One example is the Adult Summer Hockey School. It provides a helpful, healthful way to keep those tiring muscles active, helps older farts stay involved in their favourite stick and ball pastime and encourages female participation in hockey.

The Summerland Adult Hockey School began in the summer of 2006 to answer the 'need' to try to educate the un-teachable! In its first year the enrolment response was substantial and confirmed that there was a need to provide a mature training and learning medium for adult females and seniors who wanted either to take up the game or improve their latent hockey skills so they could participate more effectively. Forty adults registered for the school in 2006 and the numbers this year exceeded even that impressive number.

Under the able tutelage of former Junior Hockey star Lou Lemire and assisted by skilled semi-professional hockey players from the local area - adult women, hockey playing wanabees and senior oldtimers take to the summer ice to learn and enhance their individual and team playing hockey skills. Drawing from his former hockey career, teaching background and youth hockey camps Lemire can easily see and assess the level of each student. He and his assistants then provide group and one on one tutoring to impart the required knowledge and skill. The adult camp concentrates initially on the personal skills of skating, balance, weight shift and proper use of the skate blade edges. From there he moves on to the use and timing of the right muscles to achieve power and speed.

Avoiding the potential of leaving anyone behind, the classes are then divided into ability segments to ensure everyone gets the level of instruction they want and need. Only after the improved skills are imparted are attendees left to practice on their own time as the sessions move on to stick and puck handling drills where grip, adjusted hand position and shooting skills are taught. In the later stages of the week, Lemire turns to team positional play and drills his charges using the medium of the 'blow down' scrimmage. It is in this session that the individual skills come together and students learn that hockey is really a 'team skill'.

Those who use their personal attributes to the best of their ability while combining them with the individual skills of their team members see the best results. The truth is in the results experienced by those who attended one of the adult hockey school sessions. Several of the most talented and skilled attendees admit to starting the school sceptical and with little interest except to get some extra ice time prior to the impending hockey season. However, they came away bragging that they had actually learned new skills, honed their existing abilities and developed methods and attitudes that would improve their personal game and team skills. For more information about the Summerland Adult Hockey Camp go to: http://www.loulemirehockeycamp.com and http://www.loulemirehockeycamp.com/SlandAdult.pdf.

Sept. 2007-Jerry Flaman   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it