Huskie Hockey Camp
Calder LOVES hockey. He plays mini sticks in our basement and if I am at all distracted, he will haul the nets and sticks upstairs to get a little hardwood action. He loves playing on the rink in the backyard in the winter and on our driveway in the summer. When Calder's learn to skate lessons went so well in the fall, we knew he would enjoy playing with kids his own age on the "big ice". We registered him in a Huskie Hockey camp which runs every Saturday morning January through the beginning of March.
Although Calder was given a Huskie jersey when he started, he likes to wear his Blades! I definitely need to work on my camera skills in a rink. I did a lot of adjusting on iPhoto and still don't have a good colour. I also may need a lens with a lower aperture. Rinks are so dark!
I'm not sure we'll put Boone in this program if he is as keen on hockey as Calder is. The instruction and drills, in my opinion, are not well suited for 4 and 5 year olds. The learn to skate program that the city of Martensville puts on is WAY better. Calder was taught skill progression there and given age appropriate instructions. There was one practice at Huskie hockey camp where the kids did a tag game for warm-up, spent 35 minutes dragging a partner down the ice and having their partner haul them back, and then played a mini-game for 10 minutes. I want Calder to have fun and learn something. I feel that middle 35 minutes was neither. The next practice they were teaching kids to pivot from front to back. The instructor said, "Get some speed so you can glide, then you pivot, then you glide backwards." He then did a demo and when he asked if everyone understood, three kids shouted, "Noooooo!" I laughed out loud. He then used the exact same words to explain it again. And just for a reference point, these kids can't skate backward, let alone glide backward. Anyway, this is just my opinion. I will be making an effort to give the program some feedback when it's done. I truly believe the instructors are trying their best.
On a side note, in the fall, Hugh and I had looked into putting Calder in CanSkate in Martensville, but were deterred by having to do fundraising. We are both thinking that the possibility of age appropriate instruction might be worth the fundraising.
Although Calder was given a Huskie jersey when he started, he likes to wear his Blades! I definitely need to work on my camera skills in a rink. I did a lot of adjusting on iPhoto and still don't have a good colour. I also may need a lens with a lower aperture. Rinks are so dark!
I'm not sure we'll put Boone in this program if he is as keen on hockey as Calder is. The instruction and drills, in my opinion, are not well suited for 4 and 5 year olds. The learn to skate program that the city of Martensville puts on is WAY better. Calder was taught skill progression there and given age appropriate instructions. There was one practice at Huskie hockey camp where the kids did a tag game for warm-up, spent 35 minutes dragging a partner down the ice and having their partner haul them back, and then played a mini-game for 10 minutes. I want Calder to have fun and learn something. I feel that middle 35 minutes was neither. The next practice they were teaching kids to pivot from front to back. The instructor said, "Get some speed so you can glide, then you pivot, then you glide backwards." He then did a demo and when he asked if everyone understood, three kids shouted, "Noooooo!" I laughed out loud. He then used the exact same words to explain it again. And just for a reference point, these kids can't skate backward, let alone glide backward. Anyway, this is just my opinion. I will be making an effort to give the program some feedback when it's done. I truly believe the instructors are trying their best.
On a side note, in the fall, Hugh and I had looked into putting Calder in CanSkate in Martensville, but were deterred by having to do fundraising. We are both thinking that the possibility of age appropriate instruction might be worth the fundraising.
Regardless of the quality of program, Calder seems to be enjoying it, so we are calling it a success. And seriously, could he look any cuter?
He's adorable!! And rinks are super tricky for lighting... let me know if you figure out the magic tricks without major equipment... :s
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