't tell, has been frustrating to deal with.

That being said, dealing with adversity is a key principle of The Hockey Foundation, and if I and the organization I founded can't handle a few setbacks, then we shouldn't be doing what we do.  We're looking for more ways to get in touch with the IRS to figure out how to resolve this issue, we're partnering with organizations that are more concerned with supporting a great cause then just getting a tax benefit, and have already facilitated a major donation of equipment that was sent ahead of me so that when I arrive in India this winter, we'll once again set organizational records for equipment donations around the region.  We're still able to operate as a non-profit and collect donations, so please consider contributing to ensure we can keep fighting the good fight!

More to come... 

Adam