Hello parents, family and friends
of the Centre Wellington Novice LL 13 hockey team. My name is Chad Birk and I have been
designated the Coach for the year.
Together with Mike Brown and Ryan Ham, we make up the bench for this
2017/18 season.
I have been playing hockey every winter since I was the age of the children! This is my first time coaching hockey and I am excited to learn and grow just as the kids will out on the ice.
The philosophy for the year is fun, fun, fun!! That’s what the coaches and kids are out on the ice to do. We want the kids to enjoy hockey, and continue coming back to play, year after year. While having fun this season, we hope to build strong fundamental skills and grow as a team.
Our objective for the players, as we build the skillset, is to instill confidence and self-esteem as well as giving them a sense of pride in themselves and the team. We won’t get concerned with winning or the results on a scoreboard but rather, develop strong age appropriate skills first. We will not put a major emphasis on systems, strategy or structure of the game.
We expect the players to give their best effort each time they hit the ice. Not just in the games, but in practices as well. Especially for the first part of the year, we want to stress the importance of performing drills and actions properly, not quickly. This all goes back to the emphasis on the skills themselves. A positive attitude from the coaches, on ice help as well as the players will aid in building these skills and allow us to exceed any and all expectations!
As for the expectations of the parents, the biggest thing I want to see is RESPECT. Respect, not only for the children, coaches and especially officials, but all other parents or spectators of the on ice activity. The game of hockey is the greatest sport in the world, and showing respect to everyone involved, allows everyone to enjoy the game that much more.
Just as the children may look at us as coaches as role models, we also want to see the parents be positive role models for the players too. Along with this, we want you to support our emphasis on skill development.
The Novice Local League program will have an ice-time commitment of two ice times per week. Most weeks we will be on the ice on Saturday, and either Sunday or Tuesday evening. There may be the opportunity to pick up extra ice if available when all of the CW teams start getting deeper into the season and travelling to away games. Please watch for ice times on this website as they get updated with the practice and game schedule. You also have the ability to subscribe to the calendar or have notifications sent to email or text.
I know that life is busy, but with that said, for practices, we ask that the kids be ready to take the ice 5-10 minutes before the scheduled time. For games, we would like all the players to be at the rink at least a half hour before game time. This will allow the kids time to get geared up, pumped up and give us time to warm up and discuss the upcoming game as a team.
Again, Mike, Ryan and myself are looking forward to a great season! Our hope is that it is a great, and fun season for you and your child as well.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to contact one of the coaches or speak to us personally while at the rink.
Thanks for reading!
Chad