Hockey camp kicks off in Rankin Inlet
Third-annual camp helps develop puck skills
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
RANKIN INLET
The third-annual season opener hockey camp kicked off a new season in Rankin Inlet this past week. More than 120 youths attended the camp, which ran from Oct. 18-22.
Instructor David Clark, left, has a laugh with mentorship instructor Colton Graham before the next drill of an on-ice session at the season opener hockey camp in Rankin Inlet - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo |
The camp included both on-ice and off-ice instruction, as well as mentoring, coach-development and literacy components.
Pujjuut Kusugak has been the off-ice instructor for the camp since the beginning.
Kusugak said it's really important for the kids to understand the off-ice work is almost as important as what they do on the ice.
"The harder you work off the ice the more you don't want the effort to go to waste, so you tend to be a bit more conscious of your food intake," said Kusugak.
He said the older the players get, the more they'll realize the off-ice sessions help to develop their fitness levels, speed, nutritional habits and mental toughness, all of which will help them on the ice.
"I really didn't notice the off-ice aspect that much until I got a bit older," he said. "So, now I try to show my son the importance of it and I've seen some positive developments in that regard with him and his friends.
Kusugak said, with the younger players, he tends to make it more about playing games.
"You want to ensure it stays fun for the younger players," he said. "I tend to work with smaller groups with the older kids, so it's a bit of a different approach because I let them challenge themselves."
He said he'll focus on circuit training when he's dealing with the bantam- and midget-aged players.
"You reach a certain threshold sometimes with your training and you have to look inside yourself to improve," he said. "Once you realize you're able to get past that threshold, it can help you on the ice because sometimes you can dig a little deeper and have a bit more to give."
Kusugak said he's a big supporter of the camp's mentorship component, and gives the older players a way to be part of the camp.
"It shows the young team leaders who help with the camp are able to coach, but it also helps them develop their skills by learning more about the on-ice and off-ice parts of coaching," he said. "It's good to see them give back to the program. We spent a lot of time with these kids over the years, and it's great to see them helping us now."
It's also planning for the future.
"We're not going to be coaching forever, so it's good to see them part of the camp and developing the skills they'll need to takeover from us," said Kusugak.
