Using a program developed by Hockey Canada, the Osoyoos Elementary Hockey School program is being highly regarded.
“We will probably use this as a pretty good outline on how other elementary schools could do the program,” said B.C. Hockey’s program co-ordinator Michael Butler, who visited the school in late February along with Pier-Alexandre Poulin, manager of school programs for Hockey Canada. “It was a fantastic program.”
Kids in the program loved learning to play the game.
Teacher and instructor Dean Rowland focuses on teaching skating, shooting, passing, stickhandling and dish out crushing hits. The biggest improvement Rowland saw was in their skating.
“We do every practice about a 10 to 15 minute start of a skating focus, mostly edge work and agility,” said Rowland, who this summer enters his 10th season with the Okanagan Hockey School as an instructor. “You really see a difference. One kid in Grade 4 was a beginner, never played any hockey or had any gear on. Had skated a bit before. Moving around the ice really slow at the start. You could really see the growth. He was keeping up with some of the other kids.”
The work Rowland has done with Hockey Canada’s sanctioned program over the eight years caught their attention as well as B.C. Hockey. Butler and Poulin visited the school to see how it was run. During the evaluation Butler conducted, he spoke with the kids alone to get their thoughts and the only thing expressed was wanting more ice time.
“Overall they really liked the program,” said Butler.
“They look forward to it. It’s part of their week,” said Rowland.
The development has also been noticed by those in the South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association as coaches said they could tell the kids had been in the program.
“Their skating is just so much better,” said Rowland, adding that three-quarters of the kids play minor hockey. “They are on the ice more. Contributing to someone else’s growth is quite rewarding.”
The program will wrap up shortly after spring break with their charity game to support the food bank. Highlights of the season for Rowland was watching the kids improve and being able to grow the program from 30 to 39 kids. The program was run only twice a week, but interest from other parents resulted in adding another day. Tuesday’s he worked with the younger kids, Wednesday the older group and Friday everyone.
“It gives me a real neat opportunity to work with a wide range of ages,” said Rowland, who played junior hockey with the Penticton Panthers and Canadian university hockey with Brandon. “I get to know some of the kids, establish a relationship. Get to know more kids I wouldn’t.”
Butler said the school program, one of the only ones in B.C. at the elementary level, was operated very well.
“He (Rowland) had really good control of the group,” said Butler, adding there was also solid support from people in the community to assist.
While Butler hasn’t completed his report, he and Poulin visited five schools this season, he said there wasn’t anything glaring that would be an issue. In fact, the Osoyoos Elementary Hockey School program could become a model for others.
With the program being connected with Hockey Canada, the players wear jerseys with the Canadian crest on it.
“To be affiliated with Hockey Canada is a pretty big deal,” said Rowland. “I think it’s really cool. When we got the jerseys at the start of the year, they are pretty happy to get the jerseys.”
Being as young as they are though, Rowland said the players don’t have a full understanding of what it means to be “affiliated with the most decorated and the highest level of hockey in the world.”
“We’re in a Hockey Canada program, the expectations are high,” he said.
