Durham Total Sports latest issue

Total Sports 1

DURHAM

TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM

VOL 8 - ISSUE 3

COVERING LOCAL SPORTS IN OUR COMMUNITY

PERFECT SKATING Glides Into Durham pg 4

A VIEW ON SPORTS

In a Time of COVID 19 pg 9

TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM

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Total Sports

TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM

DURHAM REGION

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Amy Knowles durhamtotalsports@gmail.com 416-560-5700 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kelly Leigh Martin Total Sports Quinte Total Sports Durham Region Edition is a free Magazine, published 6 times a year, bi-monthly. Contents Copyright 2015 Total Sports Magazine Inc., No part of this magazine may be reproduced or depicted in print or digital without the written permission of Total Sports Magazine Inc. The opinions expressed by contributors may not be those of Total Sports Magazine. Total Sports Magazine Inc., assumes no liability for submissions or omissions.

Contributors - Scary Mary, Jeff Roux, The Barn EPC, Allyson Tufts, Manon Rhéaume, Jeremy Benoit, Randy Uens, Kyle Allard-Perfect Skating, Joey Walsh - Hockey Stick Man, Ontario Cardinals, Whitby Sports Hall of Fame, Troy Hull, Geared to Golf, Lady Blue Knights Barb Boyes, Nice Rink - John Stoller Photo Credits: Whitby Sports Hall of Fame, OJHL Images, Amy Deroche, Jeff Roux, Scary mary, Perfect Skating Durham, Geared to Golf

Cover Photo By Perfect Skate Durhamtotalsports@gmail.com twitter @DTotalSports

Volume 8 Issue 3

INSIDE

4-5 .............................Perfect Skating Durham 7 ..Never Underestimate the Power of Hockey 9 ...................................UTurns Sports Column 11 ........Deliberate Practice by Jeremy Benoit 12-13 .........................................Geared to Golf 14-15 .......Manon Rhéaume Breaking The Ice 16 .............................................Aikido Ryugikan 17 ............................................Oxford Learning 18-19 ................Move 365 - The Sports World Turned Upside Down 20 .................................................The Barn EPC 21 .................Ontario Cardinals Elite Baseball 22 .....Parents Guide to Buying a Hockey Stick 24 .....................................................Scary Skate 25 ..................................................................F45 26-27 ......................Hockey During Pandemic 28 .....................................................Raisin’ Hull 31 .........................Whitby Sports Hall of Fame 33 ...................Killerfit Performance Academy 35 ........................................ Lady Blue Knights 38-39 ................................... Frozen Memories

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FEATURES

Perfect Skating Slides into Durham 4

Move 365 - The Sports World Turned Upside Down 18

Manon Rhéaume Breaking the Ice 14

Ontario Cardinals 21

DURHAM.TOTALSPORTSMAGAZINE.CA

PERFECT SKATING DURHAM

TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM

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On Ice Movement Specialists

By Kyle Allard Perfect Skating Durham Region

Perfect Skating Program Kyle Allard grew up in a small town in the Ottawa Valley called Petawawa.

He was number 5 of 13 siblings (8 boys and 5 girls).

The Allard family were all impressive hockey players, playing hockey for their hometown Patriots, then Titans AAA, and all the boys played Jr A. Some of the boys, including Kyle, were awarded USA Scholarships combining education and hockey.

Kyle started his first Perfect Skating franchise in the Ottawa Valley 4 years ago and branched out to Bowmanville Ont. while building the surrounding Durham region with the Perfect Skating unique on-ice training. He began working with minor hockey elite athletes, and now Kyle has added to his talents training NHL elites throughout Canada and the USA. Coach Kyle has become an elite Performance Coach with Perfect Skating and his performance and passion are contagious on the ice delivering Perfect Skating Progressive Program for Athletes, while training and develop great Elite Coaches!

Kyle says “This keeps Athletes developing to their top potential while loving the game as much as Perfect Skating loves to see them progress”.

The Perfect Skating Program is really what made us famous! It was our first program piloted by key players of the Ottawa Senators and French Olympic Ice Hockey Federation in 2008. The program has stood the test of time and is in continuous improvement through our strategic partnership with the University of Ottawa’s Kinesiology Department, collaboration with R and D teams of top Hockey Manufacturers in addition to the over 200 current NHL player partnerships that provide true organic feedback while training on the ice during the season and off-season.

Designed to focus on joint mobility, stability and activation of key on-ice movement targets of the musculoskeletal system, the Perfect Skating Program is a series of Isometric platforms designed to enhance kinetic on-ice feel while discovering asymmetries in movement performance.

Complexity is then added with increased nervous system feedback while focusing on movement pattern mapping, proprioceptive control and the development of speed, agility and quickness.

kyle.allard@perfectskating.ca facebook.com/psdurham

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TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF HOCKEY How do you possibly describe the power of hockey?

By Allyson Tufts - Author, Speaker, and Passionate Hockey Mom Is it the moments as a hockey mom when you see your son score his first goal knowing he has been shooting pucks at your garage door for hours?

The look on his face when the team surrounds him to celebrate and you realize he’s created a bond to last a lifetime. You smile to yourself knowing that all the moments that you let him stay outside for that extra hour, under the flood light, has finally paid off. A moment that only you and your young player fully understands. As he cheers and smiles the purest smile because he’s accomplished something with the help of his teammates that nobody can ever take away. That moment that you realize that letting him stay up a little later, in the dark, gave him so much more than the extra hour of sleep ever could.

little ones who are as excited to see the ice get cleaned as they are to see the game. Is it the coach that has worked all day and raced to get to the rink so his team can see how important it is to be on time?

Is it the moments when dad gets up extra early to take his teenage daughter to practice? This young lady who is now unrecognizable to him when she’s anywhere but on the ice. The moments in the car when she’s all yours, no other chatter from her friends, no boyfriend on her phone, just you and her; just you and her talking about the one love that puberty, boyfriends or years can never take away. It’s the simple experience, the simple love of the sport that you have in common no matter how much she’s growing up. Even though she no longer looks to you for advice or no longer needs you to tuck her in at night.

You drive her, safe in the knowledge that yours will be the face she looks to when she scores that goal; yours will be the eyes she needs when she coughs up the puck, and you will be the one she hugs when her team makes it to the playoffs. Yes the power of hockey, the years it gives a father and daughter when everything else about their relationship feels foreign...if that’s not power I don’t know what is.

This article is the property of Allyson Tufts and is not to be used without her permission.

Or....is it the country that takes such pride in this sport that we call it our own, our number one (1) sport and our nation’s game?

A country that celebrates the coldest days of the year because we know that it means our ponds will freeze and give us hours of endless shinny with our friends and family. Is it the country that looks forward to Christmas because with Christmas comes Boxing Day and with Boxing Day comes the World Juniors? I honestly can’t decide what it is about the sport that makes it so powerful. I guess when a game can bring a country together, a family together and quite simply bring people together the way that hockey does, do we ever really need to question its power?

So, I guess it’s as simple as this, “Don’t Ever Underestimate the Power of Hockey!”

To learn more about Allyson Tufts or to purchase the book, please visit www.lessonsfrombehindtheglass.com.

You can also purchase the book at amazon.ca.

Buy the book at Amazon

Amazon.ca/LESSONS-BEHINDGLASS-Journey-Hockey/ dp/1686333498

Check out Allyson’s video on YouTube

- Allyson Tufts: Lessons From Behind the Glass

Perhaps it’s the spectator who comes to the games faithfully every week, horn in one hand, cowbell in the other to cheer on the team they love so much. They come to watch because they know on that night their biggest worry is if their team wins or loses. For those 60 minutes there is no thought of their bad day at work, or the job they’ve lost, the spouse they’re fighting or worse, the illness they are fighting. For this night it’s all about the escape of hockey, that wonderful sport that carries any passionate spectator to a place that leaves no room for anything else but the outcome of the game.

