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Email to Families | New year, new schedule

Dear Families,

Happy New Year! The schedule in TeamSnap has been updated with the practices and game schedules for the next little while. There’s about 4 weeks left in the regular season. After that, we have playoffs consisting of 3 weeks of round-robin and 2 weeks of eliminations.

1. This weekend

There is a practice and a game this weekend (January 7 and 8). Looking forward to seeing everyone. We could use a goalie.

2. Goalie

If your child hasn’t played goalie yet or has played only once, the next four weeks is a great opportunity. We are looking for 2 players to be goalie more regularly as we head into the playoffs. We’d like them to be in net more consistently, so they have a chance to get comfortable and build up their skills.

3. Expectations for players

We are continuing our expectations from the fall.

  • Put on equipment independently.
  • Arrive 20 minutes before the start of a game
  • Take off equipment independently.

Thanks to everyone who has been able to do this. Let’s keep it up. Practices and games work really smoothly when this happens.

4. Lost and found

I have a white practice jersey and a neck guard. I will put these into the lost and found at Oriole, if they are not claimed.

5. Humble winners and gracious losers

We spend a lot of time talking about how to be a good sport when we lose a game, because it’s an important life lesson. Kids need to show themselves grace and appreciate the effort that they put in. They also can practice resilience and grit by coming back and trying again.

We don’t spend as much time talking about how to be a humble winner. Our team is in first place and some of our wins have been lop-sided. I don’t know how the rest of the season will turn out, but there’s a chance we will win another game. So here are a few things that humble w

  • Acknowledge the other team as worthy opponents. If they didn’t show up, there would be no game. Thank them for their play and, if appropriate, shake hands with them after the game. In house league, the team that you are on is a matter of chance. Any of our children could have been on the last place team.
  • Thank people that helped the team succeed. Hockey is a team sport. Many players, coaches, and parents had to pitch in for the win to happen. You can never go wrong by thanking someone.
  • Don’t trash talk teams or players. Our kids watch a lot of YouTube, which normalizes negative talk about losing or players with less skill. It would serve our children better to be able to empathize with their peers.

Thanks, everyone. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend.

Best,
Susan

Email to Families | Week 14 Update

Dear Players and families,

This weekend we will be playing the last game of the regular season. Thanks to everyone who is arriving on time and getting dressed independently. I am impressed with the growth on the team.

1. Team tactics and strategy on Saturday

Please arrive 40 minutes early to practice on Saturday. We will be using the time to teach some team tactics and strategy. This material is best covered using a whiteboard, so we’ll do that in the dressing room before the start of practice.

2. Attendance

We were missing 1/3 of the team at the game last week. We didn’t have enough to make full lines, so the kids were pretty tired by the end. Please make an effort to attend the games. If you cannot make the game, update TeamSnap as soon as possible. We are allowed to borrow players, so that we don’t forfeit games.

4. March Break

There will be a practice and a game the second weekend of March Break (18 and 19). Please enter your availability now, so we will know if we need to borrow players to field a team.

5. Select Players

Players on the Select teams are expected to regularly attend practices and games. Selects have been diligent in attending games, we appreciate that, but there has been less diligence with the practices. Please do your best to come on Saturday, as we will be covering team tactics and strategy.

6. Photos

If you have not received a photo proof for your child, there will be one final makeup session on Saturday. It will take place 10am-1pm at Y. One more reason to come to practice early.

7. Goalie

We still need a second (and possibly third) volunteer for goalie. If no one steps forward, I will continue scheduling the goalies week by week. It would be better for the team, if a smaller number of players to honed their skills and became really comfortable in the position. It will involve playing 2-4 games in that role.

8. Off season

We still have a couple more months of hockey, so it seems too early to talk about the off seasons. But we will soon be choosing activities for the spring and summer. In choosing a physical activity for the off season, consider something other than hockey. Youth who play in multiple sports have fewer injuries and stay in recreational sports longer. Also, consider an activity that has symmetric movements, such as swimming, trampolining, fitness, because to offset the hockey stance.

Next week, the playoffs start, and it’s like pressing the reset button to starting a new season with a clean slate.

Thanks for your support. Looking forward to this weekend.

Best,
Coach Susan

Email to Families | Week 8 Update

Dear Families,

We have a few pieces of news and reminders to share.

1. Rebalancing

After the first few weeks in the season, it is sometimes necessary to re-balance teams. The league does this to keep games fun for kids by making sure that no team is winning or losing all the time.

Please join us in giving a warm welcome to T and L. They will be with us for the rest of the season. We’d like to thank S and T for being great team mates on and off the ice. We are sad to see them go and wish them well on their new teams.

2. Covering zones and playing positions

Here are a few videos on playing positions in the defensive zone that have been selected by Coach Matt. All players should watch these videos. This might be new information for some and a reminder for others. In either case, it gives our team a common foundation that we can build on.

Overall defensive zone coverage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9r9AJx2jKo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzh7D768sVA

Coverage for each position
Defence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aXsrNrT5RI
Wing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikqt_iY4nSA
Center: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1BN-Om5i6Q

3. Expectations for players

To ensure that practices and games run smoothly, we have some basic expectations for players.

