Wednesday 30 May 2012
Dumba primed for Draft Combine
I coached Matt both at the U16 Challenge Cup and Team Pacific. He is a natural leader. As the picture above states, wearing the "C" for your country is not small feat! Matt has 'Pro' written all over him. He reminds me of a Scott Stevens type of player. Good luck Matt!!
It’s one of the last events Mathew Dumba will experience in his draft year, and it could be one of the most exhausting.
Before Dumba will hear his name called on the first day of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, he’ll be poked, prodded and pinched by 30 potential suitors at the Draft Combine next week.
Though it goes without saying the Calgary, AB. product hasn’t experienced anything like what he’ll face from May 28th to June 2nd, that doesn’t mean the Red Deer Rebels defenseman hasn’t done his homework on what to expect.
“I talked to Pets (Alex Petrovic) about it,” Dumba said. “He’s a strong guy and trains hard so he gave me the low-down about it and said I’d be fine with my training and everything I do.”
But bench presses, vertical jumps, long jumps, bench presses, VO2 Max (aerobic) and Wingate (anaerobic) tests are just one component to the process. While teams are pushing prospects to their physical limit, the combine – now in its 19th year – will leave this year’s draft class mentally exhausted as well.
That process, which can have players scheduled for upwards of 15 face-to-face consultations in a day, can leave a player weary. The nature of some of the questions posed by NHL clubs will keep Dumba sharp, though.
“(Petrovic) has told me some weird ones,” he said. “A couple teams threw some curveballs at him. I’m not too worried about it.”
Canada’s captain from both the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and 2012 World Under-18 Championship is ready to tackle anything thrown at him.
For instance, would Dumba rather have a long, prosperous career as a sixth defender or instead prefer to be an elite blueliner for a quarter of that time?
“I think you ought to be the sixth defenseman,” Dumba said. “I think 10, 12 years in the show, that’s the dream – to play and have a long career in the NHL. A lot of guys, sixth defensemen, you can make a living making that first pass and staying at home, or be the guy on the power play. Guys make careers out of that. I think I’d have to take that.”
Dumba can expect even more difficult questions in what will be an exhausting experience – both mentally and physically – as he enters the final stages as a draft eligible prospect.
Come Back Story - Road to London: Brittany Rogers
Miracles in sports have become so clichéd, the word usually attracts more eye-rolls than believers.
But Canadian gymnast Brittany Rogers doesn’t shy away from the term when describing her improbable return to gymnastics.
Rogers broke her inner ankle bone at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships in Australia on a faulty double pike dismount from the balance beam.
The 18-year-old from Coquitlam, B.C. thought her gymnastics career was over.
“Not being able to do gymnastics is something I can’t explain, it was like losing someone I love,” said Rogers. “But it was a good lesson I learned. When it was taken away from me, I realized how much I really love the sport.”
Rogers saw two different surgeons, who both advised a cast on her ankle to allow it to heal over a two-month period.
But the bone did not heal.
Rogers sought a third opinion from Dr. Dory Boyer, an orthopedic surgeon based in New Westminster, B.C., who was also the medical services manager for the Vancouver Organizing Committee during the 2010 Winter Games.
Dr. Boyer got Rogers into surgery and put a pin in her ankle bone to keep it together. He also removed bone chips that had been floating around her ankle and preventing her from moving it.
That Christmas, eight months after sustaining the injury that had threatened to end her career, Rogers started to walk again.
“It was my Christmas miracle,” she said. “[My ankle] was sore and a little weak, but I could deal with that, because I knew I was on my way back to gymnastics.”
Rogers credits Dr. Boyer for her recovery, who she says has become a good friend. The two still keep regular appointments to monitor her ankle, but Rogers says she also visits Dr. Boyer for mental support.
“He’s the only one who knows what it’s really like, because he’s actually been inside my ankle,” said Rogers. “I honestly wouldn’t be here without him and his surgery.”
Rogers returned to competition at the 2011 Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous,” said Rogers. “I felt like I was a novice again.”
She ended up placing fourth in the all-around competition.
“I didn’t have any expectations for myself,” she added. “It was nice to just go out there and do it for myself and come back from such a big injury.”
Rogers has come a long way since making her big comeback. She helped the Canadian team to an Olympic berth at the Test Event in January, and now has her sights set on making the women’s artistic gymnastics Olympic team.
She has reached the podium in almost every event in which she has competed this year; most notably with three apparatus gold medals: two for uneven bars, one on floor. She is currently ranked eighth in the world on vault by gymnastics’ international governing body, FIG.
Most recently, Rogers added to an impressive season by taking home a silver medal on vault and finishing sixth all-around at the 2012 Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Regina last week.
The results of the competition make up 40 per cent of the Olympic selection committee’s decision when selecting members of the national team. The remaining 60 per cent is based on the Olympic selection camp in Gatineau, Que. at the end of June, with results from other meets throughout the year also taken into account.
“Even if I don’t make the team, I did help qualify the team for the Olympics. Whatever happens, I’m just happy that I’ve contributed this much, this far,” said Rogers. “I’m in love with gymnastics, and it’s kind of hard to explain love, whether it’s in relationships or sports.
“It’s been such a struggle, I think it’s kind of made me who I am today. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
But Canadian gymnast Brittany Rogers doesn’t shy away from the term when describing her improbable return to gymnastics.
Rogers broke her inner ankle bone at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships in Australia on a faulty double pike dismount from the balance beam.
The 18-year-old from Coquitlam, B.C. thought her gymnastics career was over.
“Not being able to do gymnastics is something I can’t explain, it was like losing someone I love,” said Rogers. “But it was a good lesson I learned. When it was taken away from me, I realized how much I really love the sport.”
Rogers saw two different surgeons, who both advised a cast on her ankle to allow it to heal over a two-month period.
But the bone did not heal.
Rogers sought a third opinion from Dr. Dory Boyer, an orthopedic surgeon based in New Westminster, B.C., who was also the medical services manager for the Vancouver Organizing Committee during the 2010 Winter Games.
Dr. Boyer got Rogers into surgery and put a pin in her ankle bone to keep it together. He also removed bone chips that had been floating around her ankle and preventing her from moving it.
That Christmas, eight months after sustaining the injury that had threatened to end her career, Rogers started to walk again.
“It was my Christmas miracle,” she said. “[My ankle] was sore and a little weak, but I could deal with that, because I knew I was on my way back to gymnastics.”
Rogers credits Dr. Boyer for her recovery, who she says has become a good friend. The two still keep regular appointments to monitor her ankle, but Rogers says she also visits Dr. Boyer for mental support.
“He’s the only one who knows what it’s really like, because he’s actually been inside my ankle,” said Rogers. “I honestly wouldn’t be here without him and his surgery.”
Rogers returned to competition at the 2011 Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous,” said Rogers. “I felt like I was a novice again.”
She ended up placing fourth in the all-around competition.
“I didn’t have any expectations for myself,” she added. “It was nice to just go out there and do it for myself and come back from such a big injury.”
Rogers has come a long way since making her big comeback. She helped the Canadian team to an Olympic berth at the Test Event in January, and now has her sights set on making the women’s artistic gymnastics Olympic team.
She has reached the podium in almost every event in which she has competed this year; most notably with three apparatus gold medals: two for uneven bars, one on floor. She is currently ranked eighth in the world on vault by gymnastics’ international governing body, FIG.
Most recently, Rogers added to an impressive season by taking home a silver medal on vault and finishing sixth all-around at the 2012 Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Regina last week.
The results of the competition make up 40 per cent of the Olympic selection committee’s decision when selecting members of the national team. The remaining 60 per cent is based on the Olympic selection camp in Gatineau, Que. at the end of June, with results from other meets throughout the year also taken into account.
“Even if I don’t make the team, I did help qualify the team for the Olympics. Whatever happens, I’m just happy that I’ve contributed this much, this far,” said Rogers. “I’m in love with gymnastics, and it’s kind of hard to explain love, whether it’s in relationships or sports.
“It’s been such a struggle, I think it’s kind of made me who I am today. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Anyways!
Fantastic Read!!
The Paradoxical Commandments were written in 1968 by Kent Keith and are contained in a book called AnyWay
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
I truly believe this is what keeps me teaching/coaching. Be true to yourself and always do the right thing. Keep your integrity!
The Paradoxical Commandments were written in 1968 by Kent Keith and are contained in a book called AnyWay
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
I truly believe this is what keeps me teaching/coaching. Be true to yourself and always do the right thing. Keep your integrity!
What You Should Know About Asthma
According to WebMD, nearly 6.5 million children suffer from
asthma. The incidents of the disorder, which is characterized by
difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and wheezing, has nearly
doubled since 1980 in individuals under the age of 18. While scientists
race to discover the reasons for the sharp increase, many child
athletes suffer with the condition. The following article offers tips
for helping child athletes live and play with asthma.
1. Be aware of asthma
Coaches of any sport requiring substantial lung capacity should be aware of asthma as a potential problem for their athletes. In addition to watching our known asthmatic athletes closely, we need to stay alert for undiagnosed asthma. In particular, look for well-conditioned athletes who occasionally appear slower, mentally sluggish, or out of wind. They might actually be having an asthmatic episode without being aware of it. Suggest a doctor visit for these athletes.