Maybe it’s the glow of the tv across our beloved country on Saturday nights. The moments spent in the warmth of your home curled up with a bag of chips and blanket watching Hockey Night in Canada. Is it the volunteer that wakes up at ungodly hours, when the snow is flying, to get to the early morning practices to teach our young superstars how to skate?

The Zamboni driver who always takes the time to wave at the

Visit LessonsFromBehindTheGlass.Com

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Sports Column 9

TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM

By Randy Uens

U Turns: A View on Sports Sports in a Time of Covid: Among other Musings …

This is the first of hopefully many editorials I will write for this magazine and website.

Obviously all dependent on how it is received by the readership ... It could be my last. First thing to get out of the way… yes that picture is me; Circa 1975 Belleville Novice Rep Lacrosse. I blame my parents for the choice of cut off track pants as shorts. Secondly, you may ask; why is the column called U Turns? It comes from two places.

Initially it was a short-lived nickname given to me in high school by a guy named Rob Guarasci. I hated it. At the time I was a lot smaller in stature than I am today and took this nickname as an insult. A “bigger guy trying to demean me”, was my reaction to this nickname. My response to Rob was a lame nickname of “G String”.

Luckily for both of us, neither nickname stuck in the public domain.

In retrospect now I realize that Rob probably wasn’t being mean, he was trying to be funny. I in turn was insecure and took it as an attack. A valuable life lesson I guess as I look back at it. I needed to be able to take a joke and laugh at myself sometimes. The second reason for the column name is that the word “U turn“ represents a lot of things about sports and life. Often you go down a wrong path and you correct your path by doing a U Turn. Other times you may see danger ahead, and perform a U turn to avoid that danger. I believe that this analogy holds true with sports. I hope to talk about topics of interest and provide insights via my own experiences, the good the bad and whatever else I can come up with.

Currently our lives are consumed with the talk of COVID 19 and the fallout of decisions made by the government and health agencies.

I don’t have to tell you all this has not been the best of times, but it also has not been the worst of times. There have been some great things that have come out of these crazy circumstances. For my family it has been the family time, especially family dinners. During the complete lockdown we were able to sit down and actually connect again as a family for extended periods of time. No one was racing off to a rink or to a workout. Spouse going one way with one kid and me the other with the other. My son Zach was home from college in the U.S. and we valued all of that time together.

Many people, and I mean many people, either picked up golf again or started golfing, as it was one of the first things that we were able to do to get out of the house. Golf has had its biggest season in twenty years. Bicycles, hiking gear and boats all have been in high demand as people seek solstice and comfort in sports and leisure during these stressful times.

In the beginning it was the fear of the unknown. This superbug that was decimating our elderly and those with compromised

immunities with the odd anecdotal incidence of otherwise healthy people falling victim to this virus that we knew nothing about.

Shutting down sports, restaurants etc., was the right thing to do at the time. We needed to circle the wagons and understand what we are dealing with. And for the most part, in Canada, we have done pretty well managing. There have been mistakes and we have learned from them, hopefully. As we enter another cycle of increased cases we now know what we are dealing with. It’s a virus.

It’s very contagious. We need to wash our hands, wear a mask and socially distance until we get a vaccine and or treatments to deal with it. The reality is that it is not going away anytime soon. We need to protect our vulnerable people in the population. I can’t agree more. We have to be considerate and wear a mask to protect other people. We need to improve testing so that it is more accessible and immediate, even to the point where we can test ourselves at home. Saying all of that, I do not understand why we have to shut down all sports, especially kids sports. I fear that another winter of shutdowns and closures will have a detrimental effect on the long-term psyche of our children not to mention the mental health of many adults. Sports are an outlet for these times of stress. Kids need it maybe more than any of us. If we can send kids to school, we can send them to hockey.

I have read multiple stories that cited epidemiological experts stating that the transmission of the virus in hockey rinks or very humid areas like a swimming pool is very low. Basketball and other gym related sports is a tougher one for sure. For hockey, the greatest risk is on the bench or in the dressing room. There is absolutely no reason that the players cannot wear fabric facemasks on the ice under their helmets and masks, or that basketball players can’t wear facemasks while they play. It is a little hot, and a little uncomfortable, but in no way is it a roadblock to getting back on the ice or the court. The secret is to buy in and be disciplined with enforcement. The players have to adhere to the rules. Recent outbreaks in sports teams on the surface seem to unravel this theory, however if you ask questions you find out that protocols were not being followed and guards were let down that allowed these outbreaks to occur. Kids hockey, should be running.

Let them play games. Let them carry on. Absolutely restrict the games to regional adversaries and restrict the number of fans or ban spectators altogether, just get the games going. Parents can watch the games via live streaming or on video. (May be a coach’s dream year) At some point the risk mitigation focus needs to be turned towards protecting the kids and letting them play rather than organizations and governments providing their own risk mitigation to protect their own interests.

My hope is that we as a society can find creative and responsible ways to mitigate the risk of exposure and yet allow us to continue to live and enjoy those things that make life full. We need to get on with it.

Tip of the Week During these periods of slowdown, encourage your young athlete to work on a skill that maybe has nothing to do with their sport on the surface. Learn to juggle, ride a unicycle, learn to punch a speed bag, learn to skip like a boxer…. All of these indirect skills make you a better athlete and take you out of your comfort zone.

These are my own views and do not reflect the views of Total Sports Magazine, Dukes Sports & Entertainment or the Wellington Dukes Hockey club.

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DELIBERATE PRACTICE

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By: Jeremy Benoit/ Belleville Senators Hockey

After reviewing a few journal entries on athletic performance and practice I wanted to find a way to explain why the small tasks we do in the gym (ping pong, tossing games, balance and proprioceptive exercises, hip and shoulder prehab exercises) are extremely important to athletic development. I have outlined 3 important points to think about when it comes to deliberate practice and developing as a pro.

Always Challenge Yourself to Improve: To improve performance one shouldn’t continuously practice and master tasks they are already proficient in. Always try and go outside your comfort zone and turn weaknesses into strengths by setting small goals or tasks that are geared to improve these short comings. Processing during in game situations for example can be improved upon by playing small challenging games such as ping pong or multi directional drills with cued change of direction.

The Brain is a Muscle too: We perform all kinds of different tasks in a day and are always learning new skills they trigger a certain electrical pattern, when we continuously practice these tasks we increase the myelination of those particular axons which over time increase the speed and strength of those electrical patterns.

These skills learned have been proven to increase the ability to process in their particular sport. Whether this be through reading, performing difficult movement patterns in the gym or learning knew exercises that aren’t usually in your warm up routine.

Quality Over Quantity of Practice: Whether it be improving on hip stability, mobility, quick feet or lifting techniques. It is imperative

that you practice perfectly to optimize your ceiling for that particular task. Remember time spent on a task is not a good indicator of task development. Set specific and deliberate goals when practicing and time should be an afterthought.

Jeremy Benoit BSc. Kinesiology C.S.C.S Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Belleville Senators Hockey Club

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We are excited to offer a very meaningful and safe training opportunity for this winter. We have taken extra precautions to ensure a safe training environment in the indoor center.

We will have three state of the art simulator bays outfitted with Trackman Simulator software. Trackman continues to lead the way in launch monitor technology and provides the ultimate indoor training environment.

