RANKIN INLET
The new hockey season kicked off in a big way in Rankin Inlet this past week.

Connor Tatty leads runs through a skating drill during a minor hockey camp in Rankin Inlet this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL file photo

About 130 players from novice to midget took part in a six-day camp from Oct. 20 to 25 that included both on-ice and off-ice instruction.

Rec co-ordinator David Clark said player turnout at the camp was excellent.

He said the young players were super-excited about taking part in the event.

"All the youth leaders and instructors were great during the week," said Clark. "We held it this past week because the kids had no school and were able to attend for a full day of sessions.

"They got on-ice training to help develop their hockey skills, and they did fitness training in the community hall with Pujjuut Kusugak.

"They also received an hour of instruction each day on teamwork, self-reflection and setting goals, which relates to hockey and also helps them with personal growth."

Clark said the camp also featured goaltenders-only instruction.

He said the bantam and midget groups have four goaltenders this year, but the younger groups are thin on those guarding the twine.

"As far as I know, there's only one goalie per group among the younger ages, and that's something the Rankin Inlet Minor Hockey Association (RIMHA) is working on.

"We purchased some goalie gear to see if any kids are interested in strapping on the pads and trying it out.

"If any kids do get into it, we'll support them.

"The cost of gear is the No. 1 reason we're seeing a drop in the number of young goalies, and that's why minor hockey is trying this new approach of making equipment available to each age group."

The camp - sponsored by the Hamlet of Rankin Inlet, RIMHA, Hockey North, Hockey Nunavut and the Nunavut Literacy Council (Ilitaqsiniq) - had 40 kids in initiation-novice, 40 in atom and peewee, 20 in female and 30 in bantam-midget take part.

Kusugak was on the ice with the initiation-novice kids and conducted off-ice training sessions.

Kusugak said his role on the ice is to look after the kids who have never played hockey or skated before, giving them instruction on how to skate, stop and turn.

He said his off-ice sessions involved all groups and focused on exercises, activities and workouts.

"We did circuit training with a number of different exercises at each station," said Kusugak.

"We looked at working the different parts of the body - the upper body, legs and core. Each exercise session had them at a station for about a minute before moving onto the next one.

"They were going almost non-stop for about 40 to 45 minutes."

Kusugak said the sessions taught the players how to do each exercise properly.

He said the exercises were done with zero weight so players can do them at home.

"You want kids to start this as young as possible, just so they get an idea of the importance of staying active.

"With more serious training, I suggest getting them started at 12 or 13 years old.

"You want to get them into a routine, so on off days, when they're not playing a sport, they'll exercise.

"We're trying to get kids to start regular exercise at a younger age, which will contribute to a healthier, more positive lifestyle."

Kusugak said the majority of players looked like they had fun during the week.

He said some kids took the training quite seriously, while others were just learning and not used to moving around so much.

"It was a wide range of engagement, but it was really encouraging to see how many of the kids were really into it.

"I had kids in atoms and peewees going full out, wanting to show everyone they're in great shape.

"Many of them were very eager to learn.

"The older players, including the girls, were taking it pretty seriously, so we'll keep working with them to stay active and, hopefully, look for ways to improve each time."

Kusugak said showing players what it takes to really improve was a main focus of the camp.

He said giving them the opportunity to improve will result in a number of the youths taking the next step in becoming not only a better hockey player, but a better person, as well.

"If they're interested and willing to put in the time, we have people in Rankin Inlet who are willing to teach. The camp had a pretty good all-around approach, and that has a lot to do with us seeing how good hockey schools run. David's (Clark) been to a lot of hockey schools, I've been to a few and we've taken our kids to hockey schools.

"Seeing the type of programs they had helped us structure our camp, so the players saw the kind of things that go on away from the rink to help them play better, so the classroom time was great for them."

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