Orson represent England at AAA tournaments

Orson Groot plays as a goalie for Whitley Bay Junior Ice Hockey Club.

He is one of the highest level junior Ice Hockey goalies in the country.

Over the last 3 years he has consistently represented the north of England at inter regional competitions.

Based on his performance there and further trials, he has represented England for the last 2 years, playing in Bratislava last year and the Czech Republic this year.

He is part of the GB goalie development program, for the highest level performers from across Great Britain. As part of this he attends virtual, cognitive sessions and off ice conditioning programs which help address the lack of access to training facilities in the North of England.

He was also the youngest goalie to trial for the 2024 Youth Olympics in Korea, making it to the final round of cuts.

Last Summer he played for British Elite at CCM AAA tournaments in Riga and Prague, ranking highly at both, this is the highest level of junior hockey you can play and attendance is by invitation only, based on performance at a national level.

Based on their performance the team was asked to be part of an invite only tournament in Chicago, the highest level tournament a British youth team has ever been asked to be part of, according to the team coaches. They made the semi finals, beating incredible competition from state and all star youth teams from across the US.

Most recently the Sport Newcastle Awards Committee chose Orson as one of the top 10 young athletes in the region to receive a Rising Stars award at their Annual Awards Dinner held at Newcastle Civic Centre.

This was presented to Orson by patron Jonathan Edwards CBE and Lord Mayor of Newcastle Councillor Veronica Dunn.

Previous prize winners include Matthew Longstaff, Paul Gascoigne and Jonny Wilkinson.

Along with the usual costs for equipment, ice time and club subscriptions, as the most Northern based ice hockey club in England most elite level training and competitions involve extensive travel to Cambridge, Cardiff, Bracknell and beyond.

The associated costs of travel and accommodation to make attendance at these events possible and allow him to continue to compete at the highest level are high.

Orson has 3 younger siblings, 2 of whom are already starting to blaze their own sporting trail with 2 in the English National Team Pathway for ice hockey.

Any support in meeting these costs and helping pursue sporting dreams would be hugely appreciated.

Many thanks for reading Orson’s story.