2. Get educated – and be prepared
Asthma can be managed effectively with a team approach. Poll your athletes and/or parents to determine whether any of your athletes have asthma. Then work with the athlete and parent to create an asthma management plan. This plan should cover what medicines the athlete should take if under duress and when help should be called. In addition, coaches should be aware of conditions that can trigger asthma attacks so that steps can be taken to help the athlete avoid problems.
3. Be supportive
It is vitally important for coaches to support their asthmatic athletes. Many athletes will try to cover up their asthma for fear of losing their position or being viewed as a ‘health liability.’
If the Jackie Joyner Kersey’s of the world hide their asthma, what about the average athlete who wants to make a good impression? He or she is likely to hide or ignore symptoms to avoid looking weak or out of shape. An athlete hiding asthma can end up with a serious attack leading to hospitalization or even death. This is always tragic because it is so unnecessary.
It is imperative that coaches work with their athletes to help them manage their asthma. When we become partners with our asthmatic athletes, we not only keep them safe, we help them perform to the best of their ability. There are countless highly successful athletes playing at all levels of sport today. Most of them are achieving their best with the help of a caring and supportive coach.
Editors Note: A special thanks to Elevating Athletes for this article.
1. Be aware of asthma
Coaches of any sport requiring substantial lung capacity should be aware of asthma as a potential problem for their athletes. In addition to watching our known asthmatic athletes closely, we need to stay alert for undiagnosed asthma. In particular, look for well-conditioned athletes who occasionally appear slower, mentally sluggish, or out of wind. They might actually be having an asthmatic episode without being aware of it. Suggest a doctor visit for these athletes.
2. Get educated – and be prepared
Asthma can be managed effectively with a team approach. Poll your athletes and/or parents to determine whether any of your athletes have asthma. Then work with the athlete and parent to create an asthma management plan. This plan should cover what medicines the athlete should take if under duress and when help should be called. In addition, coaches should be aware of conditions that can trigger asthma attacks so that steps can be taken to help the athlete avoid problems.
3. Be supportive
It is vitally important for coaches to support their asthmatic athletes. Many athletes will try to cover up their asthma for fear of losing their position or being viewed as a ‘health liability.’
If the Jackie Joyner Kersey’s of the world hide their asthma, what about the average athlete who wants to make a good impression? He or she is likely to hide or ignore symptoms to avoid looking weak or out of shape. An athlete hiding asthma can end up with a serious attack leading to hospitalization or even death. This is always tragic because it is so unnecessary.
It is imperative that coaches work with their athletes to help them manage their asthma. When we become partners with our asthmatic athletes, we not only keep them safe, we help them perform to the best of their ability. There are countless highly successful athletes playing at all levels of sport today. Most of them are achieving their best with the help of a caring and supportive coach.
Editors Note: A special thanks to Elevating Athletes for this article.
It’s a Small World
The world of hockey is a small one given that, in Squirt through Midget, you play in age groups consisting of two birth years. You are always either a first-year or second-year—kind of like always being either a freshman or a senior in high school. But you only have to endure one freshman year in high school. And you only get to be a senior in high school once (one hopes). In hockey, however, you go through this cycle four or five times. And people remember from year to year, and team to team, how you handle it.
Second-year players, and even second-year parents, can be cocky. They’re sure they’re going to make the team they want, and they’re not sure those first-year players belong. Or, they’re not happy with the team they did make and don’t want to play with those lowly first years.
Last year, at Squirt tryouts, the first-year players and parents (who had never been through tryouts) were shocked at this dynamic. The second-year players seemed to have no idea that the first-year players could make their team now—and every-other year into the future. As parents of both age groups stood by the glass, commenting on players, they, too, seemed to have no idea that the people surrounding them would be coming and going from their lives over the better part of the next decade.
The reality is, if your child continues to play hockey, you will be spending a lot of time with players and parents either one year older or one year younger. Eventually, most families look forward to rejoining certain players, coaches and parents from year to year, and the two-year age groups become one of the best things about hockey.
Editor’s Note: Thank you to Kelly Anton, executive editor of Grow the Game, for this story.
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Are Elite Athletes Ready to Fail?
What if failure and winning go hand in hand similar to peanut butter and chocolate? At
first glance it appears to be an odd match. So many highly talented
athletes needed to experience failure in order to become great. Whether
it is in sports, business or life, failure is necessary for the really
BIG goals.
Failure has a purpose:
Lance Arnstrong was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer in the prime of his career. To discover his testicular cancer had spread to his lungs and brains was shocking. This would have been the end for many of us. Then he had to battle cancer not once but twice.
Because of his experience Armstrong quickly reset his priorities. Mindset. Armstrong was forced to release old beliefs which would free him up for greater achievements. His health failure led to innovation. Suddenly his world, as he knew it, didn’t exist anymore. The old beliefs transitioned into stepping stones for a new higher level of commitment. His entire approach to cycling, racing and life transformed.
Lance Armstrong states, ”I can now say that my life is better because of my cancer experience.
Though I wouldn’t wish it for anyone, I believe I appreciate my life in a completely new and better way because I faced cancer and was lucky enough to survive.”
Athletes and coaches have it all wrong. You don’t want to view failure as the end result. A stopping point. Viewing it from a black and white perspective of good or bad is limiting.
When coaches, parents and teams judge success solely from their wins, they are missing the bigger picture. This narrow view boxes you in. When the focus is only about winning you are robbed from taking risks.
Why take risks? Because it influences change. Experimentation, along with risk-taking, lead to innovation. Combining what you know along with the unknown expands your belief of what is possible. Successful athletes refuse to settle for mediocrity. It is the excitement of pushing the envelope, exploring the limits of your capabilities, which redefine you.
Risk taking, being innovative, frees up your energy.
Even at NASA, after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, their researchers adopted a new mindset. They are now excited about failure. Playing it safe led to mistakes which slowed down progress. The new protocol encourages failure. While testing experimental spacecraft they actually cheer when a multi million dollar test rocket explodes. It is seen as being innovative.
Pushing the envelope to set new world records requires risk. Risk requires innovation. So I challenge you to crush your old meaning of failure. It will set you apart from the rest of the competition. Why wait for someone else to set the standard when you can claim it first?
Take a bold stance to discover your ideal approach. Be creative. Make it fun. Access your intuition and listen to your gut. Liberate yourself from the standard, the usual and customary to become a high performing athlete.
Become an innovative athlete; it’s okay to be scared. Although many athletes don’t recognize it they are highly creative. Conforming to the rules just goes against the nature of creative personalities. What is exciting is experiencing ongoing transformation, the game of innovation. When you can wrap your head around this mindset, you will blow the competition away.
Challenge: Make the decision to be innovative. What would that look like in your sport? How would that free up your creative energy to try something new? List all the fearful thoughts preventing you from taking risks, possibly failing. How does it feel to do something if you’re unsure of the outcome? Close your eyes and see yourself taking action despite the fear. How was that? Now close your eyes again and see yourself taking that same action with no fear. How was that different? My challenge for you is seeing yourself taking action with no fear over and over again in your mind’s eye until you believe it is possible.
Would you like to push the envelope and be more creative but the thought of being judged by your teammates, your coach or your friends is stopping you? Deep down you know there have been opportunities for you which you would have liked to take but didn’t because you avoid conflict. So when you see other athletes, who are not as talented as you, gaining momentum you wonder why that is occurring.
The Expert Sports Performance System is an easy step-by-step process helping you to focus your energy on high performance, building your confidence to give you a winning edge. Winners act with speed. If you are reading this and it feels true for you, then get in touch with Loren for a FREE Discovery Session at info@expertsportsperformance.com
Failure has a purpose:
- Deepens commitment
- Offers invaluable lessons
- Leads to course corrections
- Builds resiliency
- Learns how to cope with adversity
Lance Arnstrong was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer in the prime of his career. To discover his testicular cancer had spread to his lungs and brains was shocking. This would have been the end for many of us. Then he had to battle cancer not once but twice.
Because of his experience Armstrong quickly reset his priorities. Mindset. Armstrong was forced to release old beliefs which would free him up for greater achievements. His health failure led to innovation. Suddenly his world, as he knew it, didn’t exist anymore. The old beliefs transitioned into stepping stones for a new higher level of commitment. His entire approach to cycling, racing and life transformed.
Lance Armstrong states, ”I can now say that my life is better because of my cancer experience.
Though I wouldn’t wish it for anyone, I believe I appreciate my life in a completely new and better way because I faced cancer and was lucky enough to survive.”
Athletes and coaches have it all wrong. You don’t want to view failure as the end result. A stopping point. Viewing it from a black and white perspective of good or bad is limiting.
When coaches, parents and teams judge success solely from their wins, they are missing the bigger picture. This narrow view boxes you in. When the focus is only about winning you are robbed from taking risks.
Why take risks? Because it influences change. Experimentation, along with risk-taking, lead to innovation. Combining what you know along with the unknown expands your belief of what is possible. Successful athletes refuse to settle for mediocrity. It is the excitement of pushing the envelope, exploring the limits of your capabilities, which redefine you.
Risk taking, being innovative, frees up your energy.
- Embrace change
- Act despite fear
- Trust in others, and in yourself.
- Honesty about limiting beliefs
- Shedding excuses
Even at NASA, after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, their researchers adopted a new mindset. They are now excited about failure. Playing it safe led to mistakes which slowed down progress. The new protocol encourages failure. While testing experimental spacecraft they actually cheer when a multi million dollar test rocket explodes. It is seen as being innovative.