Safety Precautions: • There will only be 3 athletes in the indoor center at a time • Hand washing upon entry and exit as well as masks will be mandatory • Simulator bays will be thoroughly cleaned after each use • Coaches will follow strict social distancing throughout each session • Masks will be worn at all times by all athletes and coaches

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MANON RHÉAUME By: Randy Uens

When you meet Manon Rhéaume you notice a few things right away. First, she looks like she could still jump in the net and play well. Secondly, as engaging and congenial as she comes across, you get a real sense of her competitive spirit and her passion for the game of hockey. She also completely understands how inspirational her story truly is and she has embraced it with that same determination and work ethic she displayed when she was a dominating force in women’s hockey. What she is remembered for is even bigger than her career as an Olympian and World Champion. On September 23,1992 Manon Rhéaume was the first female hockey player to suit up in an NHL hockey game as she tended the net for the Tampa Bay Lightning during its exhibition season. I remember at the time thinking that this was a publicity stunt rigged up to promote the fledgling Florida franchise in the NHL. I had bumped into an old friend Tony Crisp around this time. The former Belleville Bull was working for Hockey Canada at the time and I asked him about his dad’s decision to play Rhéaume in that exhibition game. Tony‘s father was the well known Terry Crisp, coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning at the time. Tony was adamant,“ She flat out earned it.

She was that good.” It always stuck with me. The story is nothing less than remarkable and it’s no surprise that her story has been made into a book, and a movie about her life is in progress.

For Rhéaume, her NHL appearance was just another example of her drive to play the sport she loved at the highest level. This was something she had strived for her entire life. “At the time I didn’t realize that it was a big deal,” she said. “I knew the media were making a big deal, but when you’re young, you’re just playing hockey because you love the game.”

Growing up, Rhéaume started playing hockey with her brothers and the boys in the area. Her father was a coach, and his team desperately needed a goalie. Despite her mother’s initial reservations, she started playing with her brother’s team.

Rhéaume learned pretty quickly that, despite her abilities, she was often cut from teams simply because she was a girl. Although it was frustrating for her, she was undeterred. Rhéaume continued to work hard and hone her skills to prove she could compete with the boys. Despite the many ups and downs on her journey through hockey, it didn’t take long for her to make a name for herself. In 1984, she became the first girl to play in the famed Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.

Seven years later, she made history again, becoming the first woman to play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, suiting up for the Trois-Rivières Draveurs. When the Lightning came calling the following year, it was an opportunity Rhéaume

could not pass up. “So many times when I was younger, I was good enough to make the top level. I was good enough to be on the team, but they didn’t want me because I was a girl,” she said. For example Rhéaume finally had a coach that believed in her in bantam .She was clearly the dominant goalie as the team was moving into the critical midget years ahead of the Quebec Major Junior League draft. It was determined that she should not take the spot of a male player as it was felt she should not take the spot of a male player in their draft year. This adversity is what drove her to work harder and seize opportunities when presented. At one point she was forced to drive a couple of hours into Montreal to play with a women’s recreational league at 10:30 or 11:30 pm at night just to get ice because she could not find a male team to take her as she was getting ready to go to NHL camp. “When that opportunity came about I thought to myself, maybe if I would have got all those chances before, I would’ve played four years of major junior, but I didn’t have all those chances before. I’m not going to live my life with regrets so I went for it.”

Rhéaume remembers being very nervous as she walked from her dressing room to the ice. But once she stepped out onto the ice, her nerves subsided. “The butterflies all went away and it was like I forgot I was playing in an NHL game,” she said. “It was just like I was in the place I had been my entire life since I was five. I just went out and played hockey.”

In the first Tampa Bay inter squad mini games; Rhéaume did not let in any goals. It was very clear from that performance she belonged and deserved the shot at the exhibition game. In her first period appearance against the St. Louis Blues, Rhéaume faced nine shots and valiantly stopped seven of them, giving up goals to Jeff Brown and future Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan.

While it might have felt like just another game for Rhéaume in the moment, in the years that have followed, she has realized it was so much more. “I didn’t know that it would inspire so many people,” she said. “It was much later in my life that I realized it was a big deal and I did impact people with my story and inspired people to want to do the same.”

After this initial NHL opportunity Rhéaume carved out a career in men’s minor professional leagues playing in the IHL, ECHL among others. At times the life of a female pro is a little lonely, dressing alone, rooming alone and subsequently eating alone at times.” In general the other players treated me well, kind of like a little sister. I was able to compete at this level because my strength was reading the plays as they happened. I could react well because of this ability to read plays as a goalie.”

Continued ... page 11

With former NHL great, Phil Esposito and author and screen writer Angie Bullaro

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TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM

“BREAKING THE ICE” Rhéaume went on to have a stellar international women’s career that included gold medals and world championships in the fledgling international women’s tournaments.

When it all ended Rhéaume recognized how important her accomplishments were. The book by Angie Bullaro called “Breaking the Ice” is a product of this understanding that her story is inspirational to so many people.“ When Angie contacted me and said she wanted to do a book and a movie about inspiring women’s stories in sports I knew I was in. I always knew that I wanted to inspire young athletes to strive to be the best they can be. If you have a dream, go after your dream. If you are passionate about something and you work hard you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. “ Rhéaume reflects that for her the most important thing to remember is that you do not have to fit into a mould to do the things you want to do. “I was the exact opposite of what an NHL goalie should look like. My size, my gender, I speak French, I didn’t understand English that well, but I still went for it. That’s what I want to tell people, go for your dreams.”

Today Rhéaume continues this work by coaching with the Detroit Little Caesars organization, which is the minor hockey arm, supported by the Detroit Red Wings. She has two boys; Dylan St. Cyr a goalie in the NCAA with Notre Dame and a second son Dakota Rhéaume who is a 2006 birth year and plays forward in AAA. The book written by Angie Bullaro is available through Simon & Schuster Canada. The movie is currently on hold awaiting the pandemic pause to subside to restart production. To hear the full interview with Manon Rhéaume, please download the Total Sports Quinte podcast wherever you get your podcasts such as Spotify, ITunes and I HeartRadio.

Angie Bullaro, taking goalie lessons from Manon to prepare for the movie.

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Making Sense of Report Cards: A Three-Step Guide For Parents

By R. N. Whitehead

Report cards can be stressful for students, and for parents alike. While poor grades signal that students may be off track academically, parents and students can work together to create a plan to address any issues before the next report card arrives.

•

instance, “We are pleased with your spelling grade.”

Listen to your child—School can be tough. It is helpful to students to know that someone is listening to their concerns and complaints.

Step 1: Read the Report Card

Step 3: Attend the Parent- Teacher Conference

Before reading the report card, keep the following in mind: • It’s Still Early—this is the first report card, which means that there is ample opportunity to make improvements.

• Language—report cards often contain confusing educational jargon. Forget the gobbledygook and focus on the teacher’s comments. These comments can give you a better idea of how your child is performing overall.

• Remember the context—some school years are more challenging than others. Certain grades are transition years, such as the first year of high school, or the shift from early to middle school.

• Problems require Action—the report card is a red flag. Act now, or the urgency of the bad report card will be forgotten, and no progress will be made.

If poor grades have you worried about future academic performance, speaking with the teacher can help. The teacher has spent hours every day observing your child in the classroom.

Often, he or she can help you paint a better picture of where your child is headed academically.

Step 2: Talk to Your Child Here are some strategies to keep in mind: • Don’t get upset—If you’re upset or angry about grades, hold the discussion until you can speak calmly and rationally.

