Any parent knows that having one boy requires a lot of energy. Having two boys requires twice the amount of stamina. Let’s meet two brothers: Brooks Handler, nine years old, and his brother Wyatt, who is seven. Both boys attend Harwich Elementary School.  Brooks is in 4th grade, and Wyatt is in 2nd grade. These brothers have the athletic gene. Both play baseball, golf, and hockey. However, when asked what their favorite sport is, hockey wins hands down. The hockey gene may come from their mother, Sara, who was a high-level figure skater. She taught them to skate, and they loved it. Then there is Dad. Dad travels in hockey circles. Many of Dad’s friends play hockey and coach hockey. Is it any surprise that Brooks and Wyatt learned that skating was fun from their mom and hockey was exciting from their dad? The two brothers started playing hockey in December of 2023. 

Brooks plays on two hockey teams, the YD Blues, where he is a forward, and the Northeast Generals, where he is a Defenseman. His favorite position is forward, but he is happy being on the ice and playing. Wyatt plays for two teams as well. The YD Blues and the Seahawks. He is a forward for both. When asked, Brooks said what he most enjoys about hockey is his teammates, scoring goals, the early car rides with Dad, playing in tournaments, and learning the sport. When asked, Wyatt said what he most enjoys about hockey is winning, being part of a team, his coaches, and scoring goals. Is there a theme here?  Brooks’ proudest moment was when he scored the game-winning goal to help his YD Blues beat a very good team for the first win of the season. Brooks thanks his mom and Tom Poti for helping him become a better player. Wyatt’s proudest moment was scoring the game-winning goal in the championship game of a recent tournament playing with the Seahawks. Wyatt thanks his mom for teaching him how to skate and coaches Tom Poti and Ryan Lannon for teaching him how to play. 

All young boys need their heroes. Heroes help us achieve our goals. Brooks admires Connor McDavid in the NHL because he is the fastest player he has ever seen. Brooks’ goal is to be like Connor. Let’s get specific. Brooks would like to score more for his team to help them win and develop into a better player, and maybe make the Seahawks team next year. Wyatt admires Alex Ovechkin because he is strong and fast. Wyatt tries to play the game like Ovechkin. Wyatt would like to be a team captain on one of his teams. He wants to get better so he can help his teams to win.

There is more to these two young aspiring athletes than hockey. Brooks loves to build and create things.  He loves to read books about hockey (Surprise!) and Spiderman.  He also loves to spend time with his family in outdoor activities. While Wyatt loves to watch Nauset hockey, he also loves to travel with his family and experience new things.  He loves to help people and share his talents with them.

Brooks and Wyatt Handler are blessed with an active and enriching life, and most importantly, their supportive parents. Their dedication to the things they love, particularly hockey, teaches them all the values that make society function well: discipline, goals, and teamwork, a love for the outdoors, and the intellectual curiosity that inspires us to do great things. These are the values that make our Harwich Port community thrive.