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Minor hockey participation down
Fort Simpson players skate forward with new ideas
Roxanna Thompson Northern News Services Published Thursday, March 1, 2012
The nine-year-old athlete from Fort Simpson, however, is unlikely to play in a hockey tournament with his peers from the village in the near future. Fabre-Dimsdale is the only atom aged player signed up for minor hockey in Fort Simpson. Participation in minor hockey has declined over the past few years in the village, said Chris Hewitt, one of the minor hockey coaches. This year there are approximately 10 youths in the initiation, novice, atom and peewee levels and another 10 in the bantam and midgets. Despite the lower numbers, Hewitt said the youths who participate are truly interested in hockey. In the village, the minor hockey season starts in November and lasts as long as the ice does, sometimes to the end of March. Something different This year the association tried something different by having high school students Tyler Pilling and Steven Thompson coach the younger hockey players after school on Mondays to Wednesdays. "I like the fact that the older kids are giving back," said Val Gendron, who also volunteers with minor hockey. Gendron said the hockey players who have been coming to practice are getting better at the sport. "The kids that come are enthusiastic to come," she said. Hewitt said having older students coach has given the younger students hockey role models. Pilling and Thompson will likely continue to coach as adults, and, in time, the minor hockey players will be recruited to play in the men's and women's recreation leagues, he said. Hewitt said next year the association will look at overcoming barriers that prevent more people from joining minor hockey, including affordability and access to equipment. Minor hockey is always looking for both new players and coaches, he said. Hewitt coaches the younger age groups on Saturday and Owen Rowe coaches the older minor hockey players and the Moosehide Mammas. A celebration of minor hockey in the form of the annual skills competition took place on Feb. 22 in the village. After eating a pizza supper, 15 minor hockey players, two Moosehide Mammas and two men's rec hockey players competed in six events. Up first was the agility race where players had to use their stick-handling skills to move a puck around pylons. The next event, the obstacle course, had participants jumping over hockey sticks, skating around pylons and sliding over the ice on their stomachs. Fastest skater competition In the fastest skater competition, the hockey players competed to see who could make it around the rink in the fastest time. In the older age group, Kevin Anavilok-Roche came in first with a time of 13.72 seconds followed by Tyler Pilling with 14.70 seconds. Sage Fabre-Dimsdale won the younger category with 18.38 seconds. In the target shooting competition, Rylan Hardisty-Gillis shot six out of 10 pucks into the net from centre ice. Warren Cli shot four out of 10 in the younger age group. Fabre-Dimsdale said jumping over the hockey stick held up by two buckets was his favourite part of the skills competition. While playing hockey, Fabre-Dimsdale said he enjoys scoring goals, doing sharp turns and stick-handling.
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