North Carolina Scholastic Hockey Association

473706(1)

Players

Players

After a difficult first season, we are at it again. Taking on the challenges that present themselves while always moving forward in a positive way. For the 2023/2024 season we are looking for players that are interested in playing high school hockey in a Thanksgiving High School Hockey Tournament in DC, games against other high school teams throughout the area. (SC and VA) and possibly a Christmas High School Hockey Tournament. What this will be is a pool of players that want to try high school hockey when their schedule permits. No financial obligations or commitments required. We would like to see a Varsity, JV and Girls team if possible.

See  Prospects Camp info for spring program.

Important reference materials highlighted below:

From the CAHA Strategic Plan:

USAH/CAHA GUIDELINES & RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL AGE GROUPS 

The key principles for all age groups is to align with USA Hockey’s ADM best practices for practice to game ratios, maximizing skill development, increasing value to families, and playing more games locally while minimizing overall travel costs.  

14U & 16U & 18U AGE GROUPS 

Key principles at 14U/16U/18U are to follow age-appropriate concepts and skills so players enjoy the experience and develop both as hockey players and young kids. In 14U, the focus is on fun and engagement, practice activity and structure, age appropriate training, skill development, and body contact/body checking. At 16U/18U we add team play, training, and learning to compete as additional focus areas. To increase retention and the value to families, we look to achieve 3:1 practice to game ratios, increase local play, and reduce travel.

ADM American Development Model

Here are some relevant highlights from the ADM (full report below):

The goal of our model is for every child in America to be physically literate by age 12. That is, every 12-year-old should have the ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life.

ACTIVE KIDS DO BETTER IN LIFE.

The ADM calls for to REVITALIZE IN-TOWN LEAGUES and promote opportunities for those who cannot participate in costly travel teams.

(Page 28) LET’S LOOK AHEAD TO THE YEAR 2030. Imagine all children in America having access to an early positive experience in sports. Most know not just the camaraderie of a team, or the feeling of a game-winning shot, but have developed the physical literacy, including love of game, to remain active into adolescence and beyond. They have experienced all of the benefits—physical, social, emotional, cognitive—available to people who simply move their bodies on a regular basis. Now, imagine the benefits to communities everywhere, given the role of sports for kids in producing active adults and healthy lives. Imagine cities that are more vibrant and more cohesive, and greener with more parks and other recreation spaces. This is the promise of Project Play. It’s also the imperative. 

Obesity is just one challenge we face with an inactive populace. Left unchecked, health-care spending could reach 20 percent of U.S. gross domestic product by 2030, according to one analysis. How exactly are we going to compete in the global marketplace, with employers and the public sector picking up much of those costs? Sport does not exist in a vacuum. We need to bring sport into the health conversation and health into the sport conversation. We need to connect the silos in this disjointed space, where, unlike just about every other nation, we do not have a sports ministry or commission or other national-level entity to coordinate sport development for the public good. Project Play offers a conceptual framework that helps stakeholders from across sectors understand how they can work together to serve the interests of children, communities, and public health. We hope the strategies and ideas contained in this playbook inspire organizations and individuals to take meaningful actions. At the same time, we recognize that so much more can get done with a commitment to collective impact. As the Stanford Social Innovation Review has observed, large-scale social movements—systems change— require broad cross-sector collaboration.  

(Page 31) Still, it’s important to remember that youth sports are primarily a bottom-up exercise. Parents make most of the decisions. It is essential to empower them to demand child-first policies and practices as well as a menu of options to engage all kids.  

(full report below)

Important reference materials highlighted below:

Schools: Grow efforts to open up your facilities during the non-school hours to community sport groups, through shared use agreements. Make better use of customizable templates. Set terms for use consistent with principles described in the Project Play report.  

Parents:  Advocate for children other than your own. Join a local sport board and promote inclusive policies such as delaying the start of travel teams, adding fee waivers for low-income families, and committing to equal playing time through age 12.

(Page 34-35)

Sport for Life | Play for Life

The Fun Integration Theory in Sports