FINAL WILD 1 TEAM TRYOUTS

The final tryouts for the 2010-2011 Wild 1 team will be held at Kent Valley Ice Arena.  All those interested in trying out in these final sessions for the Wild 1 team and/or are selected to play for the Wild 2 team are invited. 

All forms and registration fees must be paid and turned in before getting on the ice.

Saturday August 28th at Kent Valley:

• Off-ice Session:   2:30pm - 3:30pm
• On-ice Session:    4:00pm - 5:30pm

Sunday August 29th at Kent Valley:

• Off-ice Session:  10:15am - 11:15am
• On-ice Session:  11:50am - 2:30pm

ALL WWFHA TEAM PRACTICES START 9/14/2010

All WWFHA team practices start September 14th!

Times and locations to be announced shortly.

Get ready to play and have some fun!

PHOENIX TO PLAY IN PORT ALBERNI SHOWCASE GAME

The WWFHA Phoenix has been invited to play in Port Alberni, BC at the 2010 Female Hockey Festival on September 18th and 19th.  The Festival is designed as a one day celebration of the development of Female Hockey.

The Phoenix will travel to Vancouver on the 18th and take the ferry to Vancouver Island in the afternoon.  They will play a non-conference game on Saturday night against the Port Alberni girls Peewee/Bantam team. 

 On Sunday, the day will begin with a pancake breakfast at the Port Alberni SportsPlex.  The team will then participate in several lectures/demonstrations on hockey skill development.  Before the Showcase game, the Phoenix will be able to meet with Gina Kingsbury of the Canadian 2010 Olympic Gold Medal team.

There also will be a comprehensive schedule of off-ice presentations and exhibits for everyone to experience. A few of the opportunities being offered are: hockey equipment selection considerations, post secondary educational opportunities for female players, hockey coaching and officiating opportunities for females, and information sessions for parents of female players.

For more information visit www.femalehockeyfestival.ca

WWFHA TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GIRL SCOUTS’ GIRLSFEST EVENT

WWFHA will join the other local youth hockey associations to promote girls hockey during the 2010 Girls Scouts of Western Washington’s GirlsFest event at the Quest Field Event Center on Saturday, August 28th, from 10am – 5pm.

Over 10,000 girls from the Pacific NW will attend the annual event that celebrates ‘everything cool about being a girl!’ WWFHA will work with other the associations to promote girls hockey by handing out free public skating passes, promoting free Learn to Skate and Play Hockey events, providing information about each association, giving girls a chance to try shooting a puck in the T-Birds puck shoot cage, showing girls ice hockey videos, and more!  WWFHA will also promote the USA Hockey program specifically designed for Girl Scouts called, ‘Put the Biscuit in the Net’ where troop members learn to skate and play hockey.

You don’t have to be a Girl Scout to attend GirlsFest and the event will have activities from rock climbing and sports to careers and science. Girls and their families will participate in hundreds of hands-on activities, try new things, learn about resources and opportunities in our community, and will see Disney recording artists Josh Golden and Savannah Outen in concert. There will be hundreds of exhibits with information and opportunities to fit every girl's interests.

If you would like to volunteer at WWFHA’s booth please contact zoeharris@yahoo.com, or if you want to attend the event, more information can be found at http://www.girlscoutsww.org/GirlFest

Ticket to the event are $20 and can be purchased at the Quest Field box office; however, parking discounts can still be found on the GirlsFest's website.

MONTHLY HOCKEY TIP: Soft hands

Every player wants to have ‘soft’ hands and be able to stick handle with ease around their opponents. One way to improve stick handling skills is by practicing off-ice. This is just as important as any other aspect of your hockey training. Practicing your stick handling several times per week should be a part of your weekly hockey regime, with dedicated time set aside much like on-ice practices, games, away-from team conditioning, and cross-training.

 USA Hockey provides a 20-part video series online devoted to off-ice stick handling drills that the National Team Development Program (NTDP) uses to keep the skills of players progressing when they aren't on the ice. To view the drills visit: http://www.usahockey.com/Template_Usahockey.aspx?NAV=CO&id=19434

Each drill in the video series, narrated by NTDP assistant coach Ken Martel, builds on the one prior and takes less than 20 seconds to watch and understand.  The player should start with the first video called ‘Soft Touch’ and master the techniques taught in order to establish a foundation for all the rest of the drills. It is imperative that players keep their head up (not mentioned in the first video), use a soft touch using their hands and wrist with little or no arm movement to cup the ball both on the forehand and backhand. It may take some time but once the techniques are mastered the athlete can move on to the next video and progress through all the videos until the final video called the "Balance Board.” This exercise requires a pair of 2 x 4s, one stacked perpendicularly on the other while the player balances, while stick handling on top of the crossed boards.

The player should learn the basics of each video segment and then increase the speed at which it is performed. In the end the player will have a weekly off-ice stick handling practice that will improve stick handling quickness, agility and coordination.

Work hard and have fun!

COLLEGIATE HOCKEY PREPARATION ZONE

There are many common misconceptions about playing NCAA Women’s Varsity Ice Hockey and below are the top three myths:

1. The number one misconception about NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey is that everyone receives an athletic scholarship. Scholarships are hard to come by and are typically awarded to the top skilled players that market themselves well to the collegiate scouts. Moreover, not all scholarships are full rides (covering the cost of school, books, room and board) but are partial scholarships and are typically offered year-by-year based on performance.

