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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Rogue Valley doctor runs for governor on climate change platform ... Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... Rogue Valley doctor runs for governor on climate change platform ... Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... LOCAL EVENTS Celebration event planned for hockey program serving developmentally disabled youth Comment By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted May. 21, 2015 at 4:56 PM By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted May. 21, 2015 at 4:56 PM » Social News With meticulous concentration, 11-year-old Brayden Edelman passes a puck across the ice to 8-year-old Tanner Bowers. Tanner snags the pass and sends the puck into the goal as nearby coaches hold their sticks above their heads and cheer. It's just one special moment of many in the Southern Oregon Junior Spartans Special Hockey program, which teaches the sport to youth with autism and other developmental disabilities. The team plans to celebrate a recent milestone — a donation of 20 sets of gear from the NHL Players Association — with a free skating event for youth with disabilities. The event will run from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 30, at the RRRink, 1349 Center Drive, Medford. Skates and walkers will be available. "It's a really big thing, so we're putting on this event to kind of bring people out and celebrate that we got this grant," says program director and founder Shad Bowers. "We're getting acknowledgement from the biggest game there is." Bowers says he's been working on the program for more than a year. It started because of Tanner. "It was really hard going to big events and gatherings," Bowers says. "Crowds freaked him out." Then came a Southern Oregon Spartans hockey game where Bowers took Tanner. Tanner loved it. A lot. "He wanted to come every single time they played," Bowers says. "It was the first time we were able to get him out with other people, and he was OK with it. And that's one of the loudest things you can be at." Because of the positive results, Bowers decided to try getting a team together. "Hockey is probably the number one sport for (developmentally disabled) kids, especially with autism," Bowers says. "Kids with autism, their brains function so fast. They're not really delayed, they're way out ahead of everybody else. With hockey, it syncs up with them because it's fast. They're moving fast. They have to make their movements quick. Their mind syncs up with what their body's doing at the same time." Bowers started working with the Spartans program to obtain some funding and gear. The team allowed use their logo. Word got out, and the team began to grow. Charlotte Edelman says her son Brayden heard about it from a classmate and wanted to join up. She was concerned at first, but then she saw how her son took to the ice. "There aren't even words to explain how great it makes me feel as a parent," Edelman says. "He loves it. He's very dedicated." The team is now 10-strong, with players from 5 years old up through their late teens. And they're having a blast. "I love shooting pucks," Brayden says. Players are preparing for a tournament in Valencia, Calif., in January. Assistant coach Vladyslav Plakhotnyi, formerly of the Southern Oregon Spartans, says he has seen improvements in his athletes every practice — held anywhere from once a week to twice a month. "It's not that different. You have to give time to each kid. They all have their own style," Plakhotnyi says. "We're just trying to give our best to every kid." Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune Posted May. 21, 2015 at 4:56 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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