History of the Ohio Exchange
Forty-seven years ago a team from Kent Ohio was playing a tournament in Stratford on their way home when Mother Nature unleashed a blizzard upon the region that not only shut down local businesses and highways’ but made the journey back to Ohio impossible. With no other options the friendly families in Embro opened their doors and their hearts by taking families into their homes to seek shelter from the elements.
The Weekend was an experience that was talked about for months that followed. Many of the families remained in contact with their new friends from Ohio well beyond the completion of the hockey season.
The next hockey season brought an invitation from the Cyclones organization to Embro to continue the relationship by opening doors for a visit from Embro. Since 1977, our organizations have taken turns making the 6 hour journey across the border to share in the common love for the game of hockey and a friendship with new friends from a different country.
The Experience is a Lifetime Memory for all those involved!
The Ohio- Embro Exchange Today
The event features youth hockey players from 8 years old and younger up to 15 years old in a "friendship" tournament that features a bit of hockey and a lot of fun times together.
Over the course of the exchange weekend, visiting players billet (are provided lodging) in the homes of host players their same age level. From these billeting experiences, life-long friendships among the players and their families have developed along with a new appreciation for a different culture.
While Kent can be considered suburban in lifestyle, Embro is a farming community, thus providing the players an opportunity to learn about daily routines very different from their own.
Throughout the weekend each age division of teams play a series of three hockey games, with the final game featuring a "trading" of some players from one team to the other. The mix of American and Canadian players on teams has always been a highlight for the players.
The final event of the weekend is an impressive closing ceremony in which participating teams parade onto the ice led by a bagpipe player and skaters holding the flags of the two countries. Representative families of Embro and Kent sing the national anthems and a gift exchange closes out the weekend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh_qIS-oU7c