* Put on equipment independently.
* Arrive 20 minutes before the start of a game
* Take off equipment independently.

Many thanks to the players and families who are already meeting these expectations. If your child is not meeting these expectations, they may need some support from you to get there.

The changing rooms are small, so we’d like parents to wait outside. With the exception of tying skates and putting on goalie equipment, players at this age are capable of dressing on their own. If a player needs help with skate tying, they can ask for help or they can come out of the dressing room to ask a parent.

We need players to arrive early for games, so that we can have a team meeting. At that time, we review the lines and points of performance for the game. The coaches need to prepare a roster on paper for the game officials. It’s stressful for players and coaches when some kids don’t show up until the last minute. Also, this is why we ask that you keep your availability up to date on TeamSnap. If a player arrives after the game sheet has been submitted, they may not be able to play in the game.

Ideally, the players go on the ice as soon as the zamboni leaves the ice, so they can have a good warm up.

4. Positive reinforcement

I’d like to wrap up with comments on things that have been going well.

We had a great practice last week. We worked on skills and every player who was there improved significantly. I was delighted because one of my goals is for players to learn and grow.

So far this season, we’ve had 6 different players in net, including one person who had never been a goalie before. I’m really proud of our kids for stepping outside their comfort zone and trying something new. These are the kinds of lessons that we can take from the ice into life.

As parents, it’s important for us to provide positive reinforcement to the kids. About 70% of kids drop out of sports by high school, because it stops being fun. Many kids find the ride home particularly miserable, because parents like to provide “constructive criticism.” The most important things we can say to them are “I’m proud of you when you play hockey” and “I like watching you play.” I know how challenging it is to make this change, because I did it. But the results have been worth it.

Thanks to you, the families. We wouldn’t have a team without you. If you have any questions or concerns, we are here to help.

Best,

Susan

Email to Families | Week 5 Update

Hello Families,

We are heading into our fifth weekend of the hockey season. It’s been good to see hockey legs start to come back and new skills being polished. We have a couple of requests for the parents, so our game nights run more smoothly.

1. Keep TeamSnap up to date with your child’s availability. We use this information when assigning kids to positions for a game. If something comes up at the last minute, you can send a message through TeamSnap.

2. Be dressed and ready to go 15 minutes before a game. We need the time before the game to familiarize the kids with their lines and talk about how they are going to play their positions. As well, the team will be able to make the most of the warm up time on ice before the game starts.

3. Finally, we have a general request, not just for game nights. We’d like to work towards players getting dressed and undressed independently, with the exception of tying their skates. We’ve seen the players being kind and helping each other in the dressing room, so this is an opportunity for learning and team building.

Thank you so much for your support, as always. We wouldn’t have much of a team without the families behind the players. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend.

Best,

Susan

Email to Families | Week 2 Update

Hello Families,

We had a successful first week of hockey. We got our legs moving at practice and had a full turnout at the game.

1. The schedule of games is available. TeamSnap invitations have not yet gone out. For your convenience, here are the times this weekend.

  • Practice: Saturday…
  • Game: Sunday…

2. I could use 1-2 volunteers to help out with practice on Saturday. The job is most pointing kids in the right direction, moving pucks around, and providing encouragement.

3. A few kids have jerseys that are too big for them. I’m looking in to getting smaller jerseys, but can’t promise that I’ll be successful. If your child’s jersey is the wrong size, can you reply to this email?

  • What size and number is the jersey that you have now?
  • What size would you like?
  • Do you have a jersey from another year that you can use? If so, what’s the number?

I don’t know what’s possible, so I’d like to start by figuring out the mismatches. Thanks!

Looking forward to seeing you this weekend.

Susan

Original post 2022/10/19

Email to Families | Welcome to U12/U13 the Stars!

Hello Parents,

My name is Susan Sim and I have volunteered to be your child’s hockey coach for U12/U13 house league for 2022-23. I will be coaching alongside Matthew G. and Mahmood P. We look forward to a year full of growth, teamwork, and fun. If we all work together to focus on the positive, our kids will be keen to get to the rink to participate.

Please read all of the email below as it contains some important details, so please reply to this email to acknowledge that you received it.

Please note all the important points below:

1. Team Assignment. The kids will be on preliminary teams for the first 3 weeks for the purposes of practices and games. The team is St. Margaret’s Stars. After the first 3 weeks, the teams will likely be readjusted. In any event, I will be one of the coaches for the first 3 weeks (and perhaps thereafter).

2. Our first practice is on Saturday, October 15, 2022 at xxx from yyy. We will hand out jerseys and socks before practice.

3. Regular Practice Times. We will be rotating through three different practice times…

4. Games. The games are at…

5. TeamSnap. The Knights will be using TeamSnap again this year for scheduling and attendance. Please look for an invite to St. Margaret’s Stars and download the app so you can update your attendance for practices and games each week.

6. Goalie. Players will be taking turns being goalie. Would anyone like to volunteer to be goalie at our first practice and game this weekend?

That’s all for now. Thanks in advance for your enthusiasm. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Best Regards,

Susan