NATIONAL SPORT ACADEMY

HOCKEY NEWS:

 

Archived Hockey News...

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ABOUT:

Welcome to the National Sport Academy!

Our Mission: "To inspire passion for the games of sport while developing character for the game of life!"

Student athletes, who participate at a competitive level in various sports, have the opportunity to attend the National Sport Academy at Fairview Junior High School, Senator Patrick Burns Junior High School and Central Memorial High School. The National Sport Academy began in 1995 with the sport of hockey and provides a unique and specialized learning environment, within the school setting, for student athletes in grades 7 through 12.

The National Sport Academy program is a periodized sport and lifestyle program offered throughout the school year, designed to support and work in harmony with the student athlete's competitive sport training schedule. Over the course of the school year, and for one period each day, student athletes participate in Sport Specific Skill sessions, Strength & Conditioning sessions and Coaching and Leadership sessions all based on the needs of the competitive athlete. Each segment of the National Sport Academy program is held at the optimum time of the year to balance with the specific demands of the student athlete's training schedule.

Over the three years of high school, student athletes have the opportunity to receive 31 credits for successful participation in the various components of the National Sport Academy.

The National Sport Academy is a supportive learning environment for emerging competitive athletes; working together as an integral part of the community of professionals who inspire student athletes to achieve personal success in both academics and athletics.

For more information on this unique opportunity, please call (403)777-3646.

For more information on each sport program of the National Sport Academy please visit the following links:

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OUR HOCKEY SCHOOLS:

HIGH SCHOOLS

Central Memorial High School
5111 21 St. SW, Calgary, AB T3E 1R9
PH: (403)243-8880 FAX: (403)777-7409
Principal: Jeff Turner

The National Sport Academy Program at Central Memorial High School has male and female baseball, flex sports, golf, hockey, lacrosse, and soccer programs available to qualified student athletes in grades ten through twelve.

Student athletes receive high school credits for their successful participation in the National Sport Academy. Over the three year high school period, student athletes have the opportunity to earn 31 credits in Phys Ed 10, 20, 30; CALM 20; and Coaching and Leadership 15,25,35.

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

Fairview Junior High School
7840 Fairmount Dr. SE, Calgary, AB T2H 0Y1
PH: (403)777-7900 FAX: (403)253-8614
Principal: Rick Petrowitsch

The National Sport Academy program at Fairview Junior High School is available to qualified male and female athletes in grades seven through nine, in the sports of Hockey and Lacrosse. Student athletes participate in the National Sport Academy as an option period in their timetable.

Senator Patrick Burns Junior High School
2155 Chilcotin Rd. NW, Calgary, AB T2L 0X6
PH: (403)777-7400 FAX: (403)777-7409
Principal: Maureen Leew

The National Sport Academy program at Senator Patrick Burns Junior High School is available to qualified male and female hockey athletes in grades seven through nine. Student athletes participate in the National Sport Academy as an option period in their timetable.

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OUR HOCKEY COACHES:

Our coaches have a great passion for what they do! They are full time, professional coaches who work twelve months of the year training and insiring young hockey players and coaches at all levels. National Sport Academy coaches have many years of experience in developing young athletes and responsible citizens.

HOCKEY OPERATIONS STAFF

• Jamie Armitage
• Brent Belecki
• Stefan Bieber
• Jason Briggs
• Ray Fraser
• Mark Maloney
• Kelly Mruk
• Jeremy Stinton
• Graham Thomas
• Svend Wiele
• Roger Wolfe
• Kevin Yellowaga

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SPECIALISTS

• Graham Thomas

NATIONAL SPORT ACADEMY HOCKEY COACH CREDENTIALS

National Sport Academy coaches are industry leaders in the development and delivery of innovative and leading edge teaching techniques. As coaches at the National Sport Academy and instructors and coach mentors with Calgary Hockey Development, the National Sport Academy coaching staff specializes in the development of young athletes. Consider the collective background and experience of our staff.