• Start with positive comments—Highlight something positive about the report card, no matter how trivial. For

Some tips to keep in mind: • Be succinct—the teacher only has a limited time for each interview, so prioritize the concerns that you’d like to have addressed.

• Don’t be argumentative—both you and the teacher have a common goal of helping your child perform well in school.

Keep this in mind if you find yourself disagreeing with comments or suggestions.

• Ask for tips—the teacher may have ideas of actions that your family can implement at home.

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TOTAL SPORTS DURHAM

The Sports World Tu

by Jeff Roux B.P.E.; CSCS “If life seems jolly rotten There’s something you’ve forgotten And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing.

When you’re feeling in the dumps, Don’t be silly chumps, Just purse your lips and whistle, that’s the thing.

And... Always look on the bright side of life” - Monty Python - “ Every sport, activity and public event looks different right now. People are unsure about heading inside any building, including gyms and restaurants, even when they are allowed. Physical distancing, group size restrictions and regional outbreak concerns have altered rules of training and practices. They have also recently canceled the Canadian University Sports season, put most competitive teams sports seasons on hold and sports for 2021 in doubt as we all navigate the unique world of Covid-19.

The negative aspects of this situation are obvious and well documented. Everyone is feeling the effects of this virus and the hold it has placed on all aspects of our lives. I am an optimist. I believe every problem has a solution. I choose to look at the glass as half-full and make the best of every bad situation in order to come out of it better than I came in. Instead of being angry, sad, or de-motivated by the impact this all has on the ability to play sports, let’s explore the opportunity this situation creates and take advantage of the one the one thing all of this generates more of for everyone — time.

scheduling appropriately around them, and then managing energy, effort, and recovery.

Are you using the time you have to get better or is the clock just ticking away?

Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours in the day as everyone else. The question is how do you spend your time? Is it efficient?

Are you making the most of it? Are you getting the kind of quality, whole foods you need to fuel yourself properly? Are you getting the sleep you need to recover effectively?

In reality, it is often energy, lack of planning and prioritization and the ability to establish a high performance routine, not time, that actually holds us back.

Now, thanks to the pandemic, time is one thing we have available more than ever and that means NOW is the perfect time to take advantage of this opportunity. Now is the perfect time to focus on our individual physical needs. Now is the perfect time to commit to a properly designed strength and conditioning plan that can help deliver the kind of results we often miss out on during a regular year.

The Conundrum of Sport Which came first the athlete, or the skills?

Which one can we affect the most by training and practice? What is the priority?

A traditional year for student athletes includes academics, school sports, practices, games, skill sessions, tournaments, and then, if they can fit it in, strength and conditioning.

In fact, a strength and conditioning program is arguably the element that offers the most long-term impact to overall performance. It builds resilience, tunes the athletic engine and provides the raw materials the athlete needs to maximize skill development and yet it is often the first thing to be sacrificed.

A properly designed, progressive, strength and conditioning programs arms each athlete with the foundations to execute their athletic skills and provides a physical, mental and structural defense mechanism to help them continue to perform and progress. Kids are often so over-scheduled with games, tournaments, practices, and activities that aim to improve specific areas of focus (skill development, power skating, speed development...) that there is little time left to build the foundations of what makes them successful as athletes.

Practices are often team, system skill, and tactical based. Skill sessions are focussed on technique and repetition of specific skills. There is little time for strength development, fitness and conditioning and even less for developing the strength, power and resilience that can minimize injury risk and arguably have the most positive long-term benefit to all aspects of overall performance.

The pandemic is the perfect opportunity to step back and look at what we each need to prepare, develop and improve our personal levels of health, fitness and performance. The biggest obstacle people cite as a reason they do not participate in regular fitness programs or athletes do not take part in strength and conditioning programs is time. In reality the issue is often prioritizing actual needs and goals,

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Turned Upside Down The Conundrum of Life Similarly for non-athletic regular people (NARPS), time is often the biggest hurdle to establishing and maintaining a regular fitness program when in fact it is simply making the commitment to establishing a routine in the first place that is the true obstacle. Now that more people are working from home, most recreational sports leagues are cancelled, kid’s school schedules are less intrusive and youth sports are minimized, the grown-ups have more time than ever to focus on themselves as well.

Prioritize Your Performance

Health,

Fitness

&

Whether you are training for a sport or training for life, you need to prioritize your physical needs, set some goals and prioritize a plan to accomplish them over the next 6 months and beyond. What is most important to you; the way you look, the way you feel, the way you perform in your sport or activities...?

There is a difference between being active and training for specific results. Fun recreational activities have their place for everyone but also have their limits as to the benefits we can get from them. What kind of activities and training do you really enjoy doing? Reaching your goals and finding your passion can often go hand-inhand. Some people love running, mountain biking, strength training, yoga and/or Zumba, others, not so much. Whatever your passion is, just make sure it has a plan to help you progress to your actual goals and not just be an activity that takes up more time and energy.

The Skill of Strength The first element of fitness that is most often left out of the equation and arguably the most important component for everyone is strength.

Strength is about more than simply lifting heavy weights; it is more specifically about

the ability to generate and absorb force. As we train strength we challenge the body with increasing loads and the body adapts by getting stronger. This is often seen through the lens of muscle development rather than movement development but the truth is, strength training is movement training and movement is a skill that must be learned and executed efficiently in order to be effective.

This is the key point of difference for developing more functional or athletic Strength that involves the ability to express force and absorb force within an athletic or functional pattern of movement. This kind of strength helps prepare people to move better, not just look better.

Benefits of Strength Training • Develop Force Production & Force Absorption • Maximize Acceleration/Deceleration • Enhance Skill Execution • Aid in Injury Prevention • Increase metabolism

you are as prepared as possible on yours, whenever it is safe to get going again.

Now is the perfect time to take advantage of this unique opportunity to focus on the things that are often missing or difficult to stay consistent with during a regular year or sport season. We cannot give you back more time to do the things you need to do, but we can ensure that the time you spend with us is worth every second.

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Who Can Benefit from Strength Training?

The obvious answer is everyone! The demands of sport and day to day life require functional strength, stability and coordination. The demands of sport require athletic strength and the ability to express strength quickly as explosive power. Modifications can be made to the intensity and complexity of training demands based on individual abilities, goals and objectives. Strength training is appropriate for kids, adults and seniors as long as the programming and focus is developed based on age, experience, skill level and their functional/athletic goals.

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity” - Sun-Tzu “The Art of War” There is an art and science to programming and coaching workouts that are practical, purposeful and progressive and ensure that your time is being used efficiently and effectively. We cannot flip the sports world back on its feet but we can ensure that

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ONTARIO CARDINALS Elite Baseball Program

Submitted by Ontario Cardinals

The Ontario Cardinals is an Elite baseball club fielding teams at the following age groups 10U to 18U levels who play their games in the Fergie Jenkins Showcase League (FJSL). The teams also travel throughout the United States participating in showcase tournaments.

An important component of the program is its off-season training from November to April. Our indoor workouts and strength and conditioning programs are designed by professionals to prepare our players for the demands of the summer and fall baseball season.

Ontario Cardinals train twice a week year round at a 10,000 sqft multi sport indoor training facility in Ajax. The facility includes 4 batting cages, 2 portable pitching mounds, and an unobstructed open field of almost 6,000 sqft.

This extensive winter training prepares our players for a 30 plus game schedule in a competitive season complete with playoffs and US Tournaments.

What sets us apart from other organizations is our competitive rates, neutral experienced and qualified coaches, weekend games, competitive season play and our extensive indoor winter training that will take your player to the next level!

