MENTORS MEETING nb 3, Copenhagen, Danemark

SHORT REPORT – materials from the presentation
16 May – 18 May 2018

Hockey School for Adults (L. Rollins)

Strategy

• Recruit
• Develop
• Retain
• Evaluate
• Repeat

RECRUIT

• Define your product
  • What are you offering?
• Identify the target group:
  • Adults who have never played hockey/played as children
• Locate the target group:
  • Parents in arena/parents of hockey kids
  • Adults who want to be active (gyms, unemployment centers, medical clinics, etc)
• Advertise to target group:
  • Social media, posters, face-to-face
  • Encourage participants to bring friends

 DEVELOP

• Product must be high quality:
  • Find the right coaches
    • Qualities: some hockey ability, positive, patient, confident, helpful, flexible, dedicated
    • 1-3 coaches per ice. Young, former players who are responsible.
  • Have a clear plan
    • Give plan to participants
    • Show development model
  • Teach skating, skills, and hockey
    • Do not simply play for 60 minutes. Adults want to learn and understand.

RETAIN

• Greet each participant by name at each training
  • Names on helmets
  • On the ice, encourage and address people by name
• Ask for opinions after each training
  • How do you feel? Did you have fun? Can we do better?
• End of season tournament
  • 3v3 or full ice
  • Trophy/medals
  • Food, music, outside grill party?
• Photos/Video on social media every week
  • Create a group/Facebook page (‘Public’)

EVALUATE

• End of season participant survey
  • Create simple Google Doc
    • Statistics: How many participants
      • Began the program
      • Joined during the program
      • Dropped out
      • Wish to continue
    • Why did they participate/join/quit?
    • What was good/could be better?
    • Open suggestions
  • Debrief coaches
    • What worked/could be better?
    • You, as a coach: strengths, weaknesses, suggestions

TIPS FOR ADULT HOCKEY SCHOOL

• Coaches
  • Good with people, positive, ability to demonstrate/correct, will show up every week
• Equipment
  • Minimum: Skates, helmets, sticks. Full gear recommended
  • Tape, markers, cones, pucks, goals (small and large), jerseys, coffee machines, water bottles
• Advertising
  • Advertise directly to women/mothers
  • Make it clear that this is for beginners, not ‘future NHLers’
  • ‘Fun, safe, learning environment’
• Develop skills
  • 15 minutes of skating, 30 minutes of drills, 15 minutes of playing

TIPS, CONTINUED

• Coaches
  • Good with people, positive, ability to demonstrate/correct, will show up every week
• Equipment
  • Minimum: Skates, helmets, sticks. Full gear recommended
  • Tape, markers, cones, pucks, goals (small and large), jerseys, coffee machines, water bottles
• Advertising
  • Advertise directly to women/mothers
  • Make it clear that this is for beginners, not ‘future NHLers’
  • ‘Fun, safe, learning environment’
• Develop skills
  • 15 minutes of skating, 30 minutes of drills, 15 minutes of playing

_____________________________________

Teenagers (former players, at-risk youth) (L. Rollins)

STRATEGY

• Recruit
• Develop
• Retain
• Evaluate
• Repeat

RECRUIT

• Define your product
  • What are you offering?
    • No pressure hockey. Fun. Safe environment.
  • Identify the target group:
    • At-risk teens/kids, who quit hockey/immigrants?
  • Locate the target group:
    • Social media
    • Contact info from the club
    • Other teen programs/immigrant programs/schools
  • Advertise to target group:
    • Social media, posters, face-to-face
    • Encourage participants to bring friends

DEVELOP

• Product must be fun, no pressure:
  • Find the right coaches
    • Qualities: some hockey ability, positive, patient, confident, helpful, flexible, dedicated
    • 1-3 coaches per ice. Young, former players who are responsible. Able to work with teens positively.
  • Develop personal bonds
    • ‘See’ everyone. Include and encourage.
    • Reward effort and teamwork more than skills
  • Teach skating, skills, and hockey
    • Keep it fun. Races, competitions, shooting. Do things they enjoy
    • Play 15-20 minutes at every training

RETAIN

• Greet each participant by name at each training
  • Names on helmets
  • On the ice, encourage and address people by name
  • Give players responsibility
• Ask for opinions after each training
  • How do you feel? Did you have fun? Can we do better?
• End of season tournament
  • 3v3 or full ice
  • Trophy/medals
  • Food, music, outside grill party? Invite families or friends?
• Photos/Video on social media every week
  • Create a group/Facebook page (‘Public’)
  • Snapchat/whatever cool teens are doing in 2018