- Hockey coaching experience at the Initiation, Novice, Atom, Peewee, Bantam, Bantam AA, Bantam AAA, Midget A, Midget AA, Midget AAA, Junior, and College levels.
- Coaching experience in the Hockey Alberta Program of Excellence Under 16, Alberta Cup, and Under 17 Programs, and National Team Camps.
- Scouting experience at all levels including Junior, College/University and Professional.
- Playing experience at all levels including: Midget AAA, Junior A, Western Hockey League (WHL), Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Canadian Intercollegiate Sports (CIS), and Professional in North America and Europe.
- Coach Mentors for numerous hockey associations in Calgary at all levels from Initiation to Junior (including AA/AAA quadrants).
- Awarded academic, hockey and other sport scholarships in Canada and the USA.
- Certification in the following programs:

• NCCP Coach Level
• NCCP Intermediate Level
• NCCP Advanced Level
• Hockey Canada Initiation Program
• Hockey Canada Harassment and Abuse Program
• Hockey Canada Safety and Risk Management
• First-Aid/Medic/De-Fib
• NSCA - CPT

- National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Course Conductors - Initiation Program, Coach Level, and Intermediate Level.
- National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Advanced Level Educators (Programs are delivered to over 1000 coaches each year).
- Certified Teachers with Education Degrees (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan).
- Bachelor Degrees in: Physical Education, Communications, Liberal Arts.
- Alumni now coaching in the program on a full-time basis.
- Guest speakers at numerous functions, banquets, graduations.
- Deliver over 700 on- and off-ice Calgary Hockey Development Speciatly and Coaching Clinics each year to players and coaches on topics of: Bench Management, Practice Planning and Drill Design, Offensive/Defensive Tactics, Body Checking, Goaltending, High Tempo Practices, Skill Mechanics, Routes and Choices in Hockey...All curricula is written by National Sport Academy Coaches.

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OUR PHILOSOPHY:

ON LEARNING AND MISTAKES

John W. Gardner has noted the connection between learning and mistakes:

"One of the reasons mature people are apt to learn less than young people is that they are willing to risk less. Learning is a risky business, and they do not like failure. In infancy, when children are learning at a phenomenal rate - a rate at which they will never again achieve - they are also experiencing a great many failures. Watch them. See the innumerable times they try and fail. See how little the failures discourage them. With each year that passes they will be less blithe about failure. By adolescence the willingness of young people to risk failure has diminished greatly. And all too often parents rush them further along that road by instilling fear, by punishing failure or by making success seem too precious. By middle age most of us carry in our heads a tremendous catalogue of things we have no intention of trying again becuase we tried them once and failed - or tried them once and did less well than our self-esteem demanded."

POSITIVE COACHING

The single most prevalent goal or young athletes is to avoid looking dumb. Some try incredibly hard to keep out of situations where they are at risk of looking dumb.

Fear of making a mistake is a paralyzing force that robs athletes of spontaneity, love of the game, and a willingness to try new things. It is the no-buts approach to mistakes that gives this sense of psychological and emotional freedom that can unlock the learning process and occasionally release truly inspired athletic performance.

Perhaps the most important reason why coaches should make the most of mistakes is because every kid knows that adults can be two-faced. All adults tell kids to "do as I say, not as I do." Every kid has seen adults espouse values in the abstract and then violate them in the specific when it was in their interest to do so.

"You get good judgement by exercising bad judgement."

Practice sessions are where the players discover whether the coach knows what he or she is doing and whether or he or she has a commitment to helping the athlete become as good as they can be.

Organizing productive practice sessions for a group of young athletes is an underestimated challenge - it is an art and requires a commitment to make it happen.

The only way to acquire a skill is to over-learn it. Repetition is the key to over-learning, which can lead to outstanding athletic performances.

The key to being able to allow your players some autonomy during practice is having the confidence that you can get and hold their attention when you need or want it. Once a coach learns that he can regain control of the reins, he can loosen up and cultivate a gentle hand.

A coach who expects loyalty from his players needs to demonstrate the same loyalty back, rather than telling the world about their failings.

We fail to put ourselves completely in the shoes of our children. When they are our age, most of them also will be able to hit a fifth-grader's pitching. The better comparison for us might be, "Could I hit Nolan Ryan's pitching?" After all, Nolan Ryan is older than most Little League parents.

Five characteristics of outstanding competitors:

1. is internally rather than externally motivated.
2. seeks and is energized by challenges.
3. sees his/her development as a process under his/her control rather than a fixed capability.
4. is independent and willing to risk violating conventional wisdom.
5. can accept both success and failures as part of the game.

A coach can help players learn to become better decision makers but not if he is breeding dependent order takers.

There is a difference between 'tradition,' which is the living ideas of the dead, and 'traditionalism,' which is the dead ideas of the living.

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CURRICULUM:

ON-ICE:

"The magic of improving performance does not lie in the drills: performance improvement is based upon sound execution of technique and application of tactical teaching points in an environment which promotes positive learning. Just doing drills and being on the ice will not guarantee improvement or outcome."

