Q and A with Tytus Haller with Founder and Executive Director of Binghamton Pond Fest. Tytus was a former STHA player that started playing hockey at age 10. 

Q: How many years did you play in the STHA?

I started when I was 10 and played with the STHA until high school.

Q: What were some of your favorite youth hockey moments?

I started going to hockey games at the Arena when I was extremely young back in the Whaler days and fell in love with the energy right from the start. I was especially hooked during the 1990 -1991 season when Tie Domi was playing for the Binghamton Rangers. He played 25 games that season and racked up 11 goals, 6 assists and 219 penalty minutes, the guy just was nuts. My first year playing hockey we won the Squirt championship and many of us on that team forged friendships that still exist today. I remember our team also spending most of that spring together watching the NY Rangers go on their run to win the 94 Stanley Cup Championship. 

Q: What made you want to start Binghamton Pond Fest?

I saw some different hockey events happening in other areas and believed that with our strong local hockey roots Binghamton should be home to a unique hockey experience that could provide memories for players of all skill levels. I ran the idea by my wife who told me to do it, and that's pretty much how it all started. Now there is a full team behind the event and Pond Fest has become a staple for the hockey community as it continues to grow. The entire group that helps produce Pond Fest loves being able to provide everyone with that unique experience, and the youth weekend is my favorite because we get to see the kids of today able to play outdoors the way many of us did when we were younger. As I get older, I just enjoy being part of the local group that keeps trying to pass the game on to the younger kids so they can discover their love for it as well.

Q: What advice would you give to young hockey players?

Enjoy the time you spend at the rink as a kid, hold onto the friendships you make at the rink (they will stay with you for life), and never forget the sheer joy you have just playing the game. The best friendships I still have to this day have come from the rinks. This game is one of the most frustrating, challenging, and humbling things you will do in your life. Not everyone can skate and handle a puck at the same time. You will fail and you will succeed, but the lessons that you learn from this sport about struggle and perseverance leading to success will stick with you through your life and apply to many of the challenges you will face in the future.

Q: What advice would you give to hockey parents?

Breathe, the experiences your kids get through this sport can be influenced so much by the energy you all bring to the rink with them. Hockey is one of the most individually challenging activities around and I believe it is the most team-oriented game you can play, and because of this it can also be the most satisfying sport to watch and sometimes the most frustrating. Kids for sure need that parental push but they also need that good energy around them at the rink sometimes to just encourage them to have fun while they play the sport they love.