“Skate” and “goal” are two of the most common terms in hockey.

But in the case of the Western Wisconsin Stars girls program, they’re also acronyms.

SKATE stands for “Skaters Keep Achieving Through Education,” and GOAL is “Get Out And Learn to play hockey.”

SKATE is an academic recognition program designed to encourage youth hockey players to strive for excellence in the classroom.

The program was originally developed by parent volunteers in Minnesota to emphasize the importance of academic performance to young players. Once implemented, it led to a significant increase in the grade point averages of youth hockey players.

“It’s open to our whole association,” said Stars President Mary Hailey. “[The girls] commit to turning in their report cards. Those with a GPA of 3.0 or better go to an awards banquet.

“We as an association recognize teams with the highest GPA. This is voluntary. It’s a matter of life lessons that kids benefit from by being a participant in the program. We want to recognize our players for their hard work on and off the ice.”

The Stars serve the communities of Richmond, Somerset, River Valley and Amery, with their primary arena being the New Richmond Sports Center in western Wisconsin.

Their mission is to promote the growth of girls hockey and that’s where GOAL comes into play.

“One of the things we do is involve girls and boys from New Richmond High School teams to skate with the GOAL participants,” Hailey said. “The younger kids certainly look up to the high school players. [The Stars] get out and skate during intermission of high school games.

“We have high school players that are now coaching at the youth level for the Stars. We feel our girls can look up to these players as role models. This year we have two alumni who are coming back to coach at the high school level. One is an assistant coach and another is a volunteer coach.”

With the focus on growth and development, the future of the program looks bright.

“Our program is one that continues to grow,” Hailey said. “Part of that is because of the focus on development.

“In Somerset, there is a girls play-hockey-for-free program, as well as some focus on development during the summer with the girls.”

There’s a lot going on, but the Stars are operated entirely by parent volunteers.

Parents serve as team managers, coaches, board members as well as jersey and equipment managers. They also participate in fundraising, promotions, publicity, tournaments and communications.

With parents serving as coaches, Hailey was quick to dispel any notion of a conflict of interest. The Stars take a proactive approach to eliminate any possible concerns before they happen.

“It actually hasn’t been an issue,” Hailey said. “It has the potential to be one. But we have a co-op committee. Any concerns are brought before that committee. If it needs to be addressed, it is.

With the Stars’ focus on growth and player development, it’s no wonder that they’ve embraced USA Hockey’s American Development Model. It’s another reason why the Stars continue to attract girls from the communities they serve.

“To me, that’s the whole key,” Hailey said. “It’s also repetition of drills which reinforces skill development and encourages coaches to focus on skills. You don’t have anybody standing around.       

“The ADM certainly focuses on skill development, which is a high priority for us.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.