Robyn Slaton is the ultimate hockey mom.
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She's lost track of all the hours she's spent taking her son Drew to games and practices at the Augusta Ice Sports Center since the rink opened in January 1999.
But these days, the Martinez woman is more than just a hockey mom. These days, she is truly in the game.
Slaton is one of about 20 women in the ice rink's Chicks with Sticks program.
The program was started during the summer by Betsy Olive and Carson McGovern, who previously played in the ice center's men's leagues.
After several months of skating lessons and weekly practices, the Chicks with Sticks played their first game Tuesday against a team of 8- to 10-year-old boys.
The Chicks lost 14-1, but the score didn't matter.
"It was very one-sided, and when we got out there, the kids were harassing us real bad," Slaton said with a laugh. "But we had a real good time. And that's what it's all about."
If Slaton is the model hockey mom, Drew qualifies as the ultimate rink rat.
Now 12, Drew is one of the top players in Augusta. Last year, he was invited to play for a South Carolina-based all-star team that traveled the country playing in tournaments.
Because hockey has long been an important part of the Slatons' lives, Drew thinks it's great to see his mom giving it a go herself.
"It was pretty funny watching, but I think it's great that my mom is playing hockey," Drew said. "They're always telling us what to do out there when we're playing. Now, the kids finally got a chance to show the moms what it's really like."
Robyn said she has a new respect for hockey players.
"I look at hockey from a whole new angle now," she said. "It's much harder than it looks."
At the same time, she said, any woman can cut it.
"It doesn't matter if you can skate or if you know nothing about hockey at all," Slaton said. "All you need is the desire to try it. And as long as you have the equipment, it's a very safe sport."
The Chicks with Sticks program features women of all ages and ability.
Longtime Augusta hockey volunteer Dan Lindbom, who owns a Harlem car dealership, coaches the Chicks, running practices every Tuesday night.
Alice Crerar, the wife of Ice Sports Center co-owner and longtime USA Hockey official John Crerar, is the program's senior member at 73.
"I started out doing it for the exercise, but now I'm addicted," said Slaton, who also has a 3-year-old son, Tucker, wheeling around on skates. 'It's great to have something to do for myself without the kids."
For more information on Chicks with Sticks, call the Ice Sports Center at (706) 863-0061.
SCOTT TAKES SECOND: Local pro bodybuilder Isaac Scott placed second out of 10 competitors in the pro heavyweight division at the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation Mr. International championships on Friday in Kansas City, Kan.
The 38-year-old Augustan cashed a $500 prize check, and is gearing up for the WNBF World Championships in New York.
WNBF chairman Steve Downs said Scott is a rising star in the sport.
"The last few years, he's really done his homework to try and bring his legs up a bit to match his upper body," Downs said by phone from his New York office. "He looked real good (Friday). He's balanced, has good muscle size and is really cut."
Reach Rob Mueller at at (706) 823-3425.
