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Subject: Women-in-Hockey Digest V1 #180
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Women-in-Hockey Digest Tuesday, April 7 1998 Volume 01 : Number 180
In this issue:
Hockey in Crisis in Canada article.
RE: Hockey in Crisis in Canada article.
Games and practices?
Re: Hockey in Crisis in Canada article. (long!)
Women's Olympic Team Souvenirs at Brampton Tourney
Re: Games and practices?
Date set for Nationals?
HOCKEY SCHOOLS
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Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 16:31:01 -0700
From: Chuq Von Rospach
Subject: Hockey in Crisis in Canada article.
If you're involved in hockey, you ought to take a look at this.
Comments?
- --
Chuq Von Rospach (Hockey fan? )
Apple Mail List Gnome (mailto:email@hidden)
Plaidworks Consulting (mailto:email@hidden)
+
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Date: Mon, 6 Apr 98 16:56:00 -0700
From: "HARRIS, zharris"
Subject: RE: Hockey in Crisis in Canada article.
CR> If you're involved in hockey, you ought to take a look at this.
CR>
CR> Comments?
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!
It is about time someone said it... and so well put!... and this is for
everyone ... not just the Canadians.
Zoe
email@hidden
Seattle, WA
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Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1998 21:36:08 -0400
From: Louise
Subject: Games and practices?
A more specific question or two occurred to me while I was writing a rather
encyclopedic response to the William Houston article that Chuq mentioned.
Those of you who are parents, organizers, or players of girls' (age-group)
teams, can you count how many games and how many practices you've had this
season? (And do you know how that compares to the recommendations for
your age group made by USA Hockey or the CHA? I know that the USA Hockey
recommendations are given in the Annual Handbook, but I don't have one
available, and I don't know what the CHA recommendations are. Dave?) Do
you think the mix is about right? Do you think the number of games and
length of your season are about right? What would you change?
Louise
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Date: Mon, 06 Apr 1998 21:36:04 -0400
From: Louise
Subject: Re: Hockey in Crisis in Canada article. (long!)
At 04:31 PM 4/6/98 -0700, Chuq Von Rospach wrote:
>
>If you're involved in hockey, you ought to take a look at this.
>
I see that Chuq posted this to several of the lists he manages. I've
responded only to the list on which I participate, the women-in-hockey
list, because it addresses issues about which I care passionately as an
organizer and advocate of recreational hockey for women and girls.
However, my comments are based in part on my observations of male minor
hockey.
This article is part 2 of a twelve-part series by William Houston (Globe
writer/columnist.) You can find the first part (which ran Saturday) by
using the Globe's search engine. The series is supposed to run daily for
two weeks.
Do you know what bothers me about these articles? To me, it is kind of
illogical and sad to criticise children's sport programs for being too
focused on games, winning, and scores, by attempting to demonstrate that
children's sport programs which are less focused on winning, will be more
likely to produce winners in the longer term (i.e. world champions and
better professional players.) For me, the more important goals of
children's hockey programs are for *all* the kids to have fun, and to grow,
and to learn. I would be more likely to term a certain association's
programs a success, if I heard that almost all of the 10-year-olds in this
association want to play again next year, even the weakest players, or if I
heard that people who grew up in this program are more likely to enjoy
playing some sport as adults, than if I heard that graduates of this
program include three Olympic medalists, twenty people who were offered
hockey scholarships, and two provincial-champion Midget teams. I wonder
whether William Houston is choosing arguments that he thinks will be more
convincing to hockey *fans*, as a way of promoting changes that he thinks
will be beneficial to more children.
If that is the case, it is not a new strategy. Remember Howie Meeker?
My copy of _Howie Meeker's Hockey Basics_ is copyright 1973 (I got it for
Christmas that year, along with *brand-new* hockey gloves, hockey pants,
and a stick My first hockey practice was on 26 December 1973.) Mr. Meeker
appeared pretty radical when he became a national figure in the early 70's,
speaking out for his vision of well-organized, inclusive, fun hockey
teaching for children. For Mr. Meeker in the early 70's, unfortunately,
inclusive didn't mean girls or adult beginners . But he spoke and wrote
about hockey systems (real and imagined) where any boy who wanted to play
would be taught effectively and would have fun, regardless of his skill
level. He wrote about equipment safety and well-fitting skates when these
were news to many people. He even wrote "I'm against using ice time for
six to eight-year-olds and even for excellent teen-aged hockey players, at
the expense of teenage recreational hockey." That seems almost as radical
today as it was in 1973.
Anyway, in the time immediately after the Canadian team had just barely won
the first ever best-on-best competition in men's hockey between Canadians
and Soviets, Mr. Meeker was hailed as some kind of a prophet by Canadian
hockey organizers and fans. The preface to his 1973 book addresses the
need changes in very similar terms to William Houston's first two articles.
"We have no choice now but to turn back to the fundamentals of the game.
