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.

Testing Core Stability

Recently I received an email asking me if there was a difinitive test for core stability.  The very real truth is that I think there is no single test, but a combination of tests should reveal a lot about what we want to know.

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:

• “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?“.

First of all let me start off by saying that if you’re thinking or asking these kind of questions you’re already on track.  Awareness, knowledge, and preparation are all you need to start making a huge difference in not only sport but life.  The benefits of nutrition are widely known but from my experience: I maximized my gains from training, had more energy, healed faster and thought more clearly because of what I put into my body.

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.

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.

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With playoffs around the corner and them being started for some, there’s no more crucial time of the season in terms of being at your 100% efficiency level. That means physically AND mentally.
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

Sets/Reps: 3x10 yards

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

To See Video demo - Click Here!

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?

1. 2
2. 4
3. 6
4. 8

{insert Jeopardy music here}

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.

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

The Top 11 Vitamin C Foods

 

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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.

So…what’s the best way for you to get this super vitamin into your diet?
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

And the FOOD list…

1. Peaches – 1 cup - sliced – 236 mg Vitamin C
2. Peppers, sweet, red – 1 cup – raw – 190 mg Vitamin C
3. Fruit, mixed, (peach and cherry-sweet and -sour and raspberry and grape and boysenberry) - 1 cup – 188 mg Vitamin C
4. Papayas, 1 fruit (300 g) – 185 mg Vitamin C
5. Strawberries, sliced – 1 cup – 106 mg Vitamin C
6. Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained – 1 cup – 101 mg Vitamin C
7. Brussels sprouts, cooked, boiled, drained – 1 cup – 97 mg Vitamin C
8. Kohlrabi, cooked, boiled, drained – 1 cup – 89 mg Vitamin C
9. Peas, edible-podded, boiled, drained – 1 cup – 77 mg Vitamin C
10. Kiwifruit - 1 medium fruit (76 g) –  71 mg Vitamin C
11. Oranges – 1 fruit (131 g) – 70 mg Vitamin C

And in my humble opinion, I think the FOOD list is way, way, way better than the JUICE list.

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:

• 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.

As Beth’s concentration improved she shaved off time during her first triathlon of the season, setting a new PR. She strengthened her commitment to qualifying for the Ironman. She believed it was possible.

Read more: http://expertsportsperformance.com/athletes-conquer-concentration-obstacles-part-2/#ixzz1txYbV6PU

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.