School supported by several citizens
- Details
- Published on Saturday, August 13, 2016
By Hall Sveistrup
The fifth annual RCC Derek Laxdal Hockey School was hosted Aug. 1-5 at Riverdale Community Centre (RCC). This year, 113 minor hockey players from various Manitoba communities as well as participants from Langenberg and Saskatoon, Sask. and Medicine Hat, Alta. took part; 93 athletes, five to 14 years, were divided into three groups based on age and skill level.
Each day, each group received two 75-minute on-ice instruction sessions composed of power skating (instructor Dave Lewis), puck control, passing and shooting. In addition, each group participated in one session per day of hockey-specific conditioning on the cement floor of the curling rink, using a special puck and concentrating on improving each participant’s hockey skills. The third daily component of the program was a dryland training session, conducted by Bruce Helgeson, Rivers Collegiate’s phys-ed teach and Rivers Hockey Academy (a collegiate program) instructor. The following is a list of camp instructors and their current professions or teams.
Camp director, Derek Laxdal, head coach of American Hockey League’s Texas Stars; Craig Anderson, phys-ed instructor at Betty Gibson School, Brandon; Mike Strachan, phys-ed and classroom teacher at Betty Gibson; Troy Hickman, phys-ed teacher at Linden Lanes School, Brandon; Oak River’s Riley Shamray, Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s (MJHL) Waywaysecappo Wolverines; Rivers’ Riley Lamb (goalie coach), Yellowhead Chiefs AAA midgets, provincial AAA midgets most valuable player, recently signed with Weyburn Redwings for the 2016-17 season; Colton Bates, MJHL’s Winkler Flyers; Curtis Ireland, Brandon Wheat Kings AAA midgets; Noah Geekie, Yellowhead Chiefs AAA midgets. The following minor hockey players served as camp assistants: Tarran Topham, AAA Parkland Rangers; Matthiew Terrien and Caelan Russell, AAA Pembina Valley Hawks; Owen Wareham, Cassidy Lyttle and Sadie Wood, AAA Yellowhead Chiefs.
This year, for the first four days, a 5:30-7 p.m. evening session was added. Participants were 22 players 14-17 years and included several camp assistants and instructors. They learned and practised offensive and defensive systems. On the third day, former Brandon Wheat King and now a member of Florida Panthers, Jayce Hawryluk, joined the school and conducted an on-ice and autograph session with each of the three groups.
On the final afternoon, each group competed in an intersquad game after which players’ names were drawn to receive a host of donated hockey prizes such as autographed Jamie Benn caps, autographed Jason Spezza sticks, Texas Stars sticks, team backpacks, lunch and gym bags, T-shirts, gloves, toques, towels, scarves, blankets and a Drew Doughty stick.
In addition to regular RCC fare each day, the canteen dispensed a menu special as follows: Monday chili and a bun, prepared and donated by Dianne Wareham, Sharon Herndon, Eleanor and Lynn Madden, Don and Diane Marriott; Tuesday, hamburger soup and a bun, prepared by Hali Laxdal and Hall and Barb Sveistrup; Wednesday, pulled pork on a bun; Thursday, mac and cheese and a bun, prepared and donated by Diane Marriott and Lisa Russell; Friday, all of the above. Camp co-ordinators were grateful for the following food donations: 50 pounds of ground beef from Perry and Lisa Russell; five days’ worth of wieners from Al Pitzel; six dozen buns and four dozen cookies from Hali Laxdal; muffins from Donna Morken and Barb Sveistrup. There were 42 volunteers who manned 70 two-hour canteen shifts. Camp co-ordinators remarked at their friendliness and politeness when dealing with customers, their promptness in delivery services and the immaculate condition in which the kitchen was left at the end of each day.
The camp director, co-ordinators and instructors received numerous compliments on the beauty of the facility and quality of instruction. This appreciation was evident when 76 youngsters registered for the 2017 hockey school, held at a pre-registration table on the fifth and final day.
