How To Choose A Hockey Camp By:
Mike Gempeler Mike
is a 15-year hockey school veteran who is the founder/director
of Rocky Mountain Hockey Schools and the U.S. Jr. Development
Program, as well as founder/creator of CamperReg, Camp Management
Technologies, Inc. and Hockey Editor for RINK magazine. He has
spent time as a youth hockey coach, private powerskating instructor,
private stickhandling coach, youth hockey director, and youth
hockey association consultant.
The regular season has ended and it’s time for summer camp. The annual routine has begun and parents are faced with the challenge of choosing the right hockey camp for their son or daughter to attend. The decision can be overwhelming, especially considering that there are over 100 hockey camps in the United States alone to choose from. In the past decade youth hockey has grown by close to 6% with USA hockey memberships reaching 525,000. With such popularity, the options and avenues for improving a player’s game have become limitless. So how does one choose the right camp? Begin by searching out all the options. Look in local rinks, pro shops, and rec centers for posters or flyers regarding upcoming camps and clinics. Get camp recommendations from your child’s coach, there is nothing stronger than a referral. Search online through various search engines, go to camp specific websites, or search host sites such as summercamps.com, kidscamp.com, localsportscamps.com. Also, consider various publications where camp listings and advertising are popular such as The Hockey News (THN) and American Hockey Magazine (AHM). Camp advertising runs from January to May in these publications, with February typically featuring the most comprehensive hockey camp listing. Once the options are laid out, it is critical to take into consideration the skill set of the player before deciding on a camp. How long has the child been playing hockey? How old is he/she? Has the child spent enough time learning basic skills? The answers to these questions will lead to choosing a camp that is best suited for the player. Be aware that most camps offer a specific focus within their camp curriculum. For example, Powerskating Camps cover the pure fundamentals of the forward stride, speed and quickness development, backward stride, cross-unders, starts and stops. Other camp focuses include Stickhandling, Offensive, Defensive and combination camps. Remember that your child has been playing hockey all winter long and may need a break from the game. Focusing in on specific skill enhancement prevents burnout and encourages overall improvement. It is also important to consider the gender of the player and whether or not a camp is gender specific. Some camps are not coed due to the mere physicality of the game and the fact that many female players are not comfortable with checking. Inquire with the camp ahead of time as to whether it is coed and if so, how many males vs. females will be attending. In the end, it is up to the personal preference of the player. Finally, there is the option of resident or day camps. Typically, resident camps are the sleep away variety where the player goes to the camp and boards there for a week, whereas day camps are conducted at a rink in your area. One is not better than the other however there will be a price difference to consider with the resident camp costing more. If considering a resident camp, be sure that sleeping quarters, transportation to and from the rink, on and off ice activities, and meals are included. Also, it is also very important to decide ahead of time if the player is age appropriate for a week away from home. Typically, if the child is under 8 they are not ready for a resident camp nor are their parents. In closing, as the Great One Wayne Gretzky once said, “If you can’t skate, you can’t play hockey”. Remember that is doesn’t matter how well a player can execute a neutral zone trap if they can’t skate or control the puck!
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