EVALUATE

• End of season participant survey
  • Create simple Google Doc
    • Statistics: How many participants
      • Began the program
      • Joined during the program
      • Dropped out
      • Wish to continue
    • Why did they participate/join/quit?
    • What was good/could be better?
    • Open suggestions
  • Debrief coaches
    • What worked/could be better?
    • You, as a coach: strengths, weaknesses, suggestions

TIPS FOR TEENAGERS

• Coaches
  • Good with people, positive, ability to demonstrate/correct, will show up every week, experience working with teens
• Equipment
  • Minimum: Skates, helmets, sticks. Full gear recommended
  • Tape, markers, cones, pucks, goals (small and large), jerseys, water bottles
• Advertising
  • Advertise directly to girls/boys/immigrants
  • Make it clear that this is for fun. No pressure to be the best. Safe, fun environment.
• Develop skills
  • 15 minutes of skating, 30 minutes of drills, 15 minutes of playing

 TIPS, CONTINUED

• Dressing room culture
  • Encourage people to come early
  • Have a coach in the dressing room to keep behaviour positive
• Same training time every week
  • Best training time for teens in your country? Weekends?
• Use social media!
  • Create a public Facebook group for info/photos
  • Create a hashtag and encourage its use
• Contact players when they miss training
  • ”Hey, buddy! We missed you today. Everything ok?”
  • Make personal relationships and let people feel wanted

_____________________________________

Girls ( Just wanna…be treated like athletes) (L. Rollins)

RECRUIT

• Define your product
  • What are you offering?
    • Girls only zone. Safe. Fun. Exiting. New friends.
  • Identify the target group:
    • Female players age? 7-12? Older?
  • Locate the target group:
    • Social media
    • Schools
    • Other sports facilities
  • Advertise to target group:
    • Social media, posters, face-to-face
    • Encourage participants to bring friends

 DEVELOP

• Product must be fun, challenging, safe:
  • Find the right coaches
    • Qualities: some hockey ability, positive, patient, confident, helpful, flexible, dedicated
    • 1-3 coaches per ice. Willing to explain, encourage
  • Have a clear plan
    • How many groups/levels on ice?
    • What skills will you teach, and how?
  • Teach skating, skills, and hockey
    • Skating 15 minutes, skills 30 minutes, play 15 minutes
    • Make it fun. Teach a skill, work on it, use it in a game or competition.

RETAIN

• Greet each participant by name at each training
  • Names on helmets
  • On the ice, encourage and address people by name
  • Explain the How and the Why of each drill/skill
• After each training:
  • Did you have fun? What was the best? What did you learn?
• End of season tournament
  • 3v3 or full ice
  • Trophy/medals
  • Food, music, outside grill party?
• Photos/Video on social media every week
  • Create a group/Facebook page (‘Public’)

EVALUATE

• End of season participant survey
  • Create simple Google Doc
    • Statistics: How many participants
      • Began the program
      • Joined during the program
      • Dropped out
      • Wish to continue
    • Why did they participate/join/quit?
    • What was good/could be better?
    • Open suggestions
  • Debrief coaches
    • What worked/could be better?
    • You, as a coach: strengths, weaknesses, suggestions

TIPS FOR GIRLS HOCKEY PROGRAM

• Coaches
  • Hockey coaching experience, willing to explain, positive, able to challenge athletes at age appropriate level
  • Role models: women who are former players
• Equipment
  • Minimum: Skates, helmets, sticks. Full gear recommended
  • Tape, markers, cones, pucks, goals (small and large), jerseys, coffee machines, water bottles
• Advertising
  • Advertise directly to girls/parents of girls
  • Use pictures of girls/women in all of your advertisements
  • Some ‘nice’ pics, some ‘competitive’ pics
• Develop skills
  • 15 minutes of skating, 30 minutes of drills, 15 minutes of playing (girls are as athletic and capable as boys. Treat them like athletes).

