Thank you for your registration confirmation that your child will be
trying out for the Parry Sound Minor Hockey Novice Rep team this season.
2014 – 2015 Season
PARRY SOUND MINOR HOCKEY CLUB
Introduction/Evaluation
HEAD COACH: CHRIS MAHON
ASSISTANT COACH: to be decided
ASSISTANT COACH: to be decided
TRAINER: to be decided
MANAGER: to be decided
Introduction and Evaluation Letter
August 24, 2014
Dear Parents;
Thank you for your registration confirmation that your child will be trying out for the Parry Sound Minor Hockey Novice Rep team this season.
The team will be formed as a result of performance at a selection camp scheduled between September 1, 2014 and September 14, 2014. The camp will consist of 3 on ice sessions, Skating, Puck Handling and Scrimmage/Game. Each player will be guaranteed these times. Some players could be let go after the 3rd on Ice Scrimmage/Game Session. The final team will be chosen during the remaining week. The events will be conducted by volunteers of our Association, lead by myself, as Head Coach, and the on ice team evaluation staff.
Using input from all evaluation staff, we’ll make the final decision regarding the team selections. The Head Coach will have some latitude to select players who are evaluated outside of the top group. Players will be told face to face with a parent by at least two of the evaluation staff of their team allocation in an interview session scheduled immediately following their last practise.
Please refer to the enclosed ‘Criteria For Player Selection’. All camp staff will be instructed to evaluate players based on these criteria. The source of the information is from Hockey Canada. You and your young player are requested to review the information outlined in this introductory package. Should you have any questions, please connect with me directly.
If your young player is chosen and makes the team there are some things that you should know about the up and coming season:
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There will be on average 2 practices per week, most likely on Mondays (either 4-5 or 5-6) and/or Fridays (4:30-5:30). Some practises and/or Games will be played on Sundays from 1-2. Refer to the team calendar for most recent schedule on the team home page.
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All players will be required to be at all team functions. They will be required to notify the team manager as soon as possible if they will be absent. There may be a penalty assessed if a player misses a practice or game without communicating the absence.
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The team may carry some AP players that can fill in for injured or missing players. These players will be able to attend all Parry Sound practices. At the head coach’s discretion the player may be asked to play in games as well.
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Last year there was 10 home games and 10 away games.
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There will be 1 possibly 5 tournaments consisting of a minimum of 3 games in each tournament, possibly more games depending on how the team places in the tournament.
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Overnight stays may be necessary with the optional hotel room for tournament games and possibly playoff games.
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Playoffs could push the season into late March depending one how our team makes out.
If any of the above concerns you as parents or if your child is simply trying out for the ice time, please communicate this with me as soon as possible.
Good luck in your preparation. I look forward to seeing you on September 1!
Yours truly,
Chris Mahon
Novice Rep Coach
Home 705-342-9928 - Cell: 705-774-2517
[email protected]
Optimist Club Novice Rep Home Page: http://parrysoundhockeyclub.com/Teams/1142/
Optimist Club Novice Rep Calendar: http://parrysoundhockeyclub.com/Teams/1142/Calendar/
Tryout Important Dates (Refer to the Optimist Club Novice Calendar)
Sept. 1 (Mon): 4:00 - 5:00pm Practice Skating Skills session in Humphrey
Sept. 2 (Tue): 6:30 - 7:30pm Practice Puck Control Skills session in Humphrey
Sept. 4 (Thur): 4:30 - 5:30pm Game Skills/Scrimmage session in Humphrey
Sept. 8 (Mon): 5:00 - 6:00pm To be decided
Sept. 11 (Mon): 5:00 - 6:00pm To be decided
Player Selection Criteria
The following is a reference that will be provided to evaluators prior to the player selection process.
General Overview of the Skills to Play the Game
Skating:
Acceleration, speed, mobility, agility, balance, stride, crossovers, pivots, acceleration out of turns, quick feet, controlled skating, change of pace.
♦ Can the players perform the basic forward and backward stride?
♦ Are the players knees well bent with the back slightly forward and the head up, or is the player hunched over, bending at the waist with little knee bend?
♦ Good skaters will use long strides with a complete recovery of the stride leg before striding with the other leg. Their strides will look very smooth and appear not to require much effort to move around the ice.
♦ Does the player look smooth when they skate or do they appear off balance?
♦ Can the player turn in both directions with little trouble or do they struggle to turn in one or both directions?
♦ Can the player stop in both directions? Younger players will often have trouble stopping in one direction.
♦ Can the player keep up with the play or do they struggle to stay with the other players on the ice?
Passing
Passing, receiving, passing choices, on backhand, unselfish with the puck, presents a good target, receives and retains with control, touch passing.
♦ Can the player pass the puck to its intended target with minimal effort?
♦ Can the player make an accurate pass to a moving target?
♦ Can the player receive a pass on their backhand or do they tend to shift their body to receive the pass on the forehand?
♦ Can the player pass the puck off of the backhand with some speed and accuracy?
♦ Does the player call for the puck vs. banging their stick on the ice or saying nothing at all?
♦ Does the player passing the puck make eye contact with the intended receiver or do they just pass the puck blindly?
♦ Can the player execute a saucer pass over sticks and other obstacles?
♦ Can the player pass the puck off of the boards to another player?