We are always looking for new players who enjoy the game and want to enhance their skills.

For further information or for a private tryout visit our website at WWW.ONTARIOCARDINALS.ca​ or by email at ONTARIO.CARDINALS@HOTMAIL.COM

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A Parent’s Guide to Buying High-end Hockey Sticks By: Joey Walsh HockeyStickMan.ca responsive to hold (heavier sticks are generally full of resin and therefore do not perform as well).

•

It is important for parents to know that the desired hockey sticks of today are made of high-quality expensive materials. The primary purpose of this is creating lightweight sticks with unbelievable performance capabilities, whereas heavier, less expensive sticks are typically much more durable. It is entirely understandable that your son/daughter would want a high-quality stick but making smart decisions about buying is key to keeping your hockey stick budget under control! Below is a quick snapshot of what parents and players should know; 1. Basic Sizing | Sticks are conveniently broken down into size classifications such as Youth, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior. As they progress, the flex rating increases, and the shaft and blade get bigger accordingly. Start by looking at sticks with a flex rating of approx. half your child’s body weight, then make sure it is tall enough to reach his/her nose when standing flat footed without skates. If you do not buy within the correct size parameters you will not be getting the top end performance that you have paid for, regardless of the overall quality or how recent the stick is.

However, one size does not fit all, players that are taller, play frequently, and / or like taking slap shots might find a slightly stiffer flex to be beneficial whereas shorter players and / or kids that take more quick release shots may opt for a flex rating a little below half their body weight.

2. Quality | The difference between a performance stick and discount models will make a bigger impact than you might think.

I have heard from hundreds of people that are shocked at how much of an impact a high-quality stick had on their game. Here are some key pre-ice identifiers of a quality hockey stick: •

The Feel | Most brands will have three different price points on similar looking sticks. The difference is the materials used and the weight. Typically the lighter the stick the higher the quality, but even more important is that the weight is evenly distributed (lower end sticks tend to have heavy blades and are therefore bottom heavy), and it should feel light and

The Specifications|True One-Piece construction with 100% carbon fiber and an overall weight of less than 430 Grams in SR/INT and 400 in JR is ideal for performance driven purchases. This isn’t always something that you will be able to tell by picking up a stick, so it is important to do your research beforehand.

3. Pattern | Choosing the correct curve is so much easier than it ever used to be. Though lots of pros use custom curves, there are only a few different options at the retail level now; they come with a standard lie angle, and all brands offer roughly the same curves. What’s important is that you find the curve you think is best for your game and stick to it. I have used the same curve for 20 years and it just so happens to be by far the most popular pattern in hockey now at every level from Pro, College, to Junior and in stores. If you’re not sure I always recommend the Blade 1 Pattern (Bauer P92, CCM P29, True TC2, Warrior W03). If you find that your kid’s shots are getting up too high you may want to try what we call Blade 2 (Bauer P88, CCM P80, True MC, Warrior W88).

For the danglers of the world, our Blade 6 (Bauer P28, CCM P28, True TC4, Warrior W28) has emerged as a popular option for those focused on stickhandling.

4. The Stick | Once you know the correct size, quality and pattern for you then it is time to select a stick. In the first few years of hockey it won’t make a lot of difference. They must learn the game and how to shoot before they can really get much of a performance boost from any stick, no matter the price point.

Many of your sons and daughters will be influenced by what the top players in the NHL or what other kids on their team are using. Being a father myself I understand the urge to buy exactly what they want, and although its often expensive, a top-quality stick that will likely last them the whole year may be worth it. If they aren’t picky about the make and model, you can often find a high-end stick on sale that is a year or two older This is usually a great option as the technology doesn’t change massively year to year and as long as they are stored properly, sticks do not suffer at all by sitting on the shelf. The biggest issue is that as kids grow stronger, they begin to break their sticks more often, which parents, Junior, College and even pro teams can find difficult to pay for. At this point, many parents start to look for solutions that still meet the first three criteria outlined, but perhaps with more flexibility on different makes and models. In fact, as players make it onto higher level teams that supply sticks for them, there are often limitations on what they can use until the time they make it to the NHL.

For more in depth information on hockey sticks you can visit the University section of our website at hockeystickman.com or check out some of the options that we recommend at our all new Canadian site at hockeystickman.ca.

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My TOP 4 FUNDAMENTAL KEY FACTORS TO YOUR SKATING SUCCESS

By Mary Giacalone “Scary Mary” Head Instructor/Owner of Scary Skate Inc. It is so important for your skating improvement to find that strength coach that will help you get stronger. Here are a few key factors that correlate your off- ice strength & conditioning with my on-ice skating development.

1) Your physical strength will help you greatly to be able to support your body in a deep knee bend as you are striding, gliding, pushing, twisting, and rotating.

2) Flexibility is just as important, as this will help improve your stride length and over all skating ability.

First off let’s start by saying how excited we all are to be back on the ice. The 5 months we were off due to Covid-19 seemed like an eternity. Seeing all your smiling faces, hard work, sweat, and getting back into your skating stride makes me happier than words can say….

Let’s talk a bit about my top 4 fundamental key factors, that will help you succeed. We can all agree that the most fundamental skill in hockey is skating. Little can be accomplished unless you can move fast on the ice with or without the puck. From stop to go, from fast to slow, when skating forward or backward, when turning, fore-checking or back checking, even shooting. Hockey is now more than ever a sport of blazing speed, a sport that you must master balance, agility and speed, on a blade as thin as a knife. If you don’t take the time to develop your skating skills now, it will catch up with you later. This year I am preaching to all my skaters who play at the rep hockey level, or want to play at a higher level to truly understand the importance of working on your technical skating skills, and working with a good strength coach. This season will be all about development for many centers. Covid-19 may prevent us from having a “normal hockey season”. This may be an exceptional year for many of you to have the opportunity to work hard on and off the ice.

This in turn will help improve your skating development.

3) Balance is critical for you to perform high speed turns and be able to stop/start and change direction more quickly.

4) Agility will allow you to perform a wide range of moves with speed and ability.

The speed you skate with is largely affected by the skating technique, and off ice conditioning. If you can increase your hip and knee flexibility, your core strength, foot speed, and explosive power, then your skating improvement is drastic and quicker. All of our force is from one leg to another, and pushing out should be to the side.

I find that a lot of players will tend to concentrate more on their hockey skills than their off-ice condition and skating skills.

The uneven balance of skills catches up with them around U-14 and U-15, and that will limit there playing days at high-level hockey. Trust me when I say that it takes years to become a great skater, just as it takes years to become a great player. I teach many A, AA, AAA, Major Junior, NCAA, and Pro Players, who come to me for instruction, because they must improve their speed, balance or agility. The players who are great at puck handling are limited, if they can’t skate fast or efficient.

A quality strength coach that works in Unisom with a good technical power skating instructor, along with great skating drills is the perfect recipe, to be a great hockey player.

Until next time Scary Mary says I will see you at the rink….

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HOCKEY DEVELOPMENT DURING A PANDEMIC

A Parent’s Guide to Dealing with the concerns of skill development during these times of uncertainty.

By Total Sports Staff

Overview This is a culmination and collaboration of thoughts and advice provided by our expert panel via a three part series on the Total Sports Quinte Podcast hosted by Randy Uens and Mike Bonn.

