David Clarke is having a good year so far, the professional ice hockey player helped the Nottingham Panthers win two of three trophies in the 2010-11 season, and he added an international silver medal immediately after those for his part in Team GB’s ice hockey successes. With a typical generosity of spirit and community mindedness, David did not take the rest of the summer off; being eager to share his knowledge, experience, and talent with the next generation of British hockey players before the start of the Elite League season Clarkey ran his celebrated hockey school and topped it off with his brand new Pro-Clinic!
Nottingham Panthers fan favourite and top goal scorer David Clarke, along with top ice hockey experts, provided specialist tuition to the best UK talent who are seeking to embark on a professional hockey career. With years of experience playing ice hockey in the top domestic tier of the sport, and delivering effective training to promising youngsters, David Clarke started a new annual initiative to refine the talents and athletic prowess of Great Britain’s national squad in waiting, the teenagers who are committing themselves to a future in the sport. David told the website: “My career has featured some great achievements and experiences that have come to define me as a person. Hockey has helped me grow as an individual and taught me so much about myself and about life. Whilst the best years of my playing career are still in front of me I have to admit that coaching these great youngsters really makes a huge difference to my professional experience.”
Ice hockey is an exciting, fast paced and physical sport, which champions both competitiveness and strong moral values, and this was a key feature in the training that David and the team cultivated in the youngsters, who demonstrated a responsibility which contradicts the widely held view of teenagers behaving without restraint or consideration of others. The coaching team featured some of the best professional hockey players in the top tier of the British league helping hone the talent of the future.
Sean Elliott-Maher (FM Sudafix Group Strategy & Communications Director) visited the Pro-Clinic for a day and was impressed with what he saw: “you simply cannot believe the quality of these young people. I watched those guys fight through physical exhaustion and mental fatigue and still soak it up and wait for more. They are a credit to their families, the Pro-Clinic and to the country. I often hear people talking about teenagers as if they are from another planet, but I could probably count on one hand the amount of people I know who could attentively take in some profound life and personal conduct seminars straight after massive athletic demands, only to then warm up and lace up their skates for more. I knew that we were backing something important for the sport, and something that would be a quality product, after all Clarkey is running it, but what I hadn’t fully appreciated was what it meant to the guys taking part. The coaches love what they do, and the difference they make to these guys lives is difficult to overstate. If you look at what it means to the young athletes then you see something far more sobering, this Pro-Clinic is changing their lives. I talked to one of the boys who described it saying that ‘this has been the best week of my life,’ and he didn’t say it flippantly, he said it with absolute sincerity; this is a defining time for them all and it’s humbling to witness.”
“The Curry Lounge, the fantastic restaurant in Nottingham, also backed the scheme and that speaks volumes. Raz has always used his influence to support worthy causes and his work with the Marines is a great example of this. By sponsoring the hockey school and Pro-Clinic Raz has demonstrated his commitment to championing sports development for the kids of Nottingham, the wider region and the country.” The FM Sudafix webteam managed to catch up with Raz who commented: “It is so important to support future hockey stars, whilst underlining the important contribution that David Clarke and his fellow Nottingham Panthers teammates make to the country. You look at the Nottingham Panthers and the Clarke & Co. hockey school and Pro-Clinic and you realise how much of a difference these guys make, and how much they mean to people. I have always done everything I can to be an effective ambassador of local sport and I am happy to help where I can; these kids deserve a break and I can’t wait to see what they are going to achieve in the future.”
The hockey school and Pro-Clinic took place in David Clarke’s home rink of Peterborough but featured talent from all over the country, including a strong representation of athletic delegates from David Clarke’s surrogate home town of Nottingham. All attendees were selected through personal achievement and deservedness of the great opportunity and FM Sudafix, The Curry Lounge, the Nottingham Panthers, and importantly all of the contributing coaches look forward to watching these players go on to succeed.
But David’s commitment to the development of young talent does not end with ice hockey. Upon hearing about some of the up and coming talent at FM Sudafix David Clarke decided to make a trip to come and see what was happening in the Eastwood branch of FM Sudafix. FM Sudafix Group General Manager, Calum Heath, introduced David to Junior Engineer Nathan Summers and explained about the opportunities the company was providing. Nathan was all smiles after spending some time with the Nottingham Panthers top goal scorer and said to the web team: “It was great of David to take the time to visit me. He was really encouraging and reminded me to keep working hard. As a junior member of staff it felt really good to be recognised by someone like David and to be honest I felt inspired to keep improving.” Calum Heath made a point of thanking David for his support of FM Sudafix’s initiatives; “David’s a great guy and we have shared quite a bit of banter since the first time we met so I was really pleased when I saw his face pop round the door. He’s got such a great personality and an incredible ability to lift young people and help direct them towards great things. I was proud of Nathan too; he’s a young chap working in a tough industry that really tests your character from day one, but for him to come face to face with his favourite hockey player, one of his genuine heroes, and to carry himself with dignity and professionalism was a joy to see.”