2. The second misconception is that the coaches will find you, especially if you are a top player in a heavily recruited region. Prospective student-athletes, regardless of talent or location, must all pro-actively market themselves to collegiate programs. Sitting back and letting the coaches come to you is a big myth and typically results in a player not ending up where they want to be or not playing at all. Without proactive effort to attend scouted tournaments, write to coaches, visit schools, go to summer collegiate camps, abide by the NCAA rules throughout your high school years, get the highest grades you can get, and market yourself... your chances of playing NCAA just became much more difficult, if not impossible.

3. Another myth: Playing college hockey is just like playing in a youth association or for a prep school. No – playing college hockey is like a job. Playing NCAA varsity hockey is like going to school with a full-time job. You will be required to go to classes, meet the minimum GPA, participate in daily workouts, daily practice, team/community outreach, and play games several times per week. Travel is extensive and you are required to maintain your grades at the same time while on the road. Time management is essential when playing collegiate NCAA hockey, if not critical to success. Getting a day off from hockey or taking a day off from studying is rare and preparing for the season is typically an annual effort, with off-season training expected. NCAA hockey is highly competitive and takes a lot of time and effort.

The best steps you can take to play NCAA hockey are: avoid the myths, ensure you understand all the NCAA rules and regulations, excel in hockey and school and balance both equally, prepare early and work hard to promote yourself, and get to know the coaches and programs you are most interested in – and then go after it.

PLAYER PERSPECTIVE

Each newsletter we hope to interview one of the players in the association and ask them about a hockey or non-hockey experience that impacted their life. This month's interview is with Delaney Pratt and her experience this summer traveling to France as a foreign exchange student.

Delaney is 17 years old, a senior at Squalicum High School and played on the Wild 2 team last year. This summer she participated in her school’s Language and Friendship foreign exchange program, which gives students travel experience in a new country, allows them to learn a new culture first-hand, and allows them to become better at the target language, which was French.  Delaney has been taking French for three years.

Delaney stayed in Bordeaux in southwestern France for nine days with her hosts, the Gapenne family, in their city apartment and at their chateau in the country, which is the family’s wine vineyard. The father makes and sells wine while the mother is a school teacher. Delaney’s host sister, Pauline, is 16 years old and a figure skater. Pauline also has three brothers– Clement, who is 14, Baptiste, who is 19, and Benjamin, who just turned 21.

Delaney had a wonderful time in the program and said, “France is a lot nicer than the world thinks! As long as you try to speak their language, they will love you.  The hardest part was leaving the exchange group when we first got with our families. I had spoken with Pauline on FaceBook, but not extensively, so it was hard adjusting to speaking French all the time that first day.”

When asked what Delaney learned most while she was there, she said, “My French improved so much! By the end, it was really easy for me to have a conversation with anyone!

Delaney said she would recommend a foreign exchange program t to anyone interested in travel and learning about new cultures. She said, “The experience gives you a whole new perspective on life and gives you a look into how other cultures live. It is the best thing I've ever done!”  While she had a wonderful time, she did miss a bit about living in the United States, she said, “I really missed macaroni and cheese! They eat a lot of meat over there, so sometimes it was hard finding vegetarian options.”
 
Delaney would definitely return to France again and hopes to explore more of the western/alps region and catch some of the Tour de France. She also would like to visit her host family; however, there is one thing she didn’t enjoy and that was Foie gras, which is a food product made of the liver of a fatty duck or goose.  She said, “I'm never eating that again! “

HELP PLACE ROADSIGNS FOR GIRLS HOCKEY!

WWFHA is looking for adult volunteers to put up roadside signs in the community that promote girls hockey and the association. If you have a few hours to put up a few signs, we'd love your help in your neighborhood!

Please zoeharris@yahoo.com if you would like to help get the word out so we can grow the association and serve more girls in the sport of ice hockey!

LOOKING FOR SPONSORS FOR WWFHA'S
'LEARN TO SKATE & PLAY HOCKEY!'

WWFHA has several sponsor packages for local businesses that will help support WWFHA’s up-and-coming 'Learn to Skate and Play Hockey' sessions. The goal of the sessions is to get young female student-athletes out on the ice for the first time. For as little as $300 sponsors will enjoy event naming rights, the credit for empowering girls through sport and much more.

 Please contact zoeharris@yahoo.com with businesses that you think we can approach.

NOW ACCEPTING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

Contact WWFHA if you would like to apply for a scholarship for the 2010-2011 season. Partial scholarships are now available and will be handed out on a case-by-case basis based on financial need. Look for application forms and requirements coming soon to the WWFHA website.

Contact cindydayley@yahoo.com for more information.

MAKE A GOOD PASS... AND PASS IT ON!

We encourage you to distribute this newsletter to as many people in western Washington state that may have an interest in female hockey, whether they currently play or may have interest in playing in the future. We thank you for your commitment to girls' hockey and your help in sharing news and information with others.

If you don’t already receive this newsletter directly from WWFHA and would like to, please send an email to zoeharris@yahoo.com to subscribe.