RECAP: FIRST-EVER BLACK AMBITION NIGHT A HUGE SUCCESS

Wednesday, April 9th

Written By: Kabal Caldwell

DULUTH, Ga. - The Atlanta Gladiators celebrated the community-based holiday 404 Day on Friday night, with a contest against their division rivals, the Orlando Solar Bears. The Gladiators proudly celebrated 404 day in conjunction with Black Ambition Night, a first-ever theme night for the Gladiators.

The organization invited, and collaborated with many artists, entrepreneurs, and organizations to showcase the meaning of both 404 Day, which represents the area code of Atlanta and the innovating culture, and Black Ambition Night.

The Director of NHL Street, Tom Garavagilia, saw their involvement with the Gladiators as an opportunity to bring awareness to the game of hockey, but to also bring more attention to the Greater Atlanta community and their love for sports.

“I chose to be a part of Black Ambition Night because I wanted to bring more awareness to hockey and create more opportunities for young kids in the community," Tom Garavagilia said in a statement. "Sports are supposed to bring people together. I want to see everyone, no matter their shape or size, have access to hockey.”

As mentioned previously, Garavagilia leads NHL Street, which is a youth hockey league that was created and sponsored by the National Hockey League, to make hockey more accessible to American kids that may not have access to a hockey rink. Doing so, NHL Street allows communities to start their own leagues and play hockey in various locations such as, gyms, outdoor courts, and other areas.

Black Ambition Night also consisted of many vendors that sold various pieces of art and creative designs highlighting the significance of 404 day.

Lauren Poe, a vocational counselor for high school students, gave many young kids coloring book designs that displayed the mix of hockey and Atlanta culture.

Poe hoped to used her vendor to give her students and other kids a learning experience about a sport that they and herself may not be familiar with.

“I was very excited to hear that the [Gladiators] were bringing black culture to hockey," Lauren Poe said. "I know I haven’t really experience hockey growing up, so I really wanted to come here with my organization from an educational standpoint to give a unique experience for the students.”

Poe’s vendor was a huge hit amongst the young fans in attendance as Poe was surprised to see kids lining up to get pieces of her coloring graphs.

“I was honestly expecting only a few people stop by, but it ended up having a lot of attention to a point where some adults stop by to grab multiple designs for their other kids. I’m glad I got to be a part of something with a lot of energy.”

For some fans who were attending their first hockey game experienced a lot of energy as well when the puck dropped and the game unfolded into a frenzy of hard hits and fights in the season’s final matchup between the Gladiators and the Solar Bears.

A competition also took place in the stands, as Langston Hughes High School and South Gwinnett High School Marching Bands faced off in a captivating battle of the bands. The sounds of both bands added to the already intense environment gave the fans an experience they’ll remember.

The Gladiators would go onto win the contest against the Solar Bears on Black Ambition Night in a dominating fashion with the final score of 3-0.