TIPS, CONTINUED

• Dressing room culture
  • Encourage kids to arrive early
  • Coaches in rooms to help with equipment/answer questions
• Same training time every week
  • Best training time for parents in your country?
• Use social media!
  • Create a public Facebook group for info/photos
  • Create a hashtag and encourage its use
• Use your national team athletes
  • They can skate. They want to grow the sport.
  • As coaches or as guests 1-2 times during the program

_____________________________________

Special needs hockey (L. Rollins)

RECRUIT

• Define your product
  • What are you offering?
    • New activity. Physical fitness. Meeting others. Fun.
  • Identify the target group:
    • Downs Syndrome? All intellectual disabilities?
  • Locate the target group:
    • Downs Syndrome societies (see outline)
    • Schools
    • Facebook groups
  • Advertise to target group:
    • Social media, posters, face-to-face
    • Encourage participants to bring friends
    • Encourage parents/caregivers to attend

DEVELOP

• Product must be fun, positive, safe:
  • Find the right coaches
    • 1-2 ‘real’ coaches
    • 4-5 helpers (on skates or on shoes)
    • Experience with DS or young children
  • Have a clear plan
    • How many groups/levels on ice? (see outline)
    • What skills will you teach, and how?
  • Teach skating, fun, teamwork, pride

RETAIN

• Greet each participant by name at each training
  • Names on helmets
  • On the ice, encourage and address people by name
  • Smile, be patient, get to know the players
• After each training:
  • Did you have fun? What was the best? What did you learn?
• End of season match (against pros?)
  • Create a partnership with the local club
  • Club jerseys match against the ‘stars’
• Photos/Video on social media every week
  • Create a group/Facebook page (‘Public’)
  • Alert local media
• Create a meeting place for parents/caregivers
  • Coffee, cake, warm place to sit?

EVALUATE

• End of season participant/parent survey
  • Create simple Google Doc
    • Statistics: How many participants
      • Began the program
      • Joined during the program
      • Dropped out
      • Wish to continue
    • Why did they participate/join/quit?
    • What was good/could be better?
    • Open suggestions
  • Debrief coaches
    • What worked/could be better?
    • You, as a coach: strengths, weaknesses, suggestions

TIPS FOR SPECIAL HOCKEY PROGRAM

• Coaches
  • Experience with people more important than experience with hockey
  • 5-6 on ice per training
• Equipment
  • Minimum: Skates, helmets, sticks. Full gear recommended
  • Tape, markers, cones, pucks, goals (small and large), jerseys, coffee machines, water bottles
• Advertising
  • Advertise directly to parents of/societies for special kids
  • Use pictures of special kids in all of your advertisements
  • Emphasize social aspect for kids and parents
• Use many different games/activities
  • People are ‘task-oriented’
  • Instead of ”Skate to the goal line”, try ‘bring the pucks from here to the goal line as fast as you can’

TIPS, CONTINUED

• Dressing room culture
  • Encourage kids to arrive 30-40 minutes before ice
  • Coaches in rooms to help with equipment/answer questions
  • Coffee/cake for parents
• Same training time every week
  • Very important for special needs people
• Use social media!
  • Create a public Facebook group for info/photos
  • FB group for parents to talk to each other
• Get guidance from national DS society

_____________________________________

Primary school kids program (T. Psenka)

TARGET GROUP

• Characteristics of the group:
• Children – 4-10 years old
• Attending primary (secondary) school
• Playful age
• Fast learning kids, little scared at the beginning, later very fearless
• „They want to have fun!“
• The most important group, the biggest amount of the persons concerned

 RECRUITING

• Recruiting
• How to get involved 5 years old kid in skating on the ice?
• How to contact the kids?
• Most of the kids would „love“ to skate and to have fun on the ice, but…

…decision makes parents, teachers, schools…

• 2 different ways to recruit kids for skating on ice:
• 1) Visiting kindergarten, schools, leisure centers… invite them to skate under professional supervision.
• 2) Through promotion…
• Efficiency, positives, negatives???
• Visiting kindergartens, schools, centers…
• Positives:
• Contact with teachers, lecturers, explaining entire process less work with parents
• The organization takes over by the school until the children arrive at the rink
• The exact number of the skaters on the ice, the similiar age of the skaters
• Easy to organize on the ice, to prepare the skating lesson
• In case of agreement with school, 100% efficiency
• Negatives:
• Ice time – usually during school time
• Kids are impatient – a requirement of the well-prepared dressing room (skates, helmets)
• Good organization of time (time schedule)
• Equipment requirements

Preparations – kindergarten school…

• Equipment requirements
• Labels on helmets with kids names
• Equipment requirements
• Locker room
• Tight the laces
• Coaches – organizations
• Tools
• Diplomas, rewards
• Medical staff (one person enough)

DEVELOPING

• 3-5 coaches + teachers
• 45-60 minutes on the ice
• Good organization – communication on ice (coaches – kids, kids – coaches)
• Coaches getting involved in exercises, games, playing with kids
• Focusing on kids needs
• Kids should have good experience from practice
• After the practice kids „sadness“
• Coaches are responsible for the happiness of the kids – good conditions for the kids, not for coaches
• After all evaluation of the kids – compliments, thanks, reward (diploma, juice, chocolate bar)
• Taking team photos

