MVP Girls' Hockey Camp ====================== Location: Waterloo, Ontario Date: July 8, 1993 INTRODUCTION: ------------ First, I have to warn you ... I'm a much better hockey player than I am a public speaker!!! :-) Well, this has just been a super week so far! o There's been lots of hockey. o It's a great bunch of people - both the players and the instructors have been great to work with. o Everything is really well organized and there always seems to be lots to do. I've only got good things to say about the whole week ... but then again, I didn't have to do the off-ice sessions with Don! I might think differently otherwise! :-) I'd like to talk to you this evening about ... o my hockey career so far, o my experiences being part of Team Canada, and o my experiences playing hockey in Switzerland this year. LEADUP TO MY CAREER: ------------------- Everyone always likes to know how the great hockey players started out! How did Wayne Gretzky ever get so good? I'm not suggesting that my abilities are ANYWHERE close to his, but actually, what I did when I was younger was quite similar to what he did. I lived on a farm East of Peterborough and was very fortunate to have a huge natural pond just next to our house. I started skating when I was 4 years old - well, I don't know if I was actually skating, but I guess I started walking on ice with skates on when I was 4! :-) Falling all over the place, I would imagine! I was always very fond of sports. As I got older, I began to really enjoy playing hockey. Sometimes I would spend all day out on the pond; shooting and skating, all by myself. It was all my mom could do to get me to come inside. I can remember my dad bringing the truck down by the pond so that we could light the pond with the headlights after dark. In the summer, when there was no ice to skate on, you could find me shooting pucks in the back room against a wall ... I was just talking to Jane Sherk who was visiting my parents in Peterborough a few months ago. She told me that she had asked my Dad why all the mortar had fallen off the bricks in certain places in the back room!!! I told her I had no idea what could have happened ... and come to think of it, I don't know what happened to that broken window in the back room either! Fortunately my shot got more accurate over the years!!! :-) Living on a farm though, meant that there was a lot of work that had to be done before I could do this FUN hockey stuff. But that's actually an advantage for a hockey player who lives on a farm - you sure don't need to lift weights to stay strong!! :-) Those bales of hay definitely do the trick!:-) I think if you are to be successful as a hockey player, the bottom line is that you must love the sport. It must be something that that you REALLY enjoy doing. I have always played hockey because it's fun. Things change through the years, but one thing that manages to stay constant for me, is the enjoy- ment I get from playing. That's always been the reason that I have played, and I suppose that if it ever ceases to be fun anymore (which is quite doubtful), that's when I'll hang up my blades. You hear about parents who want their kids to play so badly, ... even more so than the kids want to play. These are the kids who often don't continue to play so long ... and don't go as far. It's like homework, if you're forced to do it, then you won't ... at least that's how I was! :-) I think you have to play because you want to play and because you really enjoy playing, if you are to reach your potential for success. MY CAREER: --------- Now I'd like to take you through my hockey career. So, I first started skating when I was 4 years old. Then, in grade 1, my parents registered me for figure skating. I did this for 3 years and I think it helped my skating skills a lot. I think it's important for hockey players to develop their skating skills first. Trish was talking about this a little in the power skating session. It makes sense though, ... skating is already hard enough without adding in that big long stick and that little black piece of rubber that seems to have a mind of it's own when you are first learning to play! :-) I'm not sure exactly why I decided to play hockey, but my mom says that when we used to have those marathon figure-8 sessions in my figure skating lessons, ... I used to skate over to the boards and say to her "Mom, can I play hockey next year?" I think it was the excitement and challenge of the game that I found intriguing. Also, the influence of hockey in Canada is quite significant. In public school, we used to shoot hockey cards against the wall, and everyone was always talking about NHL hockey. I started playing hockey in grade 4. During my first year, I played on a boy's team because the only girl's team in the league was already too full. Since my first year, I've always been able to play in girl's leagues. I was quite fortunate that the Peterborough area has well-developed female hockey programs. There is even a girl's high school league that I was able to play in throughout my high school years. I was very fortunate that when I was just finishing off grade 13, I was approached by Russ McCurdy, the coach of the University of New Hampshire, at the Brampton tournament. He offered me a full scholarship to attend the University of New Hampshire the following season. I remember doubting the New Hampshire coach at the time. It was like a dream come true ... this man was telling me that he would pay for my education (not to mention my room, my board and my books), as long as I played hockey for the University team. I couldn't believe it! I wasn't about to tell him, but heck, I would have PAID THEM to let me play! :-) As it turned out, deciding to play for New Hampshire was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I learned a lot in school, but just being so far away from home and living in a different country was quite a learning experience in itself. The hockey was taken very seriously at New Hampshire. We practiced every day for 2 hours. It was there that I began to realize just how important it is to have a good coach. Before going to