Enhancing academics with HCSA
Anthony Herrington thought it might be an incredible concept to show hockey throughout common college hours.
After finishing his Masters of Education thesis on the University of Victoria, Herrington labored onerous to
carry his hockey teaching abilities to his job as a bodily schooling instructor at Sherwood Secondary School in
Hamilton, Ont.
Based on his expertise working with an identical school-based hockey program in Victoria whereas attending
college, Herrington began instructing hockey abilities to Grade 9 college students within the fall of 1999.
Since that point, this system has grown to the purpose the place 78 college students in Grades 9 to 11 signed as much as take the
class this 12 months and it has additionally turn into an official Hockey Canada Skills Academy.
“Personally, it has been an incredible expertise to be concerned in a ground-breaking program for hockey gamers
no matter their capacity,” Herrington stated. “Ice hockey is a sport that has not historically been taught
within the P.E. curriculum and it has given me an opportunity to make use of my experience in the course of the college day.”
According to Paul Carson, Hockey Canada’s Director of Development, the Hockey Canada Skills Academy program
is “one of the most dynamic new initiatives” launched by Hockey Canada.
The tenth advice of the 1999 Molson Open Ice Summit led to the
growth of the HCSA program, defined Carson. The advice is an initiative to “promote
cooperative efforts between college boards, native hockey associations and sponsors, to raised make the most of ice
occasions and faculty amenities and transfer in direction of the event of faculty sports activities.”
By changing into a licensed Hockey Canada Skills Academy, Herrington stated his program was enhanced by means of the
use of drills, movies, and off-ice workout routines, equipped by Hockey Canada. “And, after all, the Team Canada
jerseys,” Herrington added.
In its second 12 months as an official HCSA, the Hamilton – primarily based program has drawn rave evaluations from college
directors, lecturers, college students and oldsters.
“It’s a very, very positive program,” stated Sherwood vice principal Doug Cihocki. “It’s an enormous addition to
our faculty.”
Ron Teufel, Sherwood’s PE division head and an on-ice teacher of the Grade 9 class, counseled the
native college board for being modern and throwing their help behind this system.
“I thought it was a long shot, but I also thought it was a great idea,” stated Teufel, recalling his
impressions of the concept when he first heard about it. “It was one thing very new to the realm – one thing new
to Ontario.”
Rob Kitamura, an skilled NCCP Advanced II Level coach and the Scouting Coordinator for the OHL Barrie
Colts, was employed as an on-ice coordinator for this system.
“He’s a great guy and an excellent hockey person,” stated Herrington, who can also be an Advanced II Level
coach. “We’re really fortunate to have him. He’s really enhanced our program.”
“Personally I think it’s an excellent idea,” Kitamura stated. “They ought to have them in most center faculties
and secondary faculties. It’s an ideal complement to a daily hockey program.”
Currently in Grade 12 at Sherwood Secondary, Jordan Ward, 17, went by means of this system from Grade 9 to
12.
“It was awesome,” Ward stated. “I appreciated it rather a lot. I simply appreciated how we acquired to go to the rink to play throughout
fitness center class.” Ward appreciated the additional hockey abilities he discovered in the course of the daytime classes.
“You could tell it made students better hockey players over the year,” he stated, noting the instructors are
first charge. “They were really good with us. They made sure we had a good time.”
Grade 10 scholar Brandon Key has loved the teachings he has discovered thus far whereas taking the category.
“No matter how good you are, there’s always ways to improve yourself and get better,” stated the
15-year-old, who loved getting further ice time and enhancing his data of the sport. “It’s a good way to
meet new folks and be taught a number of issues about hockey.”
Key can look ahead to taking this system once more subsequent 12 months, however he’s lobbying the instructors to supply the
class in his senior 12 months as effectively.
“We’re trying to get the teachers to put it in Grade 12 too,” Key stated. While Ward is a AAA stage participant
with the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs and Key competes on the Minor Midget A stage with the Chedoke Express,
Herrington stated the talents academy isn’t an elite program.
“It is co-ed and open to any student wishing to improve their skills,” Herrington stated, noting the 70 per
cent of the scholars who enroll are leisure home league gamers.
Regardless of their capacity and stage, college students within the class get the chance to enhance their abilities,
Kitamura stated.
“It presents the group coach the chance to make use of his or her experience to enhance the ability stage of
every participant,” he stated. “It offers us the time to work on all of the vital issues we as coaches are likely to
overlook in a aggressive program or membership state of affairs.”
Making this system accessible to all ranges of gamers was one of many college board’s foremost objectives when it
backed the initiative.
“There was concern from other schools that it would be an elite program,” Cihocki stated. “It’s definitely
not that. We’re not out raiding different faculties for hockey expertise.”
The on-ice classes are primarily based round ability growth and never round staff ideas.
“They do a lot of on-ice drills that sometimes don’t even involve sticks and pucks,” Cihocki stated.
“We’re not game orientated,” Teufel added. “We’re all about skill development and having fun.”
For the instructors, seeing college students have enjoyable whereas studying abilities is what this system is all about.
“The experience has been priceless,” Kitamura commented. “As the semester progresses you possibly can see the
gamers acquire confidence and take a look at the brand new abilities they’ve discovered.”
Teufel and Herrington agreed that seeing the constructive response of the scholars is rewarding.
“Seeing the kids enjoy it, that’s probably one of the biggest rewards,” Teufel stated.
“It’s rewarding for me because it does put fun into hockey,” Herrington stated. “It’s nice to see smiles on
their faces. That they aren’t scared to strive new issues is admittedly rewarding as a instructor.”
Herrington defined that the scholars have to surrender a few of their free time to take the category. “We have
to take a bus to the world because the closest area is a couple of 10 minute drive, so we use the lunch hour to get
further time for the category,” he stated, noting that college students normally eat their lunches on the best way to the
area.
Once modified and on the ice, college students obtain virtually an hour of instruction earlier than heading again to high school
for his or her remaining lessons.
During the introductory lesson every semester, Herrington encourages the scholars to get pleasure from their time on
the ice and use it to boost their abilities.
“I carry them in and I say, ‘Look round everybody, there isn’t a higher place to be than in an area throughout
the varsity day. Nobody else is right here. It is simply you and the ice – let’s use it to have enjoyable and to enhance
your abilities’.”
The classes all the time embody some kind of enjoyable sport, usually incorporating using a tennis ball or
ringette ring as a substitute of a puck. Other occasions, college students play a sport of 3-on-3 with revised guidelines close to the tip
of the category. “We’re doing some really cool things here,” Herrington stated.
The Sherwood program has even attracted the curiosity of different faculties. In March, a gaggle of lecturers,
mother and father and college students from Peterborough visited Hamilton to soak up one of many Sherwood abilities academy
classes.
“They had a couple students who actually participated in the on-ice sessions,” Teufel stated.
“They were really impressed,” Herrington beamed.
