Girls Hockey Calgary's Spring Skills Camp focuses on individual skill development on and off the ice for female athletes born 2008 to 2020! On-ice sessions are run by experienced hockey coaches and will focus on individual skating, puck-handling, passing and shooting skills. Off-ice sessions are run by a variety of qualified coaches and are designed to build confidence, competence and physical literacy.

Camp Components

• Short But High Quality Off-Ice Components
• Brain on/Brain off Program Design
• High Quality Feedback from On- and Off-Ice Coaches
• High Repetition Environment
• Culture-Creating Components
• Facilitating Play and Competitive Environments

Schedule Overview (U9-U20)

• Tuesday Evenings - Fitness and Skill Sessions - Henry Viney/Stew Hendry or George Blundun/Optimist*
• Wednesday Evenings - Goalie Sessions - Rocky Ridge Arena
• Thursday Evenings - Bi-weekly Intersquad Games - Henry Viney/Stew Hendry or George Blundun/Optimist*
• Thursday Evenings - Bi-weekly Multisport - Locations TBD
• Tuesday, April 15th - U11 to U18 Camp Kickoff- On Ice Speed Testing and Team Building - Max Bell 
• Thursday, April 17th - U11 to U18 - Off Ice Shooting Clinic
• Thursday, April 17th - U7 & U9 Camp Kick Off - Off Ice Shooting Clinic and Team Activity
• Thursday, May 15 - Shoot-a-thon Charity Fundraiser - Score Hockey Range
• Saturday, June 14 - Jamboree & Wrap-Up - George Blundun Arena

* Locations are dependent on ice availability and will be finalized prior to the opening of registration January 24^th 2025

What's Included (U9-U20)?

• On-Ice Sessions (13)*
  • 7 Skill Sessions
  • 4 Intersquad Games
  • 2 On-ice Speed Tests (U11to U20 ONLY)
• Off-Ice Sessions (12)
  • 8 Dryland Sessions
  • 3 Multisport Sessions
  • 1 Camp Charity Shootathon
• Off Ice Shooting Clinic
• Nutrition Session - Parents
• 5x5 Jamboree 
• Camp Hoodie & Jersey

*U9 On-Ice Sessions are Half-Ice

What's Included (U7)?

• Half-Ice Sessions (12) - April 17th to June 14th
  • Henry Viney or George Blundun Arenas
  • Tuesday Evenings - 5-6pm - Skill Sessions
  • Thursday Evenings - 5-6pm - Bi-weekly Intersquad Games
• Jamboree Game
• Camp Jersey

What Skills Will We Learn?

Hockey Skill Sessions

Sessions are designed to build skills consistently while maintaining a high level of engagement. Skills will change each week to maintain engagement but stay consistent enough to provide results over the period, with a focus on quality of repetitions versus a full session of repetitions. Each session will include core stick skills appropriate to the age group. Goalies will have position-specific instruction for portions of on-ice skill sessions with a qualified female goalie coach.

• Skating - base
• Stickhandling - base
• Shooting - base
• Skating - edgework
• Stickhandling + skating
• Shooting + skating
• Core stick skills
  • Passing
  • Shooting
  • Stickhandling

Multi-Sport Sessions

The multi-sport curriculum will review fundamental concepts and movements, basic team tactics and sportsmanship in a variety of team sports: basketball, softball, rugby, soccer, and more! All multi-sport instructors are trained in their respective sports, offering athletes quality coaching focused on skill development, building character, and developing a passion for the game.

Dryland Sessions

Fitness sessions are designed to improve strength, speed, coordination, balance, and fundamental movement skills. Sessions introduce proper movement prep and cool-down techniques an emphasis will be placed on injury prevention.

What's Required?

• Full Hockey Equipment
• Dryland Clothing (Athletic shoes, shorts, water bottle, sun screen, etc.) - U9-U18 only

*Some sessions will be outdoors, please dress appropriately for the weather!

Why Multi-Sport?

Skills

• 88 per cent of college athletes come from a multi-sport background. (American Medical Society for Sports Medicine)
• For most sports, there is no evidence that intense training and specialization before age 13 or 14 are necessary to achieve elite status. (Sports Health Journal)
• Diversified sports training during early and middle adolescence may be a more effective strategy in ultimately developing elite-level skills. (American Medical Society for Sports Medicine)

Reduce Burnout

• Around 70 per cent of kids stop playing organized sports by the age of 13 because, “it’s just not fun anymore”. (Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan University)
• Children who specialized early in a single sport led to higher rates of adult physical inactivity. Those who commit to one sport at a young age are often the first to quit. (Ohio State University study)
• An athlete who specializes early or plays on an ultra-competitive select team is at increased risk of burnout or quitting sports as a result of chronic stress, repetitive strain and a decrease in intrinsic motivation and enjoyment during their training sessions. (American Medical Society for Sports Medicine)

Injury Prevention

• Athletes who specialized were 70 to 93 per cent more likely to be injured than children who played multiple sports. (Study by Dr. Neeru Jayanthi of Loyola University, et al)
• Intense and repeated training in one sport at a young age has been associated with higher rates of injury, which ultimately has an effect on the length of a sport career. (International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology)
• Early sport specialization has been identified as damaging for the future physical and mental health of the athlete. (Consensus Statement American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Early Sport)

Source: Hockey Calgary

Resources

• Change it Up Campaign
• Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney - Importance of Multi-Sport