Pushing the envelope to set new world records requires risk. Risk requires innovation. So I challenge you to crush your old meaning of failure. It will set you apart from the rest of the competition. Why wait for someone else to set the standard when you can claim it first?
Take a bold stance to discover your ideal approach. Be creative. Make it fun. Access your intuition and listen to your gut. Liberate yourself from the standard, the usual and customary to become a high performing athlete.
Become an innovative athlete; it’s okay to be scared. Although many athletes don’t recognize it they are highly creative. Conforming to the rules just goes against the nature of creative personalities. What is exciting is experiencing ongoing transformation, the game of innovation. When you can wrap your head around this mindset, you will blow the competition away.
Challenge: Make the decision to be innovative. What would that look like in your sport? How would that free up your creative energy to try something new? List all the fearful thoughts preventing you from taking risks, possibly failing. How does it feel to do something if you’re unsure of the outcome? Close your eyes and see yourself taking action despite the fear. How was that? Now close your eyes again and see yourself taking that same action with no fear. How was that different? My challenge for you is seeing yourself taking action with no fear over and over again in your mind’s eye until you believe it is possible.
Would you like to push the envelope and be more creative but the thought of being judged by your teammates, your coach or your friends is stopping you? Deep down you know there have been opportunities for you which you would have liked to take but didn’t because you avoid conflict. So when you see other athletes, who are not as talented as you, gaining momentum you wonder why that is occurring.
The Expert Sports Performance System is an easy step-by-step process helping you to focus your energy on high performance, building your confidence to give you a winning edge. Winners act with speed. If you are reading this and it feels true for you, then get in touch with Loren for a FREE Discovery Session at info@expertsportsperformance.com
Parentectomy
Recently I was fortunate enough to spend some time at the College Hockey
Coaches convention in Naples, Florida. It was great to spend some time
away from a rink with coaches and get an insight into some of their
thinking.
While talking with one of the very well known coaches from a major division one school about a possible recruit for their program, I heard him describe the player in a very unique way. He said to me, "yes we really like him a lot as a player but we are going to pass.....he needs a major Parentectomy....." It took me a very short time to realize that they were not going to offer him a scholarship because of the actions of his parents.....
It got me thinking quite a bit about the recruiting and scouting process of young players and how many different factors can affect the situation. I thought I would share this with everyone.
One of the most important factors that schools and junior programs do consider is what is the players' family like? Specifically what are the parents like?
I discussed it with our staff we decided to come up with five simple points of advice for parents. Specifically parents who have young players that are getting to that 14-15 year old age when the recruitment and scouting process starts to pick up and the game seems to change from just a game to a business opportunity for some.
This is only our opinion and advice we are offering. We are parents too and have made many mistakes just like everyone else so take from it what you will. We have seen many players get recruited successfully and there are some common traits. Hopefully it helps prevent any more Parentectomies....
If you want more input please feel free to contact us anytime.
The five suggestions for Parents are:
1. Take a step back.
Be suggestive and be supportive but allow your young athlete to research things and make their own decisions concerning where to play and which route to travel. Trust their instincts. You've done an amazing job getting them to this point. Let it go a bit now, step back and watch the results of your good parenting. Enjoy the product of all the countless hours you spent driving all over the country drinking bad coffee and sitting in cold arenas spending time with your child. Let them begin to make their own decisions. It will then be their responsibility to make it work and usually they do.
2. The coach/gm is always right.
Always, always, always, always......Even when you don't agree with them and know they are wrong. I know how hard this can be for some parents to hear or agree with but trust me. A coach who has had his feathers ruffled by a parent can do more harm to a player in a thirty second conversation with a scout than any bad game or tournament can do. Scouts and recruiters are going to talk to these people and listen to what the coach has to say over anyone else 98% of the time. They rarely will ever listen to what a parent has to say so stay away from them. The best thing you can ever do at this point is keep a great relationship with the coach.
3. Remember, there are more important things in life than hockey.
I know this is where we might lose some people, but it is very important. We try to encourage parents to remember, this is about what your student athlete is going to be like at age 19 and 20 not at 14. Their journey is not complete. It hss only just begun......help them become well rounded. Encourage other interests and challenges. Take good breaks from the game that will keep them hungry to play. Young players can burn and fizzle out from too much pressing and pushing. Also be aware that no matter how good they are, and I mean even if they are hall of fame caliber players, they will not be playing when they are forty years old.
4. Encourage them to work as hard away from the rink as they do at it.
Too much time, money and resources are wasted on showcases, tryouts and many things that rarely pay off. Invest in a good marketing plan for the player. Build a resume and bio that stand out from the rest. Make sure you have the right schooling and class requirements. Get powerful letters of reference from people that are not involved in hockey as well. Tell them to think of it like they are a lawyer. Tell them to build their case. They are going to trial and better be prepared. Remember these numbers. There are roughly 28,000 high school senior age boys registered to play hockey with USA Hockey. There are 59 Division I teams and 77 Division III teams. Each of those bring on average 6 new players a season to their rosters and about half of those are from the US… that means only 408 of the 28,000 registered players will get their chance to play in college. That represents roughly 1.5% of registered players. I'd say it's pretty competitive.
5. Enjoy the Process.
It should not be stressful. It goes very fast.....These are the last few seasons you will spend at the rink with your child. Be positive. It will be one of the last lessons you pass on to them. Positive, fun people get recruited way more!!!!! Think about it, who would you rather spend four years with......?
While talking with one of the very well known coaches from a major division one school about a possible recruit for their program, I heard him describe the player in a very unique way. He said to me, "yes we really like him a lot as a player but we are going to pass.....he needs a major Parentectomy....." It took me a very short time to realize that they were not going to offer him a scholarship because of the actions of his parents.....
It got me thinking quite a bit about the recruiting and scouting process of young players and how many different factors can affect the situation. I thought I would share this with everyone.
One of the most important factors that schools and junior programs do consider is what is the players' family like? Specifically what are the parents like?
I discussed it with our staff we decided to come up with five simple points of advice for parents. Specifically parents who have young players that are getting to that 14-15 year old age when the recruitment and scouting process starts to pick up and the game seems to change from just a game to a business opportunity for some.
This is only our opinion and advice we are offering. We are parents too and have made many mistakes just like everyone else so take from it what you will. We have seen many players get recruited successfully and there are some common traits. Hopefully it helps prevent any more Parentectomies....
If you want more input please feel free to contact us anytime.
The five suggestions for Parents are:
1. Take a step back.
Be suggestive and be supportive but allow your young athlete to research things and make their own decisions concerning where to play and which route to travel. Trust their instincts. You've done an amazing job getting them to this point. Let it go a bit now, step back and watch the results of your good parenting. Enjoy the product of all the countless hours you spent driving all over the country drinking bad coffee and sitting in cold arenas spending time with your child. Let them begin to make their own decisions. It will then be their responsibility to make it work and usually they do.
2. The coach/gm is always right.
Always, always, always, always......Even when you don't agree with them and know they are wrong. I know how hard this can be for some parents to hear or agree with but trust me. A coach who has had his feathers ruffled by a parent can do more harm to a player in a thirty second conversation with a scout than any bad game or tournament can do. Scouts and recruiters are going to talk to these people and listen to what the coach has to say over anyone else 98% of the time. They rarely will ever listen to what a parent has to say so stay away from them. The best thing you can ever do at this point is keep a great relationship with the coach.
3. Remember, there are more important things in life than hockey.
I know this is where we might lose some people, but it is very important. We try to encourage parents to remember, this is about what your student athlete is going to be like at age 19 and 20 not at 14. Their journey is not complete. It hss only just begun......help them become well rounded. Encourage other interests and challenges. Take good breaks from the game that will keep them hungry to play. Young players can burn and fizzle out from too much pressing and pushing. Also be aware that no matter how good they are, and I mean even if they are hall of fame caliber players, they will not be playing when they are forty years old.
4. Encourage them to work as hard away from the rink as they do at it.
Too much time, money and resources are wasted on showcases, tryouts and many things that rarely pay off. Invest in a good marketing plan for the player. Build a resume and bio that stand out from the rest. Make sure you have the right schooling and class requirements. Get powerful letters of reference from people that are not involved in hockey as well. Tell them to think of it like they are a lawyer. Tell them to build their case. They are going to trial and better be prepared. Remember these numbers. There are roughly 28,000 high school senior age boys registered to play hockey with USA Hockey. There are 59 Division I teams and 77 Division III teams. Each of those bring on average 6 new players a season to their rosters and about half of those are from the US… that means only 408 of the 28,000 registered players will get their chance to play in college. That represents roughly 1.5% of registered players. I'd say it's pretty competitive.
5. Enjoy the Process.
It should not be stressful. It goes very fast.....These are the last few seasons you will spend at the rink with your child. Be positive. It will be one of the last lessons you pass on to them. Positive, fun people get recruited way more!!!!! Think about it, who would you rather spend four years with......?
Monday 21 May 2012
WHL - NCAA Camp Checklist
While playing in a Canadian Hockey League game will cost a prospect his
NCAA eligibility, there is still the opportunity to attend a camp to
learn more about a CHL team while retaining amateur status.
What comes in to play is often called the "48-hour rule," and can be easy to misinterpret. The full language in the NCAA Manual is pasted at the bottom of this article and, as you'll see, can be a bit unwieldy.