New Hampshire, to me a coach was just the person who opened the door on the bench. There's definitely a lot more to it than that! Our coach, who was also the coach of Team USA at the World Championships in 1992, taught me SO much about the game. He focused on the fine technical points that someone who isn't very familiar with the game, might overlook. He also stressed the importance of a team. One quote that I remember him always saying was, ... "there's no 'I' in TEAM!" In the spring of 1990, I graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science ... so I guess I did do a little homework after all! :-) Since then, I've been working on my Master's degree in Computer Science at the University of Toronto. A big motivator for continuing my education was the opportunity to play for UofT's varsity team. As well as playing for the varsity team, I've also been playing in the Women's senior "AA" league. In the summer of 1991, I started to prepare to get ready for the Team Canada tryouts. Making the Canadian team, and playing in Finland last spring, was definitely the highlight of my hockey career. It's something I had always dreamed of! It's one thing to get to play for your University, but it was QUITE another to have the honour to represent my country. This past hockey season, I decided to do something a little bit different. I put my school on hold and went to Switzerland for seven months to play hockey for a women's team. I'll go into more detail about my experience a little later, but first I would to elaborate a bit more about playing for Team Canada in 1992. TRYOUTS: Most of you are probably interested in knowing what it takes to make the Canadian team. Who knows, some of you may be on it at some point in your career .. gee, if you continue playing like you are this week, you never know! So, just what does it take to make the Canadian team? Well, obviously, a certain degree of natural talent is QUITE helpful. Your hockey skill level is ALSO very important. However, I think there is much more to it than that ... I think some of the non-tangibles, like, attitude and work ethic can also greatly influence whether you are selected or not. Things like your willingness to learn and to listen to the coaches are more important than you might imagine - because after all, no one can ever know all there is to know about hockey - not even the coaches!! When I tried out for the 1992 team, I had to attend 3 different tryout camps. ... a preliminary camp in Ontario ... a final Ontario Selection camp in Barrie, and ... the final National selection camp in Kitchener. I remember being scared to death when I saw how many good players there were trying out in Barrie. I started to psyche myself out ... I'd do stupid things like ... I'd look around the dressing room and see that everyone besides me had Bauer 3000 skates ... then I'd think, oh no, they must be better than me, I only have Bauer 2000s - what am I doing here? That's one thing that you have to be careful of. You HAVE to keep the right frame of mind ... you can be your worst enemy if you allow it. You have to keep a positive attitude, and you can't get down on yourself, no matter what. The Barrie camp lasted for 4 days; and we all worked extremely hard. We spent up to 7 hours a day on the ice, constantly being evaluated. During both practices and games, we were always trying our hardest. By the 3rd day, my legs were soooooo sore that I just wanted to hang up my skates and go home. However, I was very determined and the pain didn't seem to matter as much as making the team did. I was very happy to be one of thirty-five players from across Canada who were selected to attend the final Team Canada Selection camp in Kitchener. Of course our hockey skills were being evaluated at the camp, but they were ALSO looking for many other qualities - many of the non- tangibles that I mentioned earlier. Also ... to be able to play in a foreign country like Finland, would require that a player be able to adapt to a new environment ... they would have to adapt to a different time zone, different lodging, and different food. [Boy was I ever glad to have a slice of Pizza when I got home!] ... if you think that the cafeteria food here is bad, you should have seen the raw fish that they gave us to eat in Finland!! :-) Players would also have to adapt to a larger ice surface, and be able to play with new linemates. They were also looking for players who had good leadership skills, would make good role models, and would always have a positive attitude. One of the most important qualities that they were looking for, was the willingness of a player to put the team ahead of herself. Throughout the 6-day camp, there were various practices and games used to evaluate our hockey skills. Off the ice, the coaching staff interviewed the players one-on-one. They also took notice of how the players were able to interact with one another. We had a number of "team builders" that were quite similar to what you did here at the camp. These off-ice skills would influence the team's ability to come together on the ice. I think the bottom line on the selection was that some players wanted it more than others. Personally, I think there were people who were more naturally gifted than others, but when it came down to the final cuts, I think they were looking at who was willing to make that extra effort and sacrifice for the team. FINLAND: ======= So, in early April of 1992, our team headed off to Finland. We trained in Vierumaki for a week before going to the World Championships in Tampere'. We were told that if we weren't willing to follow the team's plan, we would find ourselves sitting on the bench. The coaching staff was faced with the challenge of bringing twenty individuals together as a team, in just one week. The one thing that was really reinforced in Finland was how much more important the team was than any individual. The success of the team had to mean more to the players than their individual successes. For example, if a player was not given much icetime, she was expected to respect the coach's decision and assume that it was