After we do, there will be thousands of kids lined up for their crack at a
trip to Moscow." In the Canadian boys' hockey programs to which I was
exposed as a sister of three players, many of the changes he advocated were
made. Many of his ideas (teaching skating skills, and the importance of
fitting skates properly, for example) have now filtered down to a second
generation of young players, both male and female.
But I'm now wondering whether it isn't as simple as saying that the changes
that would develop a few elite players more reliably, would automatically
make hockey more fun for all kids. Sometimes it would be: good hockey
practices (for both children and adults) should be both fun and
educational. But sometimes, maybe these goals are in conflict.
Discussions about the number of games and practices which are appropriate
for players of a certain age often concentrate on the superior learning
environment and participation that is possible in a practice, and on the
harmful messages that may be delivered when children play in a game (that
your parents and coaches measure your worth by the scoreboard might be one,
say, or that it's good to commit infractions of the rules and not get
caught.). Suggestions that "the kids want to play games" are pooh-poohed
by idealists as evidence that the kids have been unwholesomely influenced
by overly-competitive parents and coaches. My experience organizing a
program for adult women beginners (mostly 18-25) indicated that they
enjoyed being taught how to develop hockey skills, and that they also
wanted to have the fun of competing in low-pressure, well-officiated game
situations against players of similar skills. Criticism of an
inappropriate program for children should not be limited to the *number* of
games they play, but to what happens in those games as well. In a program
that is intended to be healthy for young child participants, the game
environment should include: fair ice time, modeling of courtesy and
respect by all coaches, officials, and observers, very little emphasis on
scores and standings, and teams which are so well balanced (adjusted as
frequently as necessary) that no kid arrives at the rink expecting "to
lose, again".
Oh, dear. I've probably gone on much too long, and I promise to restrain
myself next time.
Louise
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Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 22:25:28 -0400
From: Karin Lofstrom
Subject: Women's Olympic Team Souvenirs at Brampton Tourney
For any of you who may be playing in the Brampton Tournament this coming
weekend be sure to stop the Fletcher Arena (the tournament headquarters)
where KL Sports will have their Women's Olympic Team boutique as part of the
Young Ones merchandise sales.
All the tournament rinks will have a supply of the Canadian Hockey
Association pewter pins - goalie mask, goalie pads & skate zipper pulls.
The Fletcher Arena will have Olympic Team posters and photos as well as
individual player photos in their Olympic Uniforms. Also you will be able
to buy Women's Hockey card sets, Women's National Team Hats and Property of
the Women's National Team pucks.
On Friday afternoon, Fletcher Arena will hold the Tournament Opening
Ceremonies where I have heard that Cassie Campbell and other members of the
Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey Team may be attending. Come get your 8" x
10" photos of Cassie and others and track the players down for an autograph.
The 8 x 10 photos are only $5.00 and the Team photo is $6.00.
Check out the Brampton tournament souvenirs including hats and t-shirts at
the various arenas.
Good Luck to all players and teams participating. Subscribers of the list
come and introduce yourself to me at the Fletcher Arena merchandise sales area.
If any of the US Teams or out-of-town teams travelling to this tournament
would like any of the other KL Sports merchandise brought to the event to
buy please let me know in advance and I can bring it along. We have the
Cassie Campbell cereal boxes and Vicky Sunohara Fruit String Thing boxes
available as well as some Bauer Women's Hockey hats and t-shirts which we
will not be selling at the merchandise tables inside. Just check-out our
website at www.trytel.com/~klsport
Karin Lofstrom
KL Sports
"sport source for women"
2746 Farriers Lane
Gloucester, Ontario
Canada K1T 1X8
fax: (613)739-3316
email: email@hidden
website: www.trytel.com/~klsport
Karin Lofstrom
KL Sports
"sport source for women"
2746 Farriers Lane
Gloucester, Ontario
Canada K1T 1X8
fax: (613)739-3316
email: email@hidden
web: www.trytel.com/~klsport
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Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1998 09:28:27 +0000
From: email@hidden (DAVE BAKER)
Subject: Re: Games and practices?
> ... and I don't know what the CHA recommendations are. Dave?
The CHA recommendations regarding practice to game ratios is 2
practices for every one game played.
Dave
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Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 10:53:16 -0700
From: Liz Johnson
Subject: Date set for Nationals?
Looking for the dates for the Nationals for next year in Toronto. Does
anyone know if they are set yet? Didn't see anything on the CHA web site.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Liz
#6
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Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 21:03:17 +0000
From: Kelly Connelly
Subject: HOCKEY SCHOOLS
Reminder to the List!!
Looking for Summer Hockey Schools for Girls & Women to run in our May/June
issue of HIPCHECK Magazine. Please email your school, dates for camps,
location, cost (if avail) & phone number.
Thanks
Kelly Connelly
Managing Editor
HIPCHEK
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End of Women-in-Hockey Digest V1 #180
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