In plain English, any player who wants to consider the U.S. college hockey option and the opportunity to get your education paid for while pursuing an NHL career needs to remember a few things before attending:
1. You may have a team cover the cost of one tryout for up to 48 hours
A CHL team may cover necessary expenses for you to attend a tryout for up to 48 hours (including transportation, lodging, meals, etc.). The 48-hour period begins when you arrive at the tryout location. This is a one-time allowance per team and can be used for a training camp or rookie camp.
2. You may attend for more than 48 hours, but need to cover costs
Should you wish to extend your stay at a CHL training camp beyond 48 hours, you need to be prepared to cover costs from that point on (including transportation home).
3. Do not compete in scrimmages or games against other teams.
While attending CHL camps prospects may participate in practices and intrasquad scrimmages, but may not face off against players or prospects representing another CHL team, even in an exhibition game.
4. Don't rush into any decisions
If you were drafted in the CHL in the spring and are attending camp as a 15- or 16-year-old, your chances of earning a regular spot in the CHL are likely slim. Maintaining your NCAA eligibility for another year will give you more time to evaluate your options and make a well informed decision for your future ? while likely not affecting your plans for this season at all.
5. Do not sign a contract with a CHL team.
A contract with a CHL team is considered a professional contract by the NCAA and therefore jeopardizes a prospect's eligibility. It's best not to sign any agreement with a CHL team; an exception is filling out a simple tryout form with basic information.
6. Do not interpret a lack of calls from colleges as a lack of interest.
Colleges, by NCAA rule, cannot contact student-athletes prior to June 15 of their grade 10 year of high school. Unless you have visited a coach on campus or reached out to them on your own, you may be drafted into the CHL without ever talking to a college coach ? but that doesn?t mean they won?t be interested. College coaches want to attract the best players from both the U.S. and Canada, typically many of the same players that OHL, WHL and QMJHL teams select in their drafts.
7. Do not violate NCAA rules by accepting gifts from CHL teams.
If a CHL team gives you a jersey or other gifts you should be prepared to either return those items or compensate the team appropriately.
Being invited to a CHL training camp can be a great validation of your skills as a hockey player and a good sign of things to come in your hockey career. That career will include a number of choices along the way - we would encourage you to keep your options open so that you have the opportunity to make the best choices for you.
If you have any questions about attending a CHL camp and maintaining your NCAA eligibility, feel free to contact College Hockey, Inc.
From the NCAA Manual
12.2.1.1 Tryout Before Enrollment-Men's Ice Hockey and Skiing. In men's ice hockey and skiing, a student-athlete remains eligible in a sport even though, prior to enrollment in a collegiate institution, the student-athlete may have tried out with a professional athletics team in a sport or received not more than one expense-paid visit from each professional team (or a combine including that team), provided such a visit did not exceed 48 hours and any payment or compensation in connection with the visit was not in excess of actual and necessary expenses. The 48-hour tryout period begins at the time the individual arrives at the tryout location. At the completion of the 48-hour period, the individual must depart the location of the tryout immediately in order to receive return transportation expenses. A tryout may extend beyond 48 hours if the individual self finances additional expenses, including return transportation. A self-financed tryout may be for any length of time.
What comes in to play is often called the "48-hour rule," and can be easy to misinterpret. The full language in the NCAA Manual is pasted at the bottom of this article and, as you'll see, can be a bit unwieldy.
In plain English, any player who wants to consider the U.S. college hockey option and the opportunity to get your education paid for while pursuing an NHL career needs to remember a few things before attending:
1. You may have a team cover the cost of one tryout for up to 48 hours
A CHL team may cover necessary expenses for you to attend a tryout for up to 48 hours (including transportation, lodging, meals, etc.). The 48-hour period begins when you arrive at the tryout location. This is a one-time allowance per team and can be used for a training camp or rookie camp.
2. You may attend for more than 48 hours, but need to cover costs
Should you wish to extend your stay at a CHL training camp beyond 48 hours, you need to be prepared to cover costs from that point on (including transportation home).
3. Do not compete in scrimmages or games against other teams.
While attending CHL camps prospects may participate in practices and intrasquad scrimmages, but may not face off against players or prospects representing another CHL team, even in an exhibition game.
4. Don't rush into any decisions
If you were drafted in the CHL in the spring and are attending camp as a 15- or 16-year-old, your chances of earning a regular spot in the CHL are likely slim. Maintaining your NCAA eligibility for another year will give you more time to evaluate your options and make a well informed decision for your future ? while likely not affecting your plans for this season at all.
5. Do not sign a contract with a CHL team.
A contract with a CHL team is considered a professional contract by the NCAA and therefore jeopardizes a prospect's eligibility. It's best not to sign any agreement with a CHL team; an exception is filling out a simple tryout form with basic information.
6. Do not interpret a lack of calls from colleges as a lack of interest.
Colleges, by NCAA rule, cannot contact student-athletes prior to June 15 of their grade 10 year of high school. Unless you have visited a coach on campus or reached out to them on your own, you may be drafted into the CHL without ever talking to a college coach ? but that doesn?t mean they won?t be interested. College coaches want to attract the best players from both the U.S. and Canada, typically many of the same players that OHL, WHL and QMJHL teams select in their drafts.
7. Do not violate NCAA rules by accepting gifts from CHL teams.
If a CHL team gives you a jersey or other gifts you should be prepared to either return those items or compensate the team appropriately.
Being invited to a CHL training camp can be a great validation of your skills as a hockey player and a good sign of things to come in your hockey career. That career will include a number of choices along the way - we would encourage you to keep your options open so that you have the opportunity to make the best choices for you.
If you have any questions about attending a CHL camp and maintaining your NCAA eligibility, feel free to contact College Hockey, Inc.
From the NCAA Manual
12.2.1.1 Tryout Before Enrollment-Men's Ice Hockey and Skiing. In men's ice hockey and skiing, a student-athlete remains eligible in a sport even though, prior to enrollment in a collegiate institution, the student-athlete may have tried out with a professional athletics team in a sport or received not more than one expense-paid visit from each professional team (or a combine including that team), provided such a visit did not exceed 48 hours and any payment or compensation in connection with the visit was not in excess of actual and necessary expenses. The 48-hour tryout period begins at the time the individual arrives at the tryout location. At the completion of the 48-hour period, the individual must depart the location of the tryout immediately in order to receive return transportation expenses. A tryout may extend beyond 48 hours if the individual self finances additional expenses, including return transportation. A self-financed tryout may be for any length of time.
Monday 14 May 2012
Testing Core Stability
Personally, I’ve been heavily influenced by Stuart McGill and Shirley Sahrmann. I’ve also taken some great ideas from bright guys like Mike Robertson, Bill Hartman, and Gray Cook to formulate some of my core testing tools.
To start let’s just address the fundamentals. Strength is the ability to produce force and stability is the ability to control it. So doing crunches on a stability ball with a hundred pound dumbbell on your chest might make you strong (although I think it makes you look ridiculous), it isn’t going to improve your core stability. To be stable you must be able to RESIST the applied force without movement.
Going hand in hand with this notion is the idea that is currently being promoted by many educated coaches and trainers that repeated spinal flexion is a bad idea because it increases the risk of spinal disc injury. In other words, crunches suck!
Finally, lets remember that the core doesn’t just include the rectus abdominus or the anterior core muscles. It essentially forms a belt around us and includes more muscles than I’d like to count at this very moment. Knowing this, it is essential to investigate the muscles all around the core to determine stability. More importantly, we are not going to test the strength of these muscles, but the ability of them to support the core under load. In the case of the lower back, endurance is actually far more important than strength for injury prevention.
Here is a quick little protocol that I like to use as a starting point:
1. Front Plank
While doing this movement I like to place a dowel on the person’s back and have them maintain 3 points of contact. The dowel should remain in contact with the glutes, upper back, and head. If one of those points is lost then the timer stops. (Note: I swiped this tip from Mike Robertson)
You should be able to hold this position for 2 minutes.
2. Side Plank – Should be able to hold for 90 seconds
This is as easy as it sounds. The body should be held straight in a full side plank position for 90 seconds per side. Note any assymetry between the sides as this is a strong predictor on injury risk. Work on bringing the weaker side up to match the stronger side before trying to increase the overall time.
You should be able to hold this position for 90 seconds.
3. Back Extension Hold
Set up at though you’re going to do a back extension and hold yourself in the extended position. As with the front plank, use the dowel along the spine to ensure proper alignment by maintaing 3 points of contact.
You should be able to hold this position for 2 minutes.
4. Double Leg Lower
To perform this test you want to lie on your back and raise both legs straight up into the air. From here, I’d suggest placing your hands on your external obliques or crossed over your chest. They cannot be on the floor. Now slowly begin to lower your legs while concentrating on keeping your lower back flat on the floor. (Note: a hard floor is more effective than a mat for determining success on this test)
If your feet hit the floor before your lower back raises you have passed. If not, you suck and you should check yourself into the wimp hall of fame. Just kidding, but your ability to control your core is probably lacking in this respect.
5. Rotational Stability
I also like to assess rotational stability by using a test from the functional movement screen. If you’re going to fail only one of these tests, this will probably be it. You can check it out HERE.
Again, these only serve at starting points and there are obviously other factors affecting stability of the core, but these tests should be enough to get you rolling.
In the coming weeks I’ll be releasing an audio interview series that will detail how some of the world’s leading experts test and train the core for performance and just plain looking sexy. Keep your eyes peeled for that.