The Podcast can be found through ITunes, Spotify, IHeartRadio or other podcast channels. The episodes involved interviews with Derek Smith, Head Coach of the Wellington Dukes, Chris Longo of the Kingston Frontenacs, Troy Mann and David Bell of the Belleville Senators and Darren Dreger, TSN Hockey Insider and longtime hockey parent. The roundtable format involved a question and answer session as well as comments from the coaches on their personal perspectives on hockey development.

This article is only a small fraction of the great information provided in the podcasts and Total Sports encourages parents to listen to those interviews in their entirety, as they were incredibly beneficial and full of information. Hockey can be expensive and stressful for some to make decisions balancing finances and the pressures of developing young athletes and people. It’s a marathon and not a sprint.

Patience and consistency pays off.

Key Takeaways from the Roundtable discussion.

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•

•

•

During this pandemic, ice time may be reduced with your own team. Coach Mann says” You need to find ways to get better. Work off ice. Take advantage of this downtime to work on those things you may not have had time to do in the past. Off ice conditioning is a great example of this.”

Coaches can look at this period of downtime, as an opportunity to do the things other teams may not want to do. More skills, more individual development on and off ice. An average player may touch the puck for a total of 1 minute or less in an entire game. This added period of skill is an opportunity rather than a handicap.

Do not fear that this will be a lost year of development. On average a rep player would play 60 games per year from the ages of 7 to 17. That is an average of 600 games in their minor hockey career. If they end up playing fewer games or even modified games it is only a small blip in the players overall development. Take advantage of this time for other types of development. Seek out other opportunities for skill development.

Do your homework with skill providers. Who are they?

What’s their background? Who have they worked with that has gone on to be successful? Ask for references. There are skill providers out there with professional hockey backgrounds and some without. You do not have to be an ex pro to be a great skill provider. You do have to be a great teacher and be able to break down drills and progressions.

There are also skill providers out there that claim to have ties to NHL teams when in reality they are not necessarily “skill” guys or coaches with these teams but have another business connection. “Parents need to be aware of this smoke and mirrors.” Educate yourself by asking questions and getting references. Some skill providers have particular strengths that maybe help your athlete develop those attributes they are lacking. Spend your money wisely. Find parents that have kids that have moved on to higher levels.

Who did they use? Do your due diligence and don’t buy into the marketing hype.

•

Make the training fun. The player needs to want to do it. Darren Dreger talks about recent NHL draft pick Cole Perfetti, “He is a hockey nut. He wants to be on the ice all of the time., He has that desire to get better.” The player has to have fun to get better.

•

It takes 10000 touches to master a skill but if you do it wrong 10000 times it is a waste of time and energy. Optimally you would want to be in a group of less than 6 people or be in a larger skate where the ratio is 5-1 players to coaches.

Corrections need to be made to see improvement.

Running through fancy drills with pylons are useless unless correct technique is followed and developed. Chris Longo says, “ Bad habits occur when you do drills too fast before mastering a skill. Slow it down first, correct the technique and then speed it up to achieve execution of the skill which then creates separation between yourself and other players.“ Skating sessions with one coach and more than 10 kids becomes a conditioning skate at best as no corrections can be done. In those scenarios improvement comes from your own child’s past experiences not from that coach’s ability to correct. Money is an issue, but smaller group sessions are more valuable than more ice in larger groups.

Derek Smith commented on the importance of correct technique and skill progressions, ”Often as coaches and players we focus on the end result and not the process.

We may see success doing something repeatedly but in actuality the skill is lacking. Success may be coming on the ice due to other influences. In a way you are cheating yourself because of that immediate gratification but you are not actually getting better. For example as a defender you may be taking multiple crossovers to get up to speed while defending a 1v1 and you may have some success in practice that may even buy you a few extra shifts. But in reality as you progress you won’t get away with that skill set. It’s better to practice doing it the right way and get beat in practice for a few weeks until you get better so that when it really counts you are doing the skill correctly. It takes time and patience to do it right.“

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Continued next page ...

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Photo by Amu Deroche - OJHL Images

•

•

•

Full ice or even ¾ ice (modified rink) 3v3 and 4v4 is useless.

Yes it’s fun, but you will not necessarily get better. Coach Mann says” 3v3 and 4v4 is a complete waste of time on large ice. These types of scenarios need to be run below the hash marks or in the neutral zone as a “Small Area Game” (SAG) to prevent the development of bad habits.

Full ice 3v3 or 4v4 is not realistic and kids will not get better.” Coach Bell goes on to say “In these 3v3 and 4v4 scenarios there is too much open ice and kids may not get the touches they would in a SAG. In a SAG the player needs to figure out time and space, puck protection, where is the pressure coming from, and in the end gets more touches overall.“ Even in a smaller modified rink 3v3 and 4v4 it is of little benefit. It’s better to have the 3v3 in a controlled area between the blue lines or below the hash marks.

Coach Mann feels that coaches need to utilize SAG more often in practice. At least once maybe twice a practice and this does not include battle drills or 1v1 drills. You can’t just scrimmage or do flow drills. Drills need to have a purpose and reinforce good habits. Coach Bell goes on to say” Flow drills often impress parents because there is lots of movement and players are flying around with multiple pucks, but once again it’s not realistic and can create bad habits. There is a time and place for flow drills but at the end of the day its about good habits. An example of this is watching kids turn away from the net at the end of the flow drill. You see this become a habit in games where kids do not stop on pucks or search for rebounds because after they shoot they turn off to the corner. Often one puck drills are better to install good habits.”

Spring Hockey is a nice to have and not a must to have.

So many parents feel the pressure to “keep up with the Jones’s.“ And have their athlete play all summer in multiple tournaments. First of all it’s a question of capital allocation and secondly it’s a matter of skill development. At the younger ages it’s important to develop athletes not hockey players. Play other sports and do not specialize until you are 14 or 15 years old. There are lots of clinical studies illustrating the risk of repetitive strain injuries and burnout factors from early specialization in sport. Complimentary or transferable skills are developed from playing other sports. Wayne Gretzky played baseball and lacrosse in the summers. Secondly, these tournaments can be expensive. $750 - $2000 is spent on a typical spring hockey weekend away. Put that into perspective when you think of the

amount of development ice you could have with more effective training. Spring Tournaments should be viewed as something fun, maybe a family get away and nothing more. Set a limit and focus on development and other activities to create a well-rounded athlete. If your child is passionate about these spring tourneys and that’s all they want to do, that’s great, but make sure it does not sacrifice development and skills. Make sure these programs incorporate it into the spring sessions and they are not all large group skates.

In Conclusion: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Do your homework. ASK QUESTIONS. Make it fun ... always!

Spend your money wisely. Sometimes less is more.

Don’t fall into the marketing trap. Do your due diligence and ask questions.

Find teachers of the game not demonstrators. Check their backgrounds.

As coaches, make sure each drill has a purpose and has specificity to ensure the reinforcement of good habits.

3v3 and 4v4 leagues do not equate to small area games. They can be fun but realize you may not get any benefits from these leagues.

Play other sports. Do not specialize until 14 or 15 years of age!

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RAISIN’ HULL Family Ties Pay Off in the Classroom

By The Late Troy Hull - Author, who passed away Nov 6th, 2020.

RIP Our Friend.

I come from an extremely wellrounded athletic family.

I would be the exception, though, weighing in at the proverbial 90 pounds and never interested in organized hockey or baseball. Still, growing up on our farm, I engaged in the traditional after-dinner games of baseball or football with my siblings.

My parents sold the farm in the early 1980s and we moved to Cobourg and I started high school at the former CDCI East.

One of our mandatory classes was physical education, or ‘phys-ed,’ which I hated, but was too young to skip at that time. My teacher was Del Dillon, a fixture at the school. Mr. Dillon was well aware that I had been completely bypassed by our family’s athletic gene, but he already had other plans for me.

