New Boards, Same Foundation
For three decades, the Spencer Family YMCA has been the starting point of a story that begins with a wobbly first glide across the ice and, for many South Hills families, ends in a Panthers jersey.
That story is the partnership between the Spencer Family YMCA and the South Hills Amateur Hockey Association (SHAHA), a relationship that goes back to the very beginning of both the facility and the organization itself.
Long before it was the Spencer Family YMCA, the rink was known as Bethel Park Blade Runners. SHAHA has called that ice home since its founding in the mid-1990s and when the YMCA took over the facility, the partnership didn't just continue, it deepened.
"We've been with the YMCA since our inception and it's really been an evolution," said Rich West, President of SHAHA.
What makes the relationship work isn't just shared ice, it's a shared mission. The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh's core focus areas of Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility run through everything SHAHA does, on and off the ice.
"There's a great alignment between the Y and between SHAHA, that's really what makes us different," West said.
Jim Lybarger, the YMCA's Association Director of Youth Sports and Community Engagement, has seen that alignment firsthand. Promoted into the role after serving as the Spencer Family YMCA's manager, Lybarger now works to strengthen exactly this kind of partnership across the South Hills community.
“The relationship between SHAHA and the Y is very unique,” said Lybarger. "I was the manager of BladeRunners the first year SHAHA took the ice and I still have contact with several past board members over the decades. Our collective goal is to introduce kids to hockey and create lifelong memories and a love for the sport. The volunteer board members at SHAHA may change but the philosophy does not. I’m very happy to be a part of this partnership.”
For most Panthers, the journey starts before they ever put on a SHAHA jersey. It starts in the YMCA's Learn to Skate program, where kids as young as 3 to 5 years old take their first strides, learning balance, forward and backward skating, stopping and the confidence to keep going.
From there, many move into Little Penguins Learn to Play, a collaboration between SHAHA, the Pittsburgh Penguins and USA Hockey that introduces hockey to kids ages 4 to 8, full gear included. It's often a family's real first exposure to the game and to the community that comes with it.
That pipeline matters. Hockey carries real barriers to entry, from equipment costs to the simple challenge of learning to skate. Programs like these are what make the sport accessible to families who might not otherwise get the chance and they're what allow hockey to do what it does best: teach fundamentals, teamwork and life lessons while connecting kids across different communities and backgrounds.
This summer, that shared investment took a visible new form. The rink's original boards and glass have been completely replaced.
"I would like to give the Y staff a huge round of applause for the time and effort they put in tearing down the old boards. They were on time, on budget, and really did a great job with it," West said.
The new boards and glass follow a wireless-capable sound system installed earlier this year, complete with announcing capability, an upgrade SHAHA helped fund. Additional improvements to the shower areas and a full replacement of the building's walking rubber flooring round out the renovation, with a potential roof project on the horizon.
The impact goes beyond aesthetics.
"It really gives us almost a fresh start 30 years later. It makes it feel like a new building in a lot of ways," West said.
The timing couldn't be better. SHAHA launches this season on August 1st, with 31 teams taking the ice for a season that runs through March 31st. Players range from four-year-olds just starting out to 19-year-olds competing at the midget major level.
The organization is also seeing a wave of new participants coming over from other programs, along with continued growth in its all-girls program. Currently, girls can play on co-ed teams or choose an all-girls team.
Through all of it, the renovations, the growth, the new teams, SHAHA's identity hasn't changed. As a kid-driven organization, SHAHA has always prioritized family experience and fun with a philosophy that puts development before achievement.
That's a value system the Spencer Family YMCA shares completely and it's why this partnership still feels like it's just getting started.
“The recent upgrades to the rink will only solidify the partnership with SHAHA for many years to come,” said Lybarger.
As a 501(c)(3) organization, SHAHA welcomes the opportunity to work with anyone interested in supporting youth sport development in the South Hills, whether that means a donation to the YMCA or directly to SHAHA. It's one more way the two organizations' missions overlap, both exist to open doors for kids and families, and both rely on community support.
To learn more about SHAHA, visit their website.
To learn more about hockey programs (and all programs) at Spencer Family YMCA and other branches, visit the website.