In the meantime, drop me a note in the comments to let me know how you make out on the tests above.
Quote
"At the edge of your comfort zone is your learning zone. Go too far and you're in your panic zone." —Nicolai Moltke-Leth
Game Day Nutrition with Gary Roberts
With playoffs underway and many OT games having been played
already, recovery for players becomes all the more crucial to prolonged
success.
I’m often asked:
The above being said, I wanted to use my first blog post as an opportunity to share examples of my ideal game day meals and snacks in hopes that it inspires readers to think about what they eat and how it affects their performance!
Enjoy!
Read the rest of the article Here!
I’m often asked:
- “What should I be eating the day of a game to have the most energy possible?“
- “What should I be eating post activity to make sure I’m recovered for the next time I play?“.
The above being said, I wanted to use my first blog post as an opportunity to share examples of my ideal game day meals and snacks in hopes that it inspires readers to think about what they eat and how it affects their performance!
Enjoy!
Read the rest of the article Here!
My experience with the choice between major junior and college hockey
I tried out for the Kelowna Rockets, one of the premier programs in the Western Hockey League, in the fall of 2000. I was 17 years old, although in the junior hockey world I was considered an 18 year old because I was born in 1982. I was coming off of a successful year of Midget AA, having been captain of a team that won the BC provincial championship. But being that I was that old and undrafted, I was a definite longshot and I knew it.
The thing is, I had a really good camp, and sometimes you catch people off guard. I scored twice in a heavily attended low-scoring intra-squad game in Kelowna’s Prospera Place, and was invited to travel with the team to Kamloops to play the Blazers in the first of a number of exhibition games. They had already made a great many cuts by this point.
As a young player, you deal with a range of ideas and emotions: I’m from Kelowna, so if I could walk onto the hometown Kelowna Rockets and make it…I have to do that, right? (By the way, the Rockets won the Memorial Cup in the next year or two. Dammit.) But, I was also a gangly kid who got cut to house hockey his first year of Bantam, got better (read: bigger) in a hurry, and had figured out that you can get your entire undergrad education paid for if you play junior A puck. I also knew that if I played one game – even an exhibition game – at the major junior level, I was ineligible for at least a year of that NCAA hockey (plus a game for every CHL (major junior) game played, I believe), making that dream scholarship less likely.
My parents and I sat in the room and listened to The Most Important People in the Rockets Organization at the time and tried to gauge how likely it was that I would make the team while trying to make the decision to go for it or not. Essentially, it was down to myself and large, fellow right-winger Randall Gelech (a player far better than I, who would’ve likely played in the NHL for years by now had he not been drafted/buried in the Red Wings organization when they were on top of the world for years). We told them our concerns about NCAA eligibility. And they told us “how this works”: just play/tryout, and we’ll rip up the rosters after the game. If you make it – and you have a good chance – cool. If you don’t, you’ll be fine. I’m not sure if it still does, but it seems this is a thing that occasionally happened at the time.
My parents didn’t want me to play. Between all of us, a college scholarship was the goal. If I got an education paid for then the investment in gear, practices, and time would have amounted to something. Yes, you can get Canadian college hockey paid for after playing major junior, but it’s suuuuper rare to advance, hockey-wise, beyond that. You’re basically saying it’s NHL or done-by-20. NCAA puck gives late bloomers (like myself) years to develop against incredible talents to see what you can become.
At 15 or 16 or 17, a young hockey player has to a make a decision that will forever change his career and his life: take your shot at Major Junior or commit to the college path.
I played Junior B hockey that winter, led my conference in points (beating Chuck Kobasew’s team record), and finished second overall in the league to Andrew Ebbett. That summer, I signed a card with the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL, trained my butt off, and committed to earning that scholarship.
I scored 131 points over my 120 game Junior A career, and we won a BCHL title. After fly-down visits to three different NCAA schools, I accepted a full Div. 1 scholarship (to the University of Alaska Anchorage) just like my family had hoped – just like I had hoped.
So here I sit, with a primary education in hockey, but a different title on my business card, and I couldn’t be happier. I got an education (an education your love of hockey forces you to get, if you want to play), found my best friends and really, myself. College was an experience I can’t explain, an experience I’d never give back. I was fortunate to have the opportunity. (I was more fortunate that I lived with guys capable of installing a keg-orator line from the garage to the kitchen sink, giving us water taps labelled hot, cold and beer.)
When most players have to make the decision between major junior and college, they take what they can get. Most don’t reject one for the other; their talents, age and size direct them one way or the other. Only a lucky few get to choose.
Either one works. There is a hockey cliche that “If you’re good enough, they’ll find you”. And it’s true. They’ll find you in Timbukfuckingtu if you’re NHL calibre. It’s insane. Few are overlooked.
As someone quickly approaching their 30th birthday thinking about what I’d do if I were a young player now deciding between the two, I can’t help but think: I’d have to be awfully damn good to choose major junior hockey over college. It’s not taking anything away from those who choose to go the CHL route, it’s just that one way seems a little more all-or-nothing than the other. Both seem like flying down the highway on a motorcycle, but one affords you a helmet.
As a further college hockey pump-up: going that route isn’t exactly a hockey dead end. During my years in the WCHA I faced some great players – Zach Parise, Tomas Vanek, TJ Oshie, David Backes, Matt Niskanen, Alex Goligoski, Kyle Okposo, Phil Kessel, Blake Wheeler, Andreas Nodl, Jonathan Toews, Chris Conner, Matt Greene, Keith Ballard, Matt Carle, Paul Stastny, Joey Crabb, Ryan Potulny, Ryan Stoa, Brandon Bochensky, Brian Lee, Matt Smaby, Drew Stafford, Rene Bourque, Adam Burish, Brian Elliot, Tom Gilbert, Joe Pavelski, Ryan Suter, Travis Zajac, Ryan Carter, Jason Garrison, and the toughest to play of all of them all at the time, 5’7″ Hobey Baker-winner Ryan Duncan (AHL). I was also teammates with Curtis Glencross, Jay Beagle and Nathan Lawson. You can develop at that level, and you can still make it big.
For the big guns, major junior is great too: it’s more pro-style puck, it’s great exposure, and it’s comparable to the NHL schedule.
Nobody can say for certain what’s the best route – each player has a different set of developmental needs, and each league fulfills those differently.
But for those who could use a little more time to develop and miiiigghht just want to hedge their bets on the future with an education, college hockey is the way to go.
Friday 11 May 2012
The Secret of S.H.I.F.T
More Articles at Built for Hockey!
This one is quite straight forward. You need to be getting quality sleep if you even think of being called a champion at the end of the road. It’s been proven time and time again. Lack of sleep leads to lack of energy, and lack of energy leads to lack of intensity and increases the likelyhood of getting injured.
Ever notice how injuries happen more in playoffs? Sure, it’s because the
games are more intense and everyone is playing hard. But it’s also
because everyone is tired, and their bodies are more vulnerable to
little pulls, strains, or fractures.
We’ve touched briefly in the past on things a player can do to make sure he’s ready for a gruesome playoff run, but this post looks to go into a little bit more detail as to how exactly one can do that. We’ve came up with an acronym that all players should live by when playoff time comes around. This will help you remember what’s important & what needs to be taken care of in order to perform at your best.
The acronym we’ve put together is S.H.I.F.T., or quite simply:
SLEEP-HYDRATION-INSIDE-FUEL-TRAINING
These 5 things, if taken care of and taken seriously, will greatly improve your efficiency during your last home strecth of the season. It’s something you’ll definitely be greatful for if you end up making it to the very end, where the difference lies in which team can last just a little bit longer than the other.S is for SLEEP
Our bodies need sleep to re-energize and grow. When we leave it all out on the ice and then only get a 5-hour night of sleep afterwards, our muscles don’t have time to recover. Next thing you know, you’re 5 games into the playoffs already all beat up and in pain, playing way below your potential. Sleep shouldn’t be neglected for ANY reason during playoffs.Find a way to get some quality sleep. Make sure your room is dark, your bed is just how you like it, and you sleep on a pillow you’re used to. If you’re on a roadtrip, bring your pillow. A word from the wise - bring some ear plugs if you’re staying with a roomate. You never know if he’s gonna keep you up by snoring or because he’s sick and coughing all night. It’s better to be prepared than end up having a miserable night of sleep.
Also, try not to watch tv or work on your computer right before bedtime. This has been proven to affect people’s ability to fall asleep soon thereafter. This may not affect you, but if you’re having trouble, try reading an hour before bed instead of watching a movie or playing videogames – it might be whats affecting your ability to fall asleep.
H is for Hydration
If you haven’t read our post on how important hydration is for athletes, you should definitely check it out here.
Your body needs water to recover. Plain and simple. Take away that water and you’re doubling recovery times which lead to useless injuries, lower energy levels, and slow decisions out on the ice. This is another thing you can control, so don’t overlook it., if you’re not getting proper liquid intake before, during, and after your games, you’re starting off your playoffs with two strikes against you already.
I is for INSIDE
You might be a little thrown off by this one…that’s good! What we mean by inside is anything that’s going on inside your head needs to be under control. Further more, your inner emotions need to be in check. If there’s stuff going on in your personal life that’s affecting your concentration, it’s going to have a direct affect on your performance.You need to realise this and learn how to shut it out and turn it off. We’re not saying to forget about your problems; problems always need to be faced. What we ARE saying is that hockey should be a getaway for you; you should be able to shut everything out the moment you step on the ice because nothing else matters. Your debt, your bad relationship, your bad grades – none of it matters when you lace up the skates and take to the ice.