 Example of the practice – 1st part (basic skills – up to 15 minutes)

• 5 coaches/ 5 groups
• Standing on the ice
• Standing on one skate
• Falling down and getting up
• Low jumping, high knees
• On the knee
• Walking around the circle…

 Example of the practice – 2nd part (FUN – 30-45 minutes)

• 5 coaches/ 4-5 groups
• Small area game
• overcome obstacles ( crossing and graveling, falling down, getting up)
• „beginners“ – „walkers“
• competition

Example of the practice – Activity on the ice, sports (60 minutes)

• 5 coaches/ 4-5 groups
• Small area game – hockey
• Soccer
• Handball
• Chase
• Ringuette
• …

RETAINING

• Give the kids hockey stickers,

signature cards, photos

• Keep in touch with teachers and

get the feedback from parents

• The teachers should give more materials and information about the clubs activity to parents
• Invite the kids for the ice hockey practices with some leaflets
• Contact the school at least once a year, regularly

RECRUITING

• Through promotion…
• Positives:
• Targeting bigger group of kids and their parents
• Time efficiency
• Use of available ice time in the afternoons and weekends
• Promotions of clubs activities

 

• Negatives:
• Not targeting the exact group
• Kids of different age
• An unknown number of kids
• Organization difficulty

Forms of promoted activities

• • Courses of skating (similar to skating primary school kids)
  • Funny skating for kids
  • Kids for hockey
  • Kids for hockey (organization)
  • Small area hockey
  • Collecting lego pieces
  • Game „mushrooms“
  • Shooting drill
  • „Monkey run“
  • Main goal: „Having fun!!!“

_____________________________________

University students (High school students) program (J. Verlic) 

GOOD TO KNOW

• Students want to have fun
• Students have time (late night hours)
• Students attend free events
• Students like to be challenged(Drills)
• Good chance they already skated

RECRUITMENT

• We offer fun and healthy exercise on ice
• Students can be found in universities, high schools, and dorms
• Students like to exercise & play different sports

ADVERTISING

• Posters and flyers (schools and dorms), social media, face-to-face
• Presentation on student events
• Partnership with student organizations
• Start at the beginning of the school year
• Offer free tickets to hockey games
• T-shirt at the end of the program

EVENT ORGANIZATION

• Dressing rooms
• 3 mentors (+ 1 supervisor*) for 20 participants
• 3 groups – 1mentor per group (beginners, intermidiate, advanced)
• Medical form before the start

EQUIPMENT

• Skates, hockey helmets, elbow & knee pads, gloves
• Full hockey gear if possible

ACCESSORIES

• Sticks, brooms
• Different balls(basket balls, foot balls, tennis balls)
• Obstacles
• Nets
• Basketball hoops
• Tennis rackets

PROGRAM

• Mentors need to recognize the skill level of participants
• 3 groups in 3 zones (beginners, intermediate, advanced)
• 4-5 h skating drills
• Teach them how to skate: skate forward, stopping, pivots and turns
• 5-6 h different games on the ice with or without skates

BASIC SKATING SKILLS

• Basic stance
• Falling correctly/safely
• Getting up from the ice
• Balance on 1 foot
• Jumping on 2 feet / 1 foot
• Gliding on 2 skates / 1 skate
• T-start
• V-start
• T-stop
• One-legged snowplow stop (One o’clock – eleven o’clock stops)
• Two-legged snowplow stop
• Hockey stop
• One-legged C-cuts
• Alternating C-cuts
• Two legs C-cuts
• Glide turns
• Inside edge glide turns
• Outside foot C-cuts around circle
• One-legged C-cuts backward
• Alternating C-cuts backward
• Two legs C-cuts backward
• Gliding on 2 skates backward
• Gliding on 1 skate backward
• Lateral crossovers
• Crossovers forward/backward
• Crossover star

POSSIBLE GAMES ON THE ICE

• 3 zones with different games
• Football on ice (shoes and full hockey gear)
• Broom or ring hockey
• Tennis on ice, basketball(advanced skill level)
• Aerobics, dancing (simple)
• Disco skating

IMPORTANT

• Have good and positive mentors(hockey coaches) with the ability to demonstrate
• Get feedback,create statistics and medical forms
• Try to retain students and bring them back to the ice rink( hockey games, night hockey)
• They can be future sponsors and parents
• EXERCISE AND FUN ON THE ICE!!!!

_____________________________________