• Student athletes at the National Sport Academy attend On-Ice sessions approximately three times per week beginning in late September and finishing just before hockey playoffs in March. Some ice sessions are also held in the spring for some of the athletes depending upon the grade they are in.
• Flexible and adaptive to meet the needs of athletes.
• Effective drill design to ensure ice sessions are creative, challenging and fun.
• Practices must serve both individual and group needs.
• Stress enjoyment while learning to play better hockey, not just doing drills more effectively.
• Design and implement drills/games with different objectives for different athletes.
• A balance between physical, mental and social development in the hockey environment.
• Development of individual skills, individual tactics, and team tactics at game speed.
• Emphasis on intensity.
• Discuss the goals of the athlete with the athlete and parent on a regular basis and strive together to meet these goals.
• Athletes are encouraged to think the game, read-and-react and use creativity as ways of learning and understanding.
• Effective use of coaching staff to maximize teaching and development.
• Program delivery through the most current teaching techniques.
• National Sport Academy Christmas Classic and Competition Days.
• Closure implemented for each drill to ensure continued goaltender development.
• Coaches understand the demands of the non-athletic envionment on the athlete such as psychological state, sleep patterns, nutritional concerns, testing, etc. All of these elements are taken into consideration when designing practices and training schedules.
• Athletes are encouraged to take risks - to make mistakes, in a safe environment. We realize mistakes come from taking risks but ultimately, so does success.

ACADEMICS:

The National Sport Academy promotes excellence in sports and academics. Excellence in sports and academics is achieved through consistent effort, learning outside of the comfort zone and accessing coaching support. For many, coaching is synonymous with sports; at the National Sport Academy, coaching is integral to sports and academics . National Sport Academy sport and academic coaches understand the complexity of the demands placed on young student athletes as they try to balance their passion for playing at a competitive level with today's academic demands. A primary role of National Sport Academy coaches is to support National Sport Academy student athletes in pursuit of their academic goals.

National Sport Academy academic coaches work closely with student athletes to help them understand their individual learning style thus developing the strategies and fostering the confidence required to meet with success in any learning situation, in any location. As most National Sport Academy student athletes are striving to continue in their sport and academics after grade 12, it is imperative they learn how to function successfully and effectively in any learning environment. Student athletes who pursue a college or university degree do not get to choose their class size; therefore it is essential to provide each student athlete with the necessary skills and learning habits to succeed at the postsecondary level.

While there are many ways to teach learning skills and habits, the National Sport Academy Coaching and Leadership curriculum has been specifically designed and delivered to meet the needs of competitive student athletes in pursuit of their academic, athletic and life goals. National Sport Academy student athletes are highly motivated learners with a passion for peak performance in sport and in school. Transferring this interest into the daily lives of students requires a dynamic curriculum that encompasses a variety of interesting and relevant topics including:

• Time Management Strategies
• Organizational Techniques
• Goal Setting & Rewards
• Communication Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Leadership & Initiative
• Teambuilding
• The Road to Success
• Try-Out Camp Preparation
• Sport Destinations
• Academic-Athletic Opportunities
• Resumes
• Player Marketing
• Managing Distractions
• Ethics
• Failing Forward
• Nutrition

The following is a list of character traits the NSA strives to develop in our young athletes in all areas of the NSA curriculum (both on and off the ice). Through support of our players in a variety of day-to-day situations, the National Sport Academy coaches have many opportunities to build and reinforce the following positive character traits:

1. Mental Toughness - National Sport Academy athletes are taught that a tough spot is often an opportunity to develop mental toughness. Athletes learn that winning is not the only criterion for success; it is by trying new and challenging things that one gets mentally tougher. A young athlete's performance often improves as he/she readjusts focus from fear of failing to a willingness to try to develop mental toughness and forget the past failures.
2. Having Fun - The ability to enjoy challenges and take pleasure in both struggles and successes. Win or lose, National Sport Academy athletes are encouraged to enjoy the journey.
3. Winning and Losing with Class - National Sport Academy athletes enjoy the battles of competition - they love to compete. But win or lose, National Sport Academy athletes are taught how to do both with class and respect for their opponent: fear no opponent, but respect every opponent.
4. Courage - National Sport Academy athletes are often put in stressful everyday situations with a team coach, player, or playing in an intense game where fear becomes the primary focus. Often National Sport Academy athletes are placed in situations outside the National Sport Academy environment where it is very difficult to do what is right or necessary and they are often afraid. The National Sport Academy environment and coaching staff act as the stabalizing force for their fears; the National Sport Academy provides the one place where athletes feel safe to make mistakes, take risks and tackle their fears. Athletes learn how to engage in conflict resolution where the issues are clearly defined and they learn to communicate with confidence.
5. Setting and Commitment to Goals - All National Sport Academy athletes are guided through goal setting exercises at various times throughout the year. Goals are revisited, analyzed and readjusted as progress is made.
6. Leadership - National Sport Academy athletes are placed in many situations, through their academics and sport involvement, where leadership skills are required. It has been our experience that, as athletes learn leadership skills at the National Sport Academy they become confident, articulate leaders who exhibit honesty, integrity, justice and personal ethics. National Sport Academy athletes are often chosen for leadership roles on their teams.