Puck Control
Head ups, smooth and quiet, good hands, protection, in small spaces, in traffic.
♦ Does the player have the basic skills to execute a forehand pass?
♦ When the player passes the puck do they slap at it or is the motion smooth with the player following through to the intended target?
♦ Does the player appear to be comfortable handling the puck while skating or do they appear to fight the puck and have trouble skating with some speed while handling it?
♦ Can the player keep his/her head up while carrying the puck?
♦ Can they execute dekes and fakes with the puck?
♦ Can they stop quickly or change directions while handling the puck?
♦ Can the player continue to handle the puck while in traffic and under pressure?
♦ Does the player get pushed or checked off the puck easily?
Shooting
Power, accuracy, quick release, can shoot in motion, goal scorer, rebound control, variety of shots.
♦ Can the player execute the technique of a wrist shot and backhand?
♦ Does the player follow through to the target on all shots?
♦ Can the player raise the puck?
♦ Is the puck shot with some velocity?
♦ Does the puck sit flat in the air or does it wobble?
♦ Can the player execute a one-time shot?
♦ Is the player accurate when shooting?
Positional Play
Ability to see the play developing both offensively and defensively and moves to support, judgment, anticipation, understands systems, disciplined.
♦ Does the player seem to understand where he/she are to play on the ice?
♦ Do they support the puck in defensive and offensive situations?
♦ Does the player show patience or do they tend to panic when pressured?
♦ Do they protect the mid lane and force opposing players inside out?
♦ Can the player angle another player off of the puck?
♦ Does the player force the play or do they wait too long?
Checking
Concept of angling, good body position with balance and control, defensive side position, aggressive checker, strength, taking checks.
♦ Can the player execute basic stick checks?
♦ Does the player shy away from other players?
Below is the web form that our evaluators will be using to evaluate all players after each of the first three tryout sessions.
Sept 1 - Skating Skills
Sept 2 - Puck Skills
Sept 4 - Game Skills
After Each Practice player will be given an overall score
When Your Child Doesn’t Make the Team
The beginning of the new school year means that tryouts are just around the corner. And for those interested in acting in the school play or performing with an advanced musical ensemble, there's this in common with the athletes: some will make the cut, and many will not.
At any level, being cut from a team or group of selected individuals hurts. Being young doesn't prevent kids from feeling a pretty sharp sting of rejection if they don't make the team, especially if it's in a sport or activity that they've done well at and really enjoy doing. And sometimes parents can make the process even harder.
Parents ultimately can't control whether their child makes a team or not, but if he or she doesn't, it's up to the parents to try and soften the blow. Parents can yield a lot of influence at this vulnerable point, for better or for worse. They can discourage the young athlete or performer from any further attempts, or they can help them learn to deal with rejection as a part of life that everyone experiences sometimes, and help them bounce back with grace and renewed energy to the next endeavor.
So how can you help your child deal with the rejection of getting cut? Joel H. Fish, PhD, Director at the Center for Sport Psychology, and author of 101 Ways to be a Terrific Sport Parent, offers this helpful advice on how parents can help support and encourage the young athletes in their home.
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Be self-aware parents. Parents need to be aware of their own attitudes towards making the team, and towards winning and losing because inevitably these attitudes will be picked up by their children. Fish cautions, "I believe parents are extremely well intentioned, but parents often have an emotional response to their child not making the team." Parents who display anger or immediately want to challenge the coach's decision are adding an extra dimension to their child's burden. Charles Kuntzleman, author of over fifty books on fitness and health, says that "The most powerful thing is to not display, when they get home, displeasure with what the coach did. Parents have to learn to bite their tongue; it's demoralizing to the team, and a great disservice to the child."
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Give your child a chance to feel. Parents can help their child cope by giving him or her 'permission' to have a normal response. Fish says, "There's a tendency for parents to rush in there and say 'it's ok' – sometimes we need to say to our kids 'that must hurt,' or give them a hug, or not say anything." Parents who respond to their child not making the team by saying "Well, soccer is a stupid sport anyways!" invalidate the hurt their child is feeling as well as dismissing something that may well be very important to him or her.
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Help your child see the big picture. There's much more to being successful in life than simply making a sports team, however important it may seem at the time, and parents can help their children realize this. Fish suggests that, before a tryout, parents make a list together with their child of multiple goals which reflect what the tryout is really about. One of those goals can be making the team, but include others as well, such as having fun, trying your best, being good teammate, and learning something. Says Fish, "When not all the eggs are in the outcome basket, that can be really helpful for a child who doesn't make the team, because he's going in with multiple definitions of what it means to be successful."
Parents can also help kids realize that even though they didn't make it on the team they were hoping for, they have other options. Community or church leagues may offer opportunities to get involved, or maybe a different sport or activity altogether would provide a fun and exciting challenge. Some kids who have been cut from one team have gone on to be very successful in a totally different area. Others who were at one time cut from their high school teams, like basketball great Michael Jordan, have gone on to become outstanding athletes.
Every young athlete or performer who is making the effort to succeed will eventually encounter some stiff obstacles and competition. Parents can help their kids to not only handle these setbacks graciously, but to actually grow from them!
Source: http://www.education.com/magazine/article/When_Your_Child_Doesnt_Make_the/