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Bethel Park teen makes national blind hockey team

By Eleanor Bailey almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.Net 6 min read
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Photos: Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Brock Kitterman controls the puck during a practice session for the Pittsburgh Rhinos. A Bethel Park senior, Kitterman recently was named to the U.S. National Blind Hockey Team.

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By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Brock Kitterman maneuvers down the ice with the puck during a practice session for the Pittsburgh Rhinos. A Bethel Park senior, Kitterman recently was named to the U.S. National Blind Hockey Team.

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Brock Kitterman chats with his teammates during a break in the action.

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Brock Kitterman

No matter how big his dreams are, Brock Kitterman of Bethel Park is never disappointed with the results.

“There is no reason not to shoot for the moon,” he said. “Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.”

Most recently, Kitterman landed a spot on the U.S. National Blind Hockey Team and competed in his first tournament as Team USA battled Team Canada in the Blind Hockey Classic in St. Louis. His schedule will also include a hometown appearance in the Disabled Hockey Festival scheduled for April in Pittsburgh.

“This is something that I have worked hard for for so long and now that I am here it’s surreal,” he said.

Kitterman becoming an elite athlete, let alone one of the country’s premier hockey players, seemed unrealistic especially since he was diagnosed with Bilateral Retinoblastoma at 12 weeks old. The chemotherapy used to treat the cancer damaged his hearing and left Kitterman deaf as well as blind.

In fact, Kitterman was “very unlucky” because the disease uncharacteristically attacked both eyes. Colors are perceived as a blur and shapes are ill-defined. He is aware of objects, but only within a five-foot radius.

“Primarily, it’s acuity. The best way to describe it is that I see all that you do but it is very, very blurry,” said Kitterman.

He does wear glasses full time, “but strictly for protection,” he says. Kitterman then jokes, “I’m not good at catching things.”

Hence, he is not a goalie. But then the netminders on the blind team must be totally visually impaired. Those with 10% or less vision are the forwards while those with 5% or less eye sight are the defenders.

Kitterman is a playmaker, not a goal scorer. As a left wing, some of his primary responsibilities are to give direction and to shout out where the puck is on the ice to assist his teammates.

While blind hockey appears much like the regular game, there are differences such as shorter nets and larger pucks. The discs are 5.5-inches in diameter and filled with steel ball bearings that make noise so players can track its path using their sense of hearing.

Locally, Kitterman plays for the Pittsburgh Rhinos. The blind hockey club was organized in 2016.

Making the national team, however, was a process, that included among other things an invitation to a tryout camp held in Minnesota in June as well as a training camp held this past August in New York.

Kitterman had attended the invitational in the past so that experience exposed him to the nature of the competition.

“It allowed me to understand what international play is like. I was able to experience the game at a higher level that I hadn’t before. I learned how intense the sport was,” he said. “The game was a lot faster, the hits harder, the puck moved faster. It opened my eyes,” he said.

Kitterman opened the eyes of the scouts during a grueling training camp that included conferences, discussions and long hours of practice. “There was little down time and none of us could move,” Kitterman said of the intensity of the workouts.

“It was 10 time more rigorous and I was very nervous and uptight,” he added. “I literally worked through the nerves. I told myself that not only are you capable but you will be playing for USA. I powered through, gave it my best shot and then waited.”

On Sept. 2 at exactly 2:47 p.m. while riding the bus home from school, Kitterman received an alert on his cellphone. He had an important message.

“I check my email religiously so my initial reaction was extreme restraint,” he said when he read the news. “Once I got inside my house, there was a lot of shouting and jubilation.”

The family, including Kitterman’s two Great Danes, as well as a few friends and neighbors celebrated with steaks on the grill.

“I have a sweet spot for steak,” Kitterman said.

In addition to hockey, Kitterman has a sweet spot for triathlons. He has completed in 84 events that feature swimming, cycling and running.

Kitterman also aspires to compete in the Paralympics some day. In 2019, he earned para-triathlete All-America status, and last summer defended his title as the USA Youth National Para Triathlon Championships.

“It’s hard to pick and choose between hockey and triathlon,” Kitterman said. “They are very different sports but they talk very well together.

“Running increases skating speed. Biking helps with endurance and recovery. Swimming’s main action is pulling with the arms and power so it increases shooting with the puck.

“Hockey combines all three in a single but tougher motion. Hockey helps with balance and coordination,” he continued. “There are a lot of merits to both but I would have to say at this point hockey has been more satisfying. In general, I definitely prefer it. It’s great community and fun.”

Kitterman sees his recent achievement as a stepping stone to making the Paralympic Blind Hockey Team. Currently there are six teams but eight are needed to be a recognized sport in the Games, which are scheduled for 2026 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy.

By then, Kitterman will be at another crossroads.

He is currently considering his college options. He recently visited the Alabama and Tennessee as well as Miami of Ohio. Kitterman, who has a 4.4 GPA, plans to major in computer science/software engineering and minor in computer engineering.

“It’s nice that Alabama and Tennessee have good sports teams but that’s not factoring into my decision. I want a good education,” he said.

He added that his disabilities do not handicap him.

“I like to think they don’t impede my learning,” he said. “I just look at things differently than most people. I adapt,” he added. “The biggest thing that I have learned is that you can do anything that you put your mind to it. I really strive to make the most of what I have and be the best I can be.

“I’m planning on doing what I want to do, which is I would like to be a programmer, but I hope to continue doing my activities. I won’t give up sports for the world.”

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