GHC would like to acknowledge Past President Jody Forbes for her tireless efforts in advancing our association. Her stewardship has increased Girls Hockey Calgary’s visibility, membership, financial position, programs and partnerships.

During Jody’s two terms as President, GHC won its first-ever Hockey Calgary Association of the Year Award in the 2016/17 season, and her efforts were recognized by both Hockey Calgary and Hockey Alberta, who named Jody Volunteer of the Year for the 2018/19 season.

Perhaps most importantly, Jody’s work has directly impacted the development of our female hockey players as individuals, athletes and community members. We wish Jody the very best in her future endeavours!

Please read below a farewell message from Past President Jody Forbes.

 

 

Dear GHC Families,

I want to take the time to thank our GHC membership for your support over the past four years. I have truly enjoyed my time working with the Board and our dedicated group of hockey supporters as we’ve led the organization through some rapid and exciting change. There have been many sleepless nights, second guesses, and hard decisions, but overall, I am beyond proud of what we have accomplished for female hockey in Calgary in a short span of time.

Four years ago, I was elected to the board during a chaotic AGM — emotions were high and there was turmoil in the organization. Elected alongside me were three new faces: Kyle Severson, Craig Perrett, and Jamie Martin. I may have ended up with the title of President, but we have functioned as an equal team. Together, we dreamed up some ambitious plans for change, which have shaped where we are at today. Kyle and Craig have moved on to coaching roles, and Jamie will be retiring along with me, but I want to thank these three for their partnership. They were the driving force that kept us going in the right direction.

As I reflect on my time with the association, I’d like to share just a few highlights of our progress:

  • Implementing a major rebrand and promotional strategy for both the Calgary Fire Elite program and Jr. Inferno community program;
  • Creating a formal relationship with the CWHL, setting a framework of support and partnership with professional women’s hockey;
  • Creating tiered hockey at all levels;
  • Launching an association-wide development model;
  • Piloting a new league structure for community teams, including our newly-formed All Female Divisions
  • Recruiting and creating development opportunities for our female coaches, which increased our number of female coaches to 50 in 2019;
  • Growing our player numbers from 580 in 2015/16 to more than 800 for the 2018/19 season, the largest growth in the province;
  • Becoming the largest female hockey program in Alberta;
  • Being awarded Hockey Calgary Association of the Year in 2017 for the first time in GHC history.

I am truly grateful to have been able to play a role in these accomplishments. They would not have been possible without the support of our Board of Directions, staff, volunteers and membership. Thank you.

I have full confidence that great things are still to come. One thing we all have in common is our belief in female hockey, and our desire to build an association that helps our athletes thrive.

Sincerely,

Jody Forbes
Past President
Girls Hockey Calgary Association (GHC)

Posted in President's Message