East Collegiate held an athletic banquet every spring to honour the school’s sports stars and teams, and present awards to the top performers. The committee always enlisted a guest speaker to host the event.

One day after gym class, Mr. Dillon approached me along with his daughter, a fellow student and asked if I’d like to be a director on the school’s Athletic Senate for the upcoming banquet. I quickly saw an opportunity to advance my grade in his class and accepted the offer.

During our first meeting, the issue of a guest speaker was broached and all eyes were suddenly on me. Until then, I was blissfully unaware of my exact duties on the committee, but it soon became crystal clear.

detail and without missing a beat, Mr. Dillon quickly accepted my uncle’s offer. He asked me to confirm with Uncle Bobby.

When I left the meeting, I thought to myself: ‘I should have asked for more!’ We hosted a sold-out athletic banquet that year and my uncle went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that everyone who attended the event enjoyed a very special evening. I had one more issue to deal with, though.

My bleak phys-ed mark was going to pull down my overall average and cost me a spot on the school’s Honour Roll. I approached Mr. Dillon and made my plea for a better grade, which seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Our grades were posted a few weeks later, however, and I was indeed on the Honour Roll with a 75% in phys-ed. Mr. Dillon came through for me. A short time later, I bumped into Mr. Dillon. This time, he asked me for a favour.

“Please,” he said, “Do not take my class next year.”

Of course, I was more than willing to comply.

Mr. Dillon wanted my Uncle Bobby to host and speak at the athletic banquet, and he didn’t beat around the bush. At that time, my uncle was playing for the Hartford Whalers (now the Carolina Hurricanes) and still idolized by many, many hockey fans worldwide. I told Mr. Dillon I’d call him.

When I got home, I called the big guy — Uncle Bobby — and he readily agreed to appear at our athletic banquet. Thinking back, I’m guessing Mr. Dillon and my father had already discussed this idea and my dad had already given my uncle the heads-up.

Just before thanking my uncle and concluding the phone call, he mention the topic of his fee. I was caught off guard, oblivious to this whole idea of a fee.

Uncle Bobby asked for $500. A lot of dough in those days. I said I

would run his request by the school’s Athletic Senate and let him know. At our next meeting, I reported to the committee in great

RAISIN’ HULL Fame, Fortune and Farming

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WHITBY SPORTS HALL OF FAME Reminiscing: Brooklin Concretes – 1964 and 1966 All-Ontario Softball Champions

Of the numerous sights and sounds of summer that have been sorely lacking this year, the absence of any activity on our local sports fields and baseball diamonds has been obviously upsetting for athletes, parents, coaches, and spectators alike. The resonances of baseballs and softballs striking wooden or metal bats, of soccer balls and lacrosse balls swishing into netting, and of whistles blown to start or stop play have simply been left to the imagination.

So perhaps this is an appropriate time to reminisce about bygone days more than 50 years ago when a team of softball players from the community of Brooklin brought the sounds and the exhilaration of two provincial championships to our local area.

Men’s competitive softball, more accurately referred to as fastball, has unquestionably given way to various slopitch adaptations of the sport over the last few decades, but this was not the case throughout the middle of the previous century. Many communities across Ontario supported a number of fastball teams back then, in industrial leagues and district leagues, and the quality of play was often of a high-caliber and very entertaining for the spectators.

The Brooklin Concretes softball teams from the mid1960s were indeed shining examples of on-field excellence. Founded in 1963, the team quickly established a reputation for success on the diamond, both locally in the Oshawa City and District Softball League and across the province in the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA). These teams won consecutive Southern Ontario Intermediate C championships in 1964, 1965, and 1966 and advanced to face Capreol in the All-Ontario finals in each of these seasons.

It was not an easy task to capture the Southern Ontario crown in those days. As mentioned above, many communities fielded travelling teams at that time, and as a result, the Brooklin team had to win at least five and as many as seven best-of-three playoff rounds before they reached the provincial championship series; and yet advance they did, three years in a row.

The Capreol teams could certainly be described as a dynasty, winning eight provincial titles between 1957 and

1969 and reaching the championship series 10 straight years during that run. Conspicuously, their only two losses throughout that most impressive streak came at the hands of the Brooklin Concretes.

In January of this year, the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame announced the induction of the Brooklin Concretes provincial championship teams as part of our class of 2020, alongside Carolyn Mountjoy (Ringette), Gil Nieuwendyk (Lacrosse), and Shawn Williams (Lacrosse).

These induction ceremonies were originally scheduled for April 18, 2020 however they have been deferred to April 24, 2021 due to health and safety concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic.

These unprecedented times should by no means diminish the due recognition of the Brooklin Concretes players and coaches nor our mandate to showcase the accomplishments and the careers of all our latest announced inductees. It is our sincerest hope that public health and related factors will permit our committee to stage an event next April in a manner befitting these honourees.

In the interim, visit www.whitbysportshalloffame.com/ to learn more about the class of now 2021 and all the previously inducted members of the Whitby Sports Hall of Fame.

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STUDENT ATHLETES' PURSUING A SCHOLARSHIP

DEVELOP A GAME PLAN! Student-Athletes' Game Plan has been in business since 2008 and has helped numerous student-athletes in their pursuit of an NCAA athletic scholarship. We offer a number of cost effective services to provide the student-athlete and parents with the skills, knowledge and confidence to successfully navigate through the recruiting process.

ONLINE SEMINARS

PRIVATE CONSULTING

The online seminars address specific topics related to the NCAA recruiting process, providing a wealth of information and guidance for studentathletes and parents.

A Game Plan advisor will meet with the student-athlete and their parent(s) to provide expertise on various topics related to the recruiting process and specialize in addressing the specific needs for pursuing an athletic scholarship.

TEAM / SCHOOL SEMINARS Group seminars are ideal for 15-25 student-athletes which will provide a very informative and thorough overview on the various topics required to be successful in pursuing an athletic scholarship.

I have had the pleasure of working with Barb Boyes of the Student-Athletes' Game Plan for the last three years. Barb meticulously worked with each individual player on my girls’ soccer squad planning individualized approaches catered to individual needs and goals. Barb was available anytime and any day to answer questions, and worked with a school counselor to ensure players were on the right academic path. Barb had a year by year plan starting from grade 9 through to grade 12 for each player, addressing course selection as well as contact procedures and application timelines with respect the athletic side of the player/student goals. I would recommend Barb and the Student-Athletes' Game Plan to anyone who is serious about becoming a student/athlete.

Peter John Gualandris

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LADY BLUE KNIGHTS Receive Jump Start Relief Grant

Submitted by Barb Boyes - Lady Blue Knights

With the current climate and the challenges COVID has created, keeping kids engaged in activity is paramount to their overall mental health, physical and social development. Lady Blue Knights Field Lacrosse Association recognize the importance of making sport in our community available for youth, and we have the opportunity to positively impact the health and wellbeing of kids and their families. The Canadian Tire Jump Start Relief Grant helps community sport organizations like ours continue to provide access to sport and play for Canadian kids.

We are so excited to have received a Jump Start Relief Grant from Canadian Tire. The grant will go a long way towards helping us during this challenging time continue to offer an environment to inspire, develop confidence and empower young girls and young women through the sport of lacrosse while providing opportunities for them to play and develop a passion for game.