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING TRAINING:

The one critical element most often misunderstood and overlooked in the success of a high performance athlete!

Included in the National Sport Academy program is a complete training program. There is no need to enroll your athlete in any other training programs, at any time during the year, as the National Sport Academy training program is designed to specifically address the needs of athletes both in-season and in the off season months. The National Sport Academy coaches know the specific needs of your athlete and understand how to effectively train a high performance athlete. During the school year, training takes place in the athletes scheduled sports period and for the athletes in grades 9-12, the training program continues with an optional user-pay segment in July and August. Training facilities include the many options available at all three National Sport Academy schools along with the University of Calgary and Mount Royal College High Performance training facilities.

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STUDENT SELECTION CRITERIA

Applicants must attend a selection camp, held during teacher's convention (February 15 and 16, 2007), where on ice performance will be evaluated. Athletes will also be interviewed to ensure their commitment, dedication and understanding of the National Sport Academy program.

An athlete's initial performance will be assessed in the following:

• Individual skills
• Individual tactics
• An understanding and ability to execute team tactics
• An understanding and ability to execute team strategy
• Physical endurance and strength improvements - fitness testing
• Leadership, attitude and respect

The athlete's ongoing performance will be assessed based on development and improvement in the previously described areas.

Student athletes must have demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence.

Performance and commitment to the program will be reviewed on an annual basis by National Sport Academy coaching staff and communicated to parents and players in a coach / parent / player meeting. This review will be taken into consideration when the athletes National Sport Academy re-application is submitted for the next year.

Athletes must be a member in good standing with Minor Hockey Association of Canada, Hockey Alberta, and Hockey Canada.

Special consideration for selection to the National Sport Academy may be given due to injury of other relevant circumstances.

An athletes' ongoing commitment to the program will be partially determined by their attendance at National Sport Academy sessions.

Athletes will be expected to take part in fitness testing set out by the National Sport Academy.

Character references and hockey references provided by the athlete will be taken into consideration.

In the year prior to attending the National Sport Academy, hockey applicants must have played at the following levels:

Junior High:

• Peewee Division 1 or 2
• Bantam Division 1
• Bantam AA/AAA

Senior High (Male):

• Bantam AA/AAA
• Midget Division 1
• Midget A
• Midget AA
• Midget AAA

Senior High (Female):

Girls Hockey

• Bantam A
• Midget A
• Midget AA

Male Hockey

• Bantam Division 1 or 2
• Midget Division 1 or 2

Possible exceptions may be taken into consideration.

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APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Obtain a National Sport Academy application package. Application forms may be picked up in person, emailed, faxed or mailed to you. Please be sure to specify which school and sport you would like an application for.

   National Sport Academy
   #1729 12th Street SW
   Calgary, AB
   T2T 3N1
   Phone: 777-3646 Fax: 777-4550
   Email: info@nationalsportacademy.com




2. Attend one of the following National Sport Academy Information Meetings:

   • All Information Meetings for the 2008-2009 school year have now been completed. For more information on the National Sport Academy, please call the National Sport Academy office at (403)777-3646 or email info@nationalsportacademy.com.


3. Submit your completed application, application checklist and required fees to the National Sport Academy.
   **Please note the targeted application deadline is March 14, 2008. In order to meet school and sport evaluation deadlines and enrollment estimations, it would be helpful for us to receive your application as soon as possible. Late applications will be considered.
   
4. Following a response from the National Sport Academy, attend a Sport Specific evaluation session.

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TUITION FEES (2008-2009)

SPORT	AMOUNT
Hockey	$3800 + GST

There is a non-refundable registration fee of $100 when your application is submitted.

There is a tuition deposit cheque due when your application is submitted. This fee is fully refundable if the student athlete is not selected to attend the National Sport Academy. If the student athlete is selected to attend the National Sport Academy, the tuition deposit cheque is credited to the total balance of the tuition fees.

Once an athlete has registered and has been accepted into the National Sport Academy, fees are non-refundable.

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