Learn how to master this and you’ll be that much better off. Same goes for when your coach or linemates are getting on your nerves or the referee isn’t doing a good job…just tune it out and focus on what’s in your control at that specific moment in time. There’s no past, there’s no future…just you and the guy standing in front of you fighting for that puck.
F is for FUEL
Another straightforward one. Food is your fuel. Without fuel, you can’t produce. Your body is a car. A car can’t do what it’s meant to do without fuel. Same goes for a hockey player and his need for proper nutrition. You might feel OK sometimes, but if you haven’t been eating enough or eating properly, you might be missing that extra bit of energy that will make all the difference in the third period.It’s playoff time – stay away from the junk food for a while. Be strong and make the sacrifice. Eat healthy foods and eat often. It’s not just what you eat the day of or the day before a game that counts; the week leading up to your game is equally important. As an athlete, carbohydrates and protein are your friend. Fruits & vegetables should be common place at every meal in order to get all the vitamins and minerals you need to sustain a high level of performance.
T is for TRAINING
At this stage of the game, you shouldn’t be killing yourself in the gym, but you shouldn’t be avoiding it altogether either. After games, make sure you do a light cooldown – go for a jog, ride the bike, or skip for a few minutes to get the lactic acid buildup out of your legs. A good stretch is always good to prevent any injuries or stiffness the day after.On off days, a light bike session is best with low to moderate intensity for a few minutes – Just enough to get a little sweat in and activate your legs. You don’t want to be inactive the day before a game. The worst thing you can do is lounge around in bed or on the couch all day.
Take this seriously. It can mean the difference between having an excellent start to your game or coming out soft – or as we like to say in the hockey world ‘ coming out flat-footed‘.
So there’s our SHIFT playoff mentality. Implement just a few of those and you’ll see success. Implement them all and your on your way to preparing like a professional. Remember, you always have a choice when it comes to SHIFT, so make the right choice!
Good luck with the rest of your season and in the playoffs!
Tip of the Day
If an athlete fears failure prior to competing, the images s/he recalls
often support that fear, eg, images of previous failed attempts.
Bauer Supreme TotalOne NXG Skate Design Video
Great video from Bauer showing some insight into the new TotalOne NXG design. Enjoy!
Exercise: Weighted Bear Crawls
Who’s Doing It
- Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox 1B
Muscular Benefits
- Increases back strength, specifically the lats
- Improves core and hip stability
Sports Performance Benefits
- Improving back strength and upper-body stability prepares you for baseball's repeated throws and swings, or the rigors of other sports
- Moving through a full range of motion increases upper-body mobility so muscle tightness won't limit your natural throwing and swinging motions
- Engaging the entire body strengthens hip and core muscles, helping to connect the lower and upper body, increasing overall power and reducing the chance of injury
Backward Weighted Bear Crawl How-To
- Assume push-up position with hands on weight plates
- Pull weight with right arm toward right foot and step back
- Perform same motion on left side
- Continue bear crawl for specified distance
Coaching Points
- Get full range of motion with each pull
- Keeps hips low and body flat
- Perform in slow, controlled fashion
- Increase distance over time
Monday 7 May 2012
Skating on the Edge: Tips
More information at Out Edge Threads!
You know the names Jeff Skinner and Joe Corvo, but you may not know Tammie Wilson. However, you should know this power skating coach as she is developing our talented youth…possibly a future Jeff Skinner. Tammie competed as a figure skating medalist contender in regional, sectional, and national competitions across the U.S. Since leaving active competition, she has focused on coaching power skating for hockey players. Tammie bases her coaching philosophy around the idea that, in order to excel, skaters must master the use of their edges.
So kiddies, that is exactly what we are going to discuss today…how to improve your skating through utilizing your edges according to Coach Tammie Wilson…with a little help from Mr. Skinner and Mr. Corvo.
Whether you are a beginning or seasoned skater, everyone can afford more practice on their inside and outside edges. Don’t think so? Let’s test your knowledge. Here’s a pop quiz courtesy of Ms. Wilson:
How many edges are on your hockey blades?
The correct answer is D. When skating in hockey, players have 8 edges. OK, let’s break this down Count Von Count style from Sesame Street…
You use an inside edge, “One, one edge!”
You use an outside edge, “Two, two edges!”
You use the middle-to-front part of your blade, “Three, three edges!”
You use a middle-to-back part of the blade, “Four, four edges!”
Finally, you have two feet with four edges each, “Eight, eight edges!”
How do you use each edge to benefit your skate and play? Tammie gives us three important tips.
1. Equipment
“Poorly fit equipment is a common problem for beginners,” Tammie tells OET. She often sees people wearing skates too large for their feet which causes them to skate inward, or on their inside edges. Also, lacing up is often an important step performed incorrectly. Once you find a skate that’s the correct fit, you should make sure your heel is inside the heel cup and you lace up tight enough so there isn’t a lot of ankle movement.
Helmets are also a concern for Tammie, “With all the concussions happening around the league, I am going to make more of an effort to ensure helmets are properly fitted.” The chin cup should be…guess where…firmly secured around the chin. She also notices helmets coming down below the eyebrows, an indication it’s too big.
“Make sure you go to a professional for your equipment. Ask them how long they have been in the business and who they trained under,” says Coach Wilson.
2. Edge Power
This is Tammie’s specialty, “If you don’t use your edges properly, you aren’t going to have that explosive power to get down the ice quickly and weave between traffic confidently.” She explains hockey is mostly spent playing on a curve, meaning your inside and outside edges.
“Your inside edges are for pushing, and your outside edges are for steering,” explains Wilson. Distributing your weight properly is going to play a large role in your success. For example, another common error she notes is a skater not pushing completely through their strides. “It is suppose to be a thrust,” she states. “Ankle pressure should be against the ice, heel pushing into the ice, and pushing through with the toe. When you return, the knee should come forward, and the ankle should roll back under your hip.”
One of her favorite drills for edge work is swizzles. Swizzles are great for inside edges, and she adds crossovers to work the outside of the blade. These are referred to as grapevines in figure skating. You can check out videos of Tammie’s drills on her Facebook.
3. Watch the Big Dogs
“Jeff Skinner is tremendous on his edges because of his figure skating background. Joe Corvo is also solid on his skates,” declares Wilson. She instructs her students to watch more than the hockey game, rather watch their feet, hips, and shoulders. What should you be watching for exactly? Here’s what Tammie’s notices about Carolina Hurricanes’ Jeff Skinner, “When doing his 10 and 2, or his ‘Skinner moves’ as the kids are calling it, he is doing a forward to backward transition on his forward inside edge to his backward inside edge as he is going around the goal crease.”
Tammie works with many defensemen, so she uses Bruins’ D-man, Joe Corvo, as an example often, “He can lean on an inside edge with one foot and turn to accelerate out. His weight is perfectly distributed over his skating foot.”
A good drill for this move is to practice quick crossovers, stops, and transitions from blue line to blue line. Tammie coaches her students to step out wide and keep that wide stance on the ice as she took note of a study from Wisconsin which proved a wide stance provided quicker take-off time compared to other starting positions.
Currently, Tammie offers private and group instruction to developing hockey players and figure skaters in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also provides power skating instruction to the Carolina Lightning youth hockey team. Tammie’s wide range of skills and talents on the ice have steered several of her clients to competitive play in the Junior Hurricanes’ prestigious Squirt AA and Midget AA teams. Recently, her student, Josh Wesley, was selected to tryout for the US National Development Team. You can also find Tammie acting as an Assistant Coach for the Jr. Hurricanes girls U14 youth travel team. Tryouts are this June. For more information, please visit the RYHA website.
You may learn more about Tammie’s coaching at www.tammiespowerskating.com. Also, be sure to catch her on Twitter.
Thanks Tammie and we’ll see you on the ice! Keep up with OET as we prepare to launch in May on Twitter and Facebook.
You know the names Jeff Skinner and Joe Corvo, but you may not know Tammie Wilson. However, you should know this power skating coach as she is developing our talented youth…possibly a future Jeff Skinner. Tammie competed as a figure skating medalist contender in regional, sectional, and national competitions across the U.S. Since leaving active competition, she has focused on coaching power skating for hockey players. Tammie bases her coaching philosophy around the idea that, in order to excel, skaters must master the use of their edges.
So kiddies, that is exactly what we are going to discuss today…how to improve your skating through utilizing your edges according to Coach Tammie Wilson…with a little help from Mr. Skinner and Mr. Corvo.
Whether you are a beginning or seasoned skater, everyone can afford more practice on their inside and outside edges. Don’t think so? Let’s test your knowledge. Here’s a pop quiz courtesy of Ms. Wilson:
How many edges are on your hockey blades?
- 2
- 4
- 6
- 8
The correct answer is D. When skating in hockey, players have 8 edges. OK, let’s break this down Count Von Count style from Sesame Street…
You use an inside edge, “One, one edge!”
You use an outside edge, “Two, two edges!”
You use the middle-to-front part of your blade, “Three, three edges!”
You use a middle-to-back part of the blade, “Four, four edges!”
Finally, you have two feet with four edges each, “Eight, eight edges!”
How do you use each edge to benefit your skate and play? Tammie gives us three important tips.