Kids are used to being active and need a return to some sense of normalcy. The Jump Start Relief Grant has allowed us to get girls and young women safely back on the field through our newly designed Fall Program, while at the same time relieving us from the worry of the financial impact that hit us this past summer. We are able to offer a program that has health and safety protocols in place, and has parents and players feeling safe. We have more girls participating in our Fall program than ever before. Our Fall program - U19 Fall Training Academy, the ASAD Jr. Academy for U13 and U15’s, and ‘The Battle of the Knights Cup’ 3 v 3 league for U11, U13, U15 and U19 - is running very successfully and is extremely popular with the players and parents. We have a number of our U19 girls in a mentorship role, as volunteer coaches/role models, for the U11 and U13 age divisions, as well as playing in their own age group. The real impact of the grant is evident as we see the kids come to the field each week with energy and excitement in anticipation of seeing their friends and playing lacrosse. They are active and engaged! There is no doubt it is having a positive impact on their mental health, developing their confidence, and allowing them to reconnect and grow relationships with friends. And we are seeing significant physical and skill development.

We are grateful for the Jump Start Relief Fund grant as it has allowed us to meet our Mission/Mandate - Creating an environment to inspire, develop confidence and empower young girls through the sport of lacrosse while providing opportunities for them to play and develop a passion for game.

Some of our young female athletes play to learn a new game, some play to make new friends, some play for fun & recreation, some play because they love to compete, and some play to challenge themselves and compete at a higher level. All are of equal importance. #SportReliefFund @CTJumpstart

Visit

LADYBLUEKNIGHTS.CA

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Ontario College of Health & Technology 1040 South Service Road Stoney Creek, ON L8E 6G3

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FROZEN MEMORIES The NiceRink Story

By Jim Stoller President, NiceRink Hi, I’m Jim Stoller, creator of NiceRink®, the outdoor ice rink system that will transform your backyard into a winter play land and a lifetime of Frozen Memories.® One of my earliest Frozen Memories® is of my Dad coming home one winter afternoon and building an ice rink in our backyard. He’d brought some small plastic tubing from the shop at our family’s business that my grandfather, Irving J. Stoller, had started in 1948 as a maker of poly- coated paper drop cloths.

My Dad Jim Stoller, Sr. had joined the business in 1963 and over the years the company developed new and creative plastics solutions and applications for the flexible films it converted and distributed ranging from construction, agriculture, packaging & industrial amongst many other proprietary applications.

Like my grandfather, my Dad was a creative kind of guy who was always coming up with new ideas. On that winter afternoon, he took that tubing and laid it around the patio, then filled up the interior with water that froze overnight into the first Stollerena.

And from that day on, that little rink ended up making ours a Skating family, with a capital S! My brother Ken and I went on to pursue our boyhood dreams by playing Junior “A” in the USHL. And after a year playing in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints I permanently joined the family business in 1987.

Having already spent my teenage summers working in the factory, I used those first years to learn the complete ins and outs of the operation. My Dad and I also embarked on our first rink-building adventure when we donated a plastic liner to the local town and flooded a parking lot to make an ice rink. The liner held the water fine, but the town didn’t take care of the ice and the rink didn’t attract many skaters.

During the winter of 1991, I also tried to make my own backyard ice rink. I started like most novices do, by spraying the grass and spraying and spraying – and spraying and spraying to build a whopping half-inch layer of ice (whoopee, not!) the first night, only to have it disappear the next day. “This is ridiculous,” I thought. Who in their right mind would continue this losing fight against Mother Nature?

Then, the light bulb went on. The very next day, we cut the first NiceRink® liner, installed it in the yard, filled it that night and had a frozen-solid ice rink the next. It was that easy. I benefited from a small 10’ x 20’ level area the first year and was able to get my then 11-month old son out on the ice with me. (In our family, we like to say that if they can walk, then put skates on ‘em—and to this day my son Tyler, daughter Tatum and nephews Christian, Dominick and Devin are all serious skaters.)

They have all been getting involved in the company to bring in the company’s fourth generation.

I wondered how many other crazy rink-building parents of little skaters would enjoy this ease of sitting inside and watching a rink fill and freeze on its own. It turns out, a lot!

Continued next page ....

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We came to find out that seasoned outdoor rink-building veterans had already been using tarps or consumer-grade plastic sheets for rinks. But what made our rinks different from the start was the quality of the liner materials. And that’s the essence of the NiceRink® IcePerience®.

NiceRink® liners aren’t just common sheets of plastics. Our materials are made for industrial applications, which require much more strength and durability characteristics than readily available 6-mil poly film. NiceRink® liners are made from top of the line, engineered layered films that are created to be lightweight, yet durable enough to withstand ten times the cold weather and abuse of cheap clear plastic sheets. NiceRink® liners are manufactured at almost any size in one piece from a 25’ x 45’ Starter Rink to full NHL Rink 90’ x 205’ and beyond.

So there is no need for taping or gluing two sheets of 20’ x 100’ together to get the size rink you’ve dreamed of.

With a passion for ice, how could we stop there?

We kept tweaking and inventing, and have wound up with a whole suite of other components to enhance the backyard rink-building and maintenance experience. The one-piece NiceRink® Brackets turned out to be a real back and time saver.

Next we introduced the NiceIce® Resurfacer, which cuts down the time spent on each flood of the rink. And after replacing my boards once and foreseeing yet another board replacement, I thought there had to be a better board to use than wood. Turns out there wasn’t, so we created the slide in place, lightweight, long lasting NiceRink® Thermoformed Plastic Boards. Each season we look for better and brighter solutions, such as our 2016 under liner LED NiceLights addition.

Today, with the NiceRink® “BIG 4” (liners, brackets, resurfacers, boards) firmly in place, it’s our customer service and client loyalty that lead us to the next level. Our mission has always been to provide simple yet effective solutions for making and maintaining an outdoor ice rink. And, because we’re skaters ourselves, it’s also been our goal to provide products to help develop each skater’s creativity and abilities without limitations.

Most of all, we want you and your family to have fun. With NiceRink®, you can start creating Frozen Traditions® and making Frozen Memories® of your own this winter and each one thereafter that we guarantee will last a lifetime.

Jim Stoller President, NiceRink

#FrozenMemories #NiceRink Email sales@nicerink.com

NiceRink.com

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Come Together for the Holidays!

PAINT POTTERY IN THE STUDIO OR AT HOME

Shop Online: https://crockadoodle.com/whitby/order-to-go/ Take home kits with step-by-step instruction sheets, school and daycare programs with optional individualized kits, themed birthday parties, bridal showers, ladies nights, team builders, fundraisers & more!

Address: 30 Broadleaf Ave Whitby ON L1R 0B5 Telephone: 905-425-1920 Email: whitby@crockadoodle.com Website: www.crockadoodle.com/whitby Facebook: facebook.com/crockadoodleinwhitby Instagram: #crockadoodleinwhitby Download our Free Mobile App: www.crockadoodle.com/app Reservations: https://crockadoodle.com/whitby/reservation-request/

Holiday hours Tuesday: 11am to 6pm Wednesday: 11am to 6pm Thursday: 1pm to 8pm Friday: 1pm to 8pm Saturday: 10am to 6pm Sunday: 10am to 6pm

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TEAM DRYLAND • YOUTH ALL-STARS PROGRAM CONCUSSION TESTING & TREATMENT • FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SCREENING FULL 24 HOUR MEMBER ACCESS • CONTACT US info@killerfitpa.com

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Everyone is looking for a Solution to their health, fitness and performance needs.

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#MoveEveryDay • Adult Fitness & Conditioning Programs • Youth Fitness and Athlete Development • Personal Training & Custom Groups • Holistic Nutrition • Injury Rehabilitation

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