Larry Shanksleas looks forward to suiting up, lacing up his skates, and stepping onto the ice any chance he gets. "I just feel good on the ice every single day," said Shanksleas, an incoming ninth-grade student at Renaissance Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. Shaksleas is the goalie for the Baltimore Banners hockey team. He said before he got involved with the Banners in 2021, he had never played hockey before. “Two of the Banners' coaches came by to our house and told us about how they are getting people off the streets to play hockey and get them away from the bad stuff that’s happening to this world," Shanksleas said. "I got interested and entered this program, and that was the best thing that ever happened to me."Shaksleas is one of 50 young people on the Baltimore Banners. The program falls under The Tender Bridge, a mentorship nonprofit organization. The team provides free transportation, equipment, and ice time, as coaches teach children how to play hockey and give them a chance to compete. "It has given them an availability of something to do and an ability to see themselves succeed at something like hockey that is generally difficult, and we really hope that it just boosts their self-confidence, which will help ultimately push them to success off of the ice," said Matt Leone, the head coach of the Baltimore Banners.During their season, which starts in the fall, the team practices every weekend at the Mimi DiPietro Rink at Patterson Park with mentorship sessions year-round. In the summers, they have ice time at the Mount Pleasant Ice Arena while doing activities like hikes, mini golf, mountain biking, and sailing. Jayquan Washington is 22 years old now. He has become a leader over the years for the program that he says feels like home. "We are real family-oriented, so whatever you have going on or going through at home, we try to leave that," Washington said. "Kind of makes you feel a different way when you step in to the Banner community."It's through the Banners hockey community that Washington hopes more Baltimore kids get to try something new. "A lot of Black kids don’t even know the sport as it is," Washington said. "I just want to be a positive outlet that they can see ... if I don't want to be like him, I want to be better than him, or I want to be in a position where I can do what he’s doing someday, helping the young kids after me."Shaksleas said his life is better because he gets the chance to suit up, lace up his skates, step on the ice, and build community at the same time. "That makes me feel better inside knowing that I’m here with a great team that has great players that I can actually make friends with," Shaksleas said. For more information on the Baltimore Banners team, visit the following website.