More people every year are strapping on their blades to play hockey, especially kids. Pee Wee Leagues are a favorite winter pastime for young people who are tired of being stuck indoors. It’s a fun way for them to blow off steam, improve balance, learn sportsmanship, and practice good teamwork. Many of them stay with the sport all the way through high school or even college. Organized sports are fun for parents, too, especially those of us who used to play ourselves. What’s better than the glow of pride on your child’s face when he finally masters the hockey stop?
Of course, there is one huge downside to youth hockey leagues: the price. Kids need an astounding amount of gear to play. There’s skates, or course, but that’s just the tip of the equipment iceberg. By the time you have the clothing and protective items he needs you’ll be hauling a duffel bag bigger than him to every game. Maybe the next year his sister wants to join, too, and the pile of gear doubles. Once you buy everything, you have to somehow get all of it plus yourselves and the kids to practices and games. Suddenly you can’t just throw a bag in the back of your Colorado and go. You need more seats, more space, more flexibility… you just need more.
Luckily, Michigan Heidebreicht is here to help. For hockey parents- for parents of all kinds of athletes- we recommend the 2016 Chevy Traverse. There aren’t many problems you’ll face during the hockey season that the Traverse can’t help with. Stuck driving the carpool? This crossover SUV boasts enough room for eight passengers and still has over twenty-four cubic feet of storage space behind the third row. With the right seat configuration you can expand that to 116 cubic feet. It’s a truly astonishing amount of room. You can fit parents, kids, and a visiting grandparent or two without anyone feeling crowded or squeezing in around a duffel bag.
Are the kids feeling a little stiff after a rough game? Don’t worry about them having to wedge themselves into that third row of seating. The Traverse is equipped with an innovative Smart Slide system, letting you shift the seats forward and back at the touch of a button. No one has to climb over anyone else. In the LTZ models the second row bench is replaced with luxurious captain’s chair seats for even more ease of loading.
Is that away game three hours away? Head off boredom at the pass. The Traverse gives you a variety of options for entertainment. Full radio including satellite comes standard, as does a 4G LTE Wi-Fi connectivity suite (though you’ll have to choose an OnStar plan if you want to use it past the introductory period). You can have up to seven separate devices linked to the Wi-Fi without appreciably slowing the connection. Don’t worry about running down batteries; the Traverse has charge ports in the front and rear areas of the cabin. That’s going to stop a lot of road trip arguments before they start.
With the Traverse you can rest easy knowing you’ve done everything possible to protect your family on the road. Outfit your SUV with advanced driver aids like blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warnings, and collision alerts. The Traverse also includes an industry-first Front-Center Air bag to cover the gaps left in more traditional air bag configurations.
This really is a stellar family vehicle. Come on in to our Macomb County showroom and see for yourself why this spacious vehicle is just right for your family.