1. Equipment
“Poorly fit equipment is a common problem for beginners,” Tammie tells OET. She often sees people wearing skates too large for their feet which causes them to skate inward, or on their inside edges. Also, lacing up is often an important step performed incorrectly. Once you find a skate that’s the correct fit, you should make sure your heel is inside the heel cup and you lace up tight enough so there isn’t a lot of ankle movement.
Helmets are also a concern for Tammie, “With all the concussions happening around the league, I am going to make more of an effort to ensure helmets are properly fitted.” The chin cup should be…guess where…firmly secured around the chin. She also notices helmets coming down below the eyebrows, an indication it’s too big.
“Make sure you go to a professional for your equipment. Ask them how long they have been in the business and who they trained under,” says Coach Wilson.
2. Edge Power
This is Tammie’s specialty, “If you don’t use your edges properly, you aren’t going to have that explosive power to get down the ice quickly and weave between traffic confidently.” She explains hockey is mostly spent playing on a curve, meaning your inside and outside edges.
“Your inside edges are for pushing, and your outside edges are for steering,” explains Wilson. Distributing your weight properly is going to play a large role in your success. For example, another common error she notes is a skater not pushing completely through their strides. “It is suppose to be a thrust,” she states. “Ankle pressure should be against the ice, heel pushing into the ice, and pushing through with the toe. When you return, the knee should come forward, and the ankle should roll back under your hip.”
One of her favorite drills for edge work is swizzles. Swizzles are great for inside edges, and she adds crossovers to work the outside of the blade. These are referred to as grapevines in figure skating. You can check out videos of Tammie’s drills on her Facebook.
3. Watch the Big Dogs
“Jeff Skinner is tremendous on his edges because of his figure skating background. Joe Corvo is also solid on his skates,” declares Wilson. She instructs her students to watch more than the hockey game, rather watch their feet, hips, and shoulders. What should you be watching for exactly? Here’s what Tammie’s notices about Carolina Hurricanes’ Jeff Skinner, “When doing his 10 and 2, or his ‘Skinner moves’ as the kids are calling it, he is doing a forward to backward transition on his forward inside edge to his backward inside edge as he is going around the goal crease.”
Tammie works with many defensemen, so she uses Bruins’ D-man, Joe Corvo, as an example often, “He can lean on an inside edge with one foot and turn to accelerate out. His weight is perfectly distributed over his skating foot.”
A good drill for this move is to practice quick crossovers, stops, and transitions from blue line to blue line. Tammie coaches her students to step out wide and keep that wide stance on the ice as she took note of a study from Wisconsin which proved a wide stance provided quicker take-off time compared to other starting positions.
Currently, Tammie offers private and group instruction to developing hockey players and figure skaters in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also provides power skating instruction to the Carolina Lightning youth hockey team. Tammie’s wide range of skills and talents on the ice have steered several of her clients to competitive play in the Junior Hurricanes’ prestigious Squirt AA and Midget AA teams. Recently, her student, Josh Wesley, was selected to tryout for the US National Development Team. You can also find Tammie acting as an Assistant Coach for the Jr. Hurricanes girls U14 youth travel team. Tryouts are this June. For more information, please visit the RYHA website.
You may learn more about Tammie’s coaching at www.tammiespowerskating.com. Also, be sure to catch her on Twitter.
Thanks Tammie and we’ll see you on the ice! Keep up with OET as we prepare to launch in May on Twitter and Facebook.
Embedding a Work Ethic
Think
your kids are too busy with hockey and homework to help out around the
house? Plenty of time for that later in life? A former NHL player shares
how helping out around the house helped him succeed.
Discipline and a sense of responsibility are vital to anything you do in life. Kids need responsibilities outside of hockey that will help them throughout their lives. There was not a day growing up that I didn’t have at least a half-hour of chores to do around my house. It wasn’t an option—whether it was stacking a cord of wood, cooking dinner, washing the dishes, cleaning my room or sweeping out the garage. My parents both worked. If I wanted to play the game I loved, I had to carry my share of the family load. I also worked full time in the summers from age 14. My dad always taught me to look in the mirror at the end of the day, knowing I did everything I could do to improve, both as a person, and as an athlete.
Editor’s Note: Thank you to Jeff Serowik of Pro Ambitons Hockey for this story.
Article from Grow The Game.
Discipline and a sense of responsibility are vital to anything you do in life. Kids need responsibilities outside of hockey that will help them throughout their lives. There was not a day growing up that I didn’t have at least a half-hour of chores to do around my house. It wasn’t an option—whether it was stacking a cord of wood, cooking dinner, washing the dishes, cleaning my room or sweeping out the garage. My parents both worked. If I wanted to play the game I loved, I had to carry my share of the family load. I also worked full time in the summers from age 14. My dad always taught me to look in the mirror at the end of the day, knowing I did everything I could do to improve, both as a person, and as an athlete.
Editor’s Note: Thank you to Jeff Serowik of Pro Ambitons Hockey for this story.
Article from Grow The Game.
NCAA Hockey Experienc: An experience of a lifetime
For more college hockey information please click here!
STOCKHOLM – Before the puck dropped to start the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships on Friday afternoon in Stockholm, Evan Kaufmann stood with pride, but filled with so many emotions as the national anthem of Germany was played.
Normally there are butterflies in the belly for any first-time national team player but Kaufmann’s journey to representing his country is far more unique than most. The Minnesota native lives in Germany and is a citizen of that country. He is also the only Jewish skater on the team and one of the very few Jewish athletes to represent Germany in international competition.
“This is a really big stage with a lot of great players in the tournament and on our team and I’m glad to be a part of this,” said Kaufmann after Germany’s 3-0 win over Italy. “It is a special experience and an honour to play for the team; and I am looking forward to helping them any way I can.”
Kaufmann credits his time at the University of Minnesota from 2004-2008 with preparing him as a player and a person to enter this national stage. As a student athlete, he played all four years for the Golden Gophers and majored in accounting.
Attending the University and playing on one of college hockey’s most prestigious teams was a dream come true. Kaufmann had watched Gophers games with his dad since he was about four.
“It was a great experience and I learned a lot about myself as a person,” he said. “I definitely developed my game further as a hockey player and was a big part in shaping where I’m at today.”
There is a Minnesota connection here at the World Championships. Team USA’s Kyle Okposo and Alex Goligoski were teammates and a third, Matt DeMarchi is representing Italy.
“It’s nice to see a small crew of Gophers out here and it’s always fun when you get to play against them.”
Four years ago, Kaufmann graduated and began exploring his options. Kaufmann was undrafted and NHL scouts were not knocking at his door. But he wanted to play hockey and as it has been for so many former collegiate stars, Europe was a possibility. In his case it was Germany to play for DEG Düsseldorf.
“I didn’t have too many expectations coming into Germany and it happened pretty quickly,” Kaufmann recalled of his decision. “I knew about European hockey but no specifics about the DEL.”
Besides the usual culture change and language barrier players face when making such a move, Kaufmann’s was tangled in personal family history. Besides being Jewish, Kaufmann’s great grandparents were perished at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust.
“It’s definitely took a lot to drastically change our lifestyle as we have and it wasn’t easy initially to come over knowing my family’s history,” he offered. “But I always had an open mind and wanted to develop my own opinions about current day life in Germany, the hockey, everything.”
This meant judging Germany in its present state and not just by the ugly history that it will never shake.
Four years with Düsseldorf offered the chance for a professional hockey career and a stable life off the ice. Kaufmann and his wife Danielle have grown comfortable with hockey and life in Germany. Great experiences and friendships have been made along the way.
Kaufmann got German citizenship and played his first exhibition games for the adopted country in February (see story).
With a historical topic such as the Holocaust, the idea that a Jew would wear a German team sweater and represent the country has drawn both supporters and detractors.
“I have heard some people’s opinions who feel differently about what I’m doing and I respect that because everyone is going to feel the way they do with a topic like this.”
“I’m not trying to preach to anyone, I’m just trying to share my experience on what life for us since coming over. I hope that by sharing my story other people may give it an opportunity they otherwise wouldn’t have.”
Soon life will offer new experiences. Kaufmann has signed to play for the Nuremberg Ice Tigers and is about to become a dad in June.
“I’m just crossing my fingers that my wife doesn’t go into labor while I’m over here,” he said. “But more than anything I’m looking forward to getting home and starting the next chapter with my wife after this amazing experience at the World Championship.”
JOHN SANFUL
Friday 4 May 2012
The Top 11 Vitamin C Foods
Article is from Healthy Habits!
Back in the 1970′s, Dr.Linus Pauling popularized a theory that high doses of Vitamin C would significantly decrease the incidence of the common cold. This theory spurred a widespread belief that consuming more vitamin C will reduce the risk of catching a cold and reduce its severity.
While that theory has taken a beating in the past few years, no one can deny that Vitamin C is a nutritional superstar.
- Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen – an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone.
- Vitamin C also plays an important role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter - norepinephrine. Neurotransmitters are critical to brain function and are known to affect mood.
- In addition, vitamin C is required for the synthesis of carnitine, a small molecule that is essential for the transport of fat into cellular organelles called mitochondria, where the fat is converted to energy.
- Research also suggests that vitamin C is involved in the metabolism of cholesterol to bile acids, which may have implications for blood cholesterol levels and the incidence of gallstones.