for the good of the team. Obviously, if she was to pout and complain about it, this negative attitude could be transferred to the entire team. As you can imagine, such a decision by the coach would be difficult to accept, because all the players on Team Canada were used to being among the top players on their team. The players had to be unselfish and able to keep a positive attitude regardless of personal success or failure. While we were in Finland, the coaching staff gave us 2 t-shirts to remind us that the team is the most important thing. One said "TOGETHER WE WIN" and the other said "THE EMBLEM ON THE FRONT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE NAME ON THE BACK." [... Again, stressing that the team is more important than the individual.] ... and actually, if someone was to ask me "Why did Canada win the gold?", "What was the biggest thing which contributed to our success?" I'd have to say that our ability to come together as a team was indeed our most important asset. When it comes to an international competition where you are representing your country, every aspect is taken very seriously. Not only do the players have to go through a detailed selection process, but the coaches are also selected very carefully. ... and actually, I was just talking to Jane Sherk, and she told me that she was even interviewed very carefully in order to be a team leader at the final selection camp! Our coaching staff in Finland made it clear that we were there for one reason and one reason only - to bring back the gold medal to Canada. Both the players and the coaching staff were dedicated to achieving this goal and were willing to do anything to help win the gold. No detail was too small to be overlooked ... our coaching staff said that they didn't want there to be ANY excuse possible for losing. Looking back on the tournament, the one thing that stands out the most about every player on Team Canada, was her hard work and determination. We had a sign on our Team Canada dressing room door in Finland that summed it up nicely. It said, "No one can stop you from working hard." Every player on the team took these words to heart. For me, the most memorable thing about playing for Team Canada was the feeling I'd get after winning a game ... you'd see that Canadian flag slowly being raised to the top of the arena, and you'd hear that Canadian anthem echoing throughout the building, It was just a wonderful, undescribable feeling to know that I was in some way a part of it. SWITZERLAND: ----------- At this point, I would like to talk a little about my experience of playing hockey in Switzerland. Everyone always asks how this opportunity came about for me, so I'll save you the trouble, and just tell you! :-) It was actually pretty simple. My roommate for the 4 years I was at the University of New Hampshire was also very interested in playing hockey in Europe. The Harvard University coach gave us the address of a coach in Switzerland, and we proceeded to write a letter explaining that we would like to get a job in Switzerland and to play together on the same team. Each team in Switzerland is only allowed two foreigners, so we were quite fortunate that the team which we wrote to, actually had two openings. The name of the team that we played for is Langenthal. It's a small town. It's population is about 10 thousand, and it's located near the middle of Switerland. The primary language spoken in Langenthal is a Swiss German dialect. This is actually quite different than the German spoken in Germany ... much harder ... guaranteed!! The team offered to pay for our flight to Switzerland and found a family for each of us to live with. We had to work 30 hours a week for the family, in exchange for our room and board, and some money. The team allowed us to practice up to 3 times each week with the boy's team. They gave us a membership to a fitness centre and they gave us each a brand new Mountain Bike to use. We also had to take German classes twice a week. Hockey is very new for women in Switzerland and is still very much in the developmental stages. They seem to be very well organized, but they still have a lot to do in terms of promoting it and getting more teams started. There are ONLY a total of 30 women's teams in ALL of Switzerland ... there are probably about that many teams in the Kitchener-Waterloo area alone! I played in the A league which had 6 teams. There was also a B league which had 24 teams in it. When you compare the popularity of women's hockey in Canada to Switzerland, you realize how much better off we are here. It especially makes it hard for younger players to develop in Switzerland. Here we have house leagues that guarantee everyone equal icetime. However, since each city in Switzerland only has one team, the team has quite an age-range. This means that the younger less-experienced players often don't get as much icetime when the game gets tight. I think the younger players could develop much quicker if they had the opportunity to play in leagues with players of their own age, like we have here in Canada. Actually, what usually happens is that the girls end up starting hockey later in Switzerland ... 15 seemed to be about the average starting age for players on my team. This is much later than in Canada. Gee, a lot of you here aren't even 15 yet!! I think the later start hinders your ability to reach your full potential. In general, hockey is much more popular in Canada than it is in Switzerland. Here, it's common for rinks to have ice all year round, whereas in Switzerland, it's almost unheard of. Most cities just have one rink, and since the climate is warmer in Switzerland, natural ice surfaces aren't so common. All of these factors delay the progress of hockey and hockey players in Switzerland. It really made me realize how lucky I was to have grown up in Canada, and it made me understand why Canadians tend to dominate in hockey ... both in men and women's hockey. I went to Switzerland thinking mainly about the hockey-playing aspect ... So it's quite interesting that I think my greatest experiences actually happened OUTSIDE of the hockey arena. It's one thing to go to a country as a tourist, but I found that it's quite another to actually live with a family and to experience the culture. Living in Switzerland was quite eye-opening for me. You think that everything is like it is at home, ... until you go to another country. Some things were done quite differently in Switzerland. For example, everything closes for an hour and a half at lunch time. The kids come home from school and the parents come home from work at lunch time. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Supper is usually later in the day than what we're used to here, and it's a lighter meal, usually consisting of bread, cheese, yogurt, and other things that are relatively easy to digest. One big difference between Canada and Switzerland is the age of the Country and the history and traditions that an older country carries along with it. I gave each of the players on my team in Switzerland a little flag from Canada. The flags said, "CANADA - 125 YEARS!" I thought it was neat that Canada was so old, ... well, until one of the girls informed me that Switzerland had just celebrated its 700th birthday!! ;-) Some of the castles and buildings that were built over 500 years ago were really something to see. They were quite unlike anything we have here. Another thing that goes along with an older country is that they've had time to develop lots of specialty foods and desserts!! :-) ... and of course I just HAD to try them all!] :-) Living with a family gave me the opportunity to experience exactly how the various holiday traditions are carried out. I was surprised by how different the Christmas tradition is, for example. I always thought that Santa Claus was a big fat guy who dressed in red clothes, wore a red touque, had elves to help him, and carried a big bag of toys down my chimney every Christmas eve. Well, apparently I've been WRONG all these years! ... He's a skinnier version, that wears a black hat and actually, he doesn't have elves at all ... he has little black men, called SCHMOOKS, to help him out. And actually, his name is different too; ... they call him Sami Klowse in Switzerland. He comes to each family in person on December 5th - not December 24th. He brings a small gift for each kid, and the kids must sing him a song and promise to be good until December 24th - when the FAIRY comes. The kids leave their Christmas list on the window sill and leave the window open. Then during the night, the Fairy flies in through the open window and picks up the list. Then on December 24th, the Fairy comes again and leaves the gifts. So, what does this show? Well ... just that I found it very interesting that things could be so different ... well, except for the MacDonald's restaurant ... that seems to be the same no matter where you go! - except in Switzerland, it's even more expensive than at the SkyDome, if you can believe that! :-) It was really quite an interesting experience for me to get to see a new culture first-hand like that. I'm really very thankful that playing hockey was able to give me such an opportunity. Another thing that I learned from my experience in Switzerland is the importance of language and communication. This was the first time I had spent any amount of time around people who didn't speak English. I knew no German whatsoever before I went to Switzerland ... well, except for the word, Heineken ... but I don't think that counts! :-) ... So it was an interesting challenge for me to HAVE to learn the language in order to get by. You really begin to realize how dependent we are on communication, when it's difficult or impossible to communicate with someone. Not being able to communicate with my linemates on the ice, or to understand much that the coach was saying, made me realize just how crucial good communication is in hockey. Overall my experience in Switzerland was phenomenal. I had fun playing hockey; I experienced a new culture; and I learned a new language. But, do you know what the best thing about Switzerland was? No, not the Swiss Chocolate ... and not the skiing! I'd say that one of the most rewarding things I'll remember about Switzerland is all the nice people who I met and the fun I had interacting with the people. And I think that you'll all agree that socializing with your friends before and after your hockey game, is one of the best parts of hockey. Even if you forget the zone-man-to-man coverage or the D-to-D-to-CurlingCentre-to-SwervingWinger- to-RushingOtherWinger-to-SprawlingIstructor ... or whatever that breakout pattern was, :-) ... Well, one thing that I don't think you'll forget when this week finishes, is all the nice friends you have made here. _______________________________ CONCLUSION: ---------- I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts about what I feel is important in terms of both sports and life in general. I think it's important to take advantage of your opportunities. I'm really glad that I decided to go to University in the States, and to go to Switzerland to play hockey. I still haven't finished my Master's degree, but in the long run, I'm sure my time in Switzerland will mean more than finishing my degree 7 months earlier! Another thing that I feel is quite important is leading a balanced life. It's great to be a keen athlete, but I think you're missing out, if all you have in your life is sports. I think it's important to find a suitable balance between the various elements of your life, such as your school or work, your sports and hobbies, and your socializing. Also, not enough can be said about HARD WORK and DETERMINATION. You can have all the natural talent in the world, but if you don't have the desire and motivation to go along with it, you'll never be a top-notch hockey player. One of the most frustrating things for me, is to see someone not trying ... especially if they have the natural talent and the potential to do well. It's those who give that extra effort who will excel ... and this isn't only true for sports ---> Working hard and giving your best effort are important for success in all areas of life! Thank you.