- Vitamin C is also a highly effective antioxidant. Even in small amounts vitamin C can protect indispensable molecules in the body, such as proteins, lipids (fats), carbohydrates, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), from damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species that can be generated during normal metabolism as well as through exposure to toxins and pollutants (e.g., cigarette smoke).
- Vitamin C may also be able to regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamin E. One recent study of cigarette smokers found that vitamin C regenerated vitamin E from its oxidized form.
Most of us get it from a glass of OJ with our breakfast.
And while that glass of liquid sunshine is a great way to get the “C” into your body, it’s also a great way to get a whole bunch of sugar without all the fibery goodness that goes along with most sources of Vitamin C.
And for that reason, I am giving you 2 different lists of Vitamin C sources
The JUICE list….
- Orange juice – 1 cup – 124 mg Vitamin C
- Pineapple and grapefruit juice drink – 1 cup – 115 mg Vitamin C
- Cranberry juice cocktail - 1 cup – 107 mg Vitamin C
- Grapefruit juice - 1 cup - 94 mg vitamin C
- Grape drink - 1 cup – 79 mg Vitamin C
- Vegetable juice cocktail - 1 cup – 67 mg Vitamin C
- Pineapple juice - 1 cup – 25 mg Vitamin C
- Peaches – 1 cup - sliced – 236 mg Vitamin C
- Peppers, sweet, red – 1 cup – raw – 190 mg Vitamin C
- Fruit, mixed, (peach and cherry-sweet and -sour and raspberry and grape and boysenberry) - 1 cup – 188 mg Vitamin C
- Papayas, 1 fruit (300 g) – 185 mg Vitamin C
- Strawberries, sliced – 1 cup – 106 mg Vitamin C
- Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained – 1 cup – 101 mg Vitamin C
- Brussels sprouts, cooked, boiled, drained – 1 cup – 97 mg Vitamin C
- Kohlrabi, cooked, boiled, drained – 1 cup – 89 mg Vitamin C
- Peas, edible-podded, boiled, drained – 1 cup – 77 mg Vitamin C
- Kiwifruit - 1 medium fruit (76 g) – 71 mg Vitamin C
- Oranges – 1 fruit (131 g) – 70 mg Vitamin C
Athletes Conquer Concentration Obstacles – Part 2
Serious competitive athletes realize there is no room for distraction if they want to win events. Developing
laser focus is possible, can be done and is necessary for reaching your
BIG goals. When you are training for high performance unbreakable
concentration is required. Consciously training your mental game
provides you an edge over your competition.
Beth, a triathlete developing her race strategy for the season, decided to take on a big challenge. Although it felt like a significant leap, she decided to train in order to win a qualifying spot for the Kona Ironman. Stepping up to this challenge required a tighter training plan, self confidence to achieve her goals and unshakable determination.
One thing Beth knew about herself was how easily she is distracted. She quickly becomes bored, gets sidetracked and doesn’t always manage her time well. To meet her challenge to qualify for an Ironman required strong, focused concentration.
Some strategies Beth used to improve her concentration included:
Beth, a triathlete developing her race strategy for the season, decided to take on a big challenge. Although it felt like a significant leap, she decided to train in order to win a qualifying spot for the Kona Ironman. Stepping up to this challenge required a tighter training plan, self confidence to achieve her goals and unshakable determination.
One thing Beth knew about herself was how easily she is distracted. She quickly becomes bored, gets sidetracked and doesn’t always manage her time well. To meet her challenge to qualify for an Ironman required strong, focused concentration.
Some strategies Beth used to improve her concentration included:
- Boundaries – Learning what easily distracted her focus. Identifying the conversations she had with her team, the people she spent time with on race day and the strength of her personal boundaries. Removing herself from all negativity prior to the start of the triathlon minimized external distractions.
- The Warm-up – She developed a mental game warm-up to improve concentration. A mental dress rehearsal for transitions, then detailed visualization of each leg in the triathlon and mindset exercises to manage her adrenaline.
- Self-talk – High performance requires a positive focus. The plan was to focus on her strengths. Laser Focus –Her eye placement affected her focus. Beth trained her vision. Focusing on pre-selected target points for each leg of the triathlon was part of her race strategy.
- Presence of mind – Minds wander even when meditating. Once Beth noticed her attention wavering, her job was to re-focus to the task at hand. Acknowledging the distraction and then letting go of the thought requires practice. Setting personal challenges during the event improves concentration.
- Refocus skills – Beth developed reminder phrases to bring her back into the moment when her focus would stray.
The Five Types of Questions You Must Ask a College Recruiter
Article found on ColoradoAvalanchecares.com
Working with a college recruiter can seem a bit overwhelming if you are unprepared. The following article from the National Collegiate Scouting Association suggests the five most important types of questions to ask when speaking to a recruiter.
While knowing what questions to expect from a college coach and how to answer them is important, any conversation with a coach also allows the student athlete an opportunity to find out some critical information that will help them through the athletic recruiting process. The key is to know the right questions to ask in order to maximize your short time with a coach.
Every conversation with a college coach will be unique. Since the recruiting process moves at different speeds for prospects and coaches, the current relationship should dictate the type of questions that are appropriate. However, regardless of where you’re at in the process, we wanted to give you some advice that every recruit can take advantage of.
Before we go into specific questions that potential recruits should ask college coaches, let’s go over a few basics to keep in mind while preparing for the conversations.
First and foremost, PREPARE! While a prospect might not know the exact time a college coach will be calling, every recruit should recognize that phone conversations will be a significant portion of a recruiting relationship. With that in mind, prospects should write down a list of 15 questions that they could ask a coach…and keep it handy! While the conversation should flow naturally, it will only help a potentially nervous student-athlete to have a set of questions prepared ahead of time that they can always ask a coach.
A prospect should never ask if they will receive a scholarship during an initial conversation unless a coach brings up the topic. Recruits should maximize the conversation by only asking questions that they can find answers to by talking to the coach directly. They should not waste this valuable opportunity by asking questions that can be answered through a brief visit to the college’s website. Each conversation serves as a limited chance to develop a real relationship…make the most of it! Do not be afraid to ask coaches about themselves. Often times, recruits only ask questions that pertain to their life and neglect to find out anything personal about the coach. It’s important for a recruit to get to know a coach (their interests, their family, etc…)
Now, let’s go over some questions recruits can ask to make the most of the conversation. As we mentioned earlier, every conversation will be dictated the by current recruiting situation, but here are a few topics that should be covered and some sample questions from each…
1. Academics - Simply put, academics are the most important part of the process. If the college coach does not share your academic goals then it might be time to look at other options. Here are some academic questions every recruit might want to ask:
* What are the admission requirements for an athlete?
* Will my specific major interfere with the athletic schedule?
* What are some of the most popular majors for athletes on your team?
* Does your team have a full-time academic advisor?
* Do your players graduate in four years?
* Can the application fee be waived for athletes?
2. Athletics / Recruiting - These two topics overlap in many cases, as an athletic evaluation will determine how heavily the coaching staff will be recruiting a prospect. Here are some “must ask” questions for recruits at any point in the process:
* Has your coaching staff evaluated me?
* Where do I fit on your recruiting board?
* Have you offered scholarships to others in my class? At my position?
* Have any other athletes in my class accepted the offers?
* How many players will you be recruiting at my position?
* Where will you be recruiting this season / spring / summer?
* What types of off-season activities are expected?
* What does the training program consist of at your school?
* What is your recruiting timeline?
* Is there a good time to come visit your school?
3. Scholarship - As we noted, it is rarely appropriate for a recruit to ask if they will receive a scholarship in an initial phone conversation, however there are a few questions that will help you gauge your scholarship possibilities at that school:
* How many scholarships do you have available for my class?
* Am I under consideration for a scholarship?
* What types of academic scholarships are available? What about other sorts of grants and aid?
* Do I have to apply before a scholarship is offered?
* What happens if I get injured?
4. College Life Questions - Even though athletics will obviously play a major role in the life of a collegiate student-athlete, every recruit should make sure they are going to be happy on campus even when they are not with the team. Make sure to ask about some of the following:
* What is the housing situation like? Do teammates typically live together?
* Do student-athletes stay on campus during the summer?
* Is it possible to work part-time in addition to playing a sport and studying?
* What is a typical “day in the life” like for a member of your team during the season? What about during the off-season?
5. Important Final Questions - While there are many directions that a conversation might take with a college coach, one key goal should be to find out what comes next:
* What are the next steps in this process?
* When is the next time we can speak / meet?
* Is there anything I can provide you with that will help you further evaluate me?
Hopefully this list will provide recruits a starting point for the type of questions they should ask a college coach. By no means is this list comprehensive, but it should assist a student athlete as they prepare for their first conversation with a coach.
As you can tell, there is quite a bit of information that student-athletes need to gather…This is one of the most important decisions a young person will make in their life. Get as much information as possible! That is also one of the main reasons why recruiting is all about building relationships. This process does not happen overnight, and will consist of a number of different situations in which a recruit communicates with a college coach. Phone conversations just happen to be an important initial step in building that relationship.
If you are prospect, at any age, which has yet to begin developing a relationship with a college coach, you might be falling behind. There are other prospects, starting freshmen year or earlier (your competition), who have already started speaking with college coaches. The earlier you start that relationship, the more time you will have to make the best decision possible. Make sure to get started today!
Editor’s Note: Thank you to the NCSA for this article.
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