Learn-To-Skate Newsletter

Welcome to the New Hartford Youth Hockey

Association’s Learn-To-Skate program!

For those of you, who are new to hockey, welcome aboard! For those families who are returning young

skaters from last year, or who have older children that have already been through an introductory youth

hockey program, welcome back! Hockey is a wonderful sport that both parents and their children can enjoy

together. It is one that focuses on both individual skill development and team play, but more than anything

else, hockey is about having fun! As one who played hockey as a youth with my brother and friends, I now

enjoy the game as both a parent and coach. There is nothing more pleasurable than watching the smile on

your child’s face grow as they quickly master the basic skills needed to progress through the Learn-to-Skate

(LTS) program. And progress they will! For those skaters truly “learning to skate”, you will be amazed at

how quickly your child will move from crawling on the ice, to skating with the bar, to standing and skating on

their own. The New Hartford Youth Hockey Association and the Learn-To-Skate coaches and I are proud

to have you and your children participate in this program, and we want to take this opportunity to thank you

for choosing our organization. But make no mistake about it—your children are truly the ones who will

benefit the most from this experience, and it is our goal to help guide this year’s group through this process.

Since all new skaters and their families, especially those new to hockey, will have many questions about both

the game and the program, here are a few points to help make your child’s experience as safe and as enjoyable

as possible

The New Hartford Youth Hockey Association (NHYHA) & Where To Get Information

The New Hartford Youth Hockey Association is the governing body sponsoring the LTS program, and more

information regarding its executive board and board members can be found at the following website:

http://www.usahockey.com/nhyha/. In addition, it is very important to familiarize yourselves with the

scheduling board in the front lobby next to the concession stand. Both the LTS coaches and I will do our

best to inform families of practice session times and critical planning information, however the scheduling

board will frequently contain other useful information that will be worth consulting. Typically, LTS will

practice Friday nights from 6 to 7 pm, and Saturday nights from 5 to 6 pm.

LTS Coordinator and Head Coach

Your LTS Coordinator and Head Coach for the 2008-2009 LTS program are as follows:

Coordinator

•Dan Berkhoudt (dberkhoudt@verizon.net, 737-4416)

Head Coach

•David Gibson

Assistant Coaches

•Kristian Smith (Advance and Intermediate Levels)

•Scott English (Beginning Level)

The head coach will be in charge of on-ice instruction, organization and, most importantly to ensure the kids

learn basic skating and hockey skills in a positive, productive, and safe manner. The coordinator’s role is to

make sure that our skater’s parents and families are well informed of the particulars associated with the LTS

program, and to ensure that NHYHA policies and procedures are maintained accordingly. Please feel free to

contact the head coach or me if you have questions or concerns, but it is certainly our intent to keep all of our

families well informed before issues should arise.

Another important LTS program role is that of Hockey Mom(s). These individuals will be responsible for

the “social aspects” of this year’s program, like pizza parties and other off-ice festivities, and it is a role we

will need as much assistance with as possible. Any mom or dad willing to help out in this capacity is very

much appreciated.

Equipment

It is very important that all skaters use the appropriate locker room when dressing and undressing for

practice. Locker room information may be found upon entry into the rink, adjacent to the ticket booth on a

white marker board. Please do not dress your child in the front warming room or at any of the bleachers.

Not only for security and safety, but when there is important information to pass along to all the families it is

quicker and more efficient to pass the necessary information to the group as a whole.

We would like to thank CDPHP once again for their generous support buy helping to provide jerseys and a

limited assortment of new hockey equipment to the participants at the LTS level. This monetary donation by

CDPHP allows our organization to purchase equipment and sell the hockey equipment at a significant cost

reduction to the NHYHA members. Total cost for the hockey equipment package to the NHYHA member

is $55. Regular value is $128 (57% member savings).

The “equipment question” is the single most frequently asked question of coaches and is one of the key

issues you must address as a parent. At a bare minimum, hockey helmets with full-face masks (not bike

helmets) are required, as are shin/knee pads, elbow pads, gloves, and skates. Additional equipment that will

be mandatory at higher youth hockey levels, such as shoulder pads, pants, neck guards, etc., are at this point

optional. It is of the utmost importance, for both safety and practical reasons, that our skaters are well

prepared to fall down and to be warm on the ice. Nothing discourages a young skater more, especially their

first few times on the ice, than to fall down and hurt themselves or to be cold. A properly equipped skater

will quickly overcome the fear of falling because, believe it or not, the ice will not feel as hard as one might

think. A pair of loose sweatpants (so the shin/knee pads can fit comfortably underneath) with long-johns,

and a couple of sweatshirts are usually enough to keep our skaters warm. Trust me, the kids will be burning a

lot of energy, so you do not need to overdress them. The Skaters Edge shop located at the New Hartford ice

rink will have hockey pants, socks, elbow pads and shin guards available for purchase. Other local vendors,

like Play It Again Sports located on Commercial Drive in New Hartford and Sticks & Skates located in the

New Hartford Shopping Center, all sell very reasonably priced equipment and are worth visiting. For those

skaters truly learning to skate, sticks are not needed at this time, and in fact are discouraged. We want to see

the kids learn to stand up on their own without the use of sticks. Sticks will be introduced later in the year as

the child develops her or his skating skills. Skates should be tied tightly for good ankle support, but not so

tight as they restrict circulation. Over-tightened skates will inevitably lead to cold feet, and that will lead to an

unhappy skater! In addition, skates do not need to be super sharp for our young skaters. Andy Anguish,

owner of the Skaters Edge at the New Hartford ice rink can help you gauge how sharp skates should be.

Finally, please place your child’s name on every piece of equipment they own to prevent misplacement of

gear. We will be handing out helmet nametag stickers during the first several sessions. If you have additional

equipment questions, please see your coaches or me.

Additional On-Ice Support

The first few LTS sessions may look a bit chaotic as the coaches assess skill levels in preparation to segregate

our skaters based on skill/age level. Because of this, moms or dads willing to help on the ice are welcome

and encouraged, because today’s helpers are tomorrow’s coaches. However, three important caveats need to

be noted. (1) The head coaches responsible for on-ice instruction need to be consulted by any helping parent

on the ice so as to maintain organization of the program and to distribute help to those skaters in need.

(2) For legal reasons that are beyond our control, any parent or relative willing to assist with on-ice instruction

must first sign a liability waiver. This is a critically important requirement that every NHYHA participant and

volunteer must be familiar with. Additional insurance is available for those who choose to volunteer, and

more information can be provided for those willing. (3) It is required that all on-ice volunteers wear certified

hockey helmets. Again, the coaches and I can provide additional information for those interested.

What You Should Expect On The Ice

Just as with every new thing your child tries, there will be some hesitation and maybe even some intimidation

their first time on the ice. He or she may even express some fear, especially from falling. As a parent or

family member watching from the stands or behind the glass, you too will likely be a bit nervous, maybe even

more so than your child. This is all totally understandable and expected, and the coaches will be well

prepared to deal with these first few tense moments. However, these first few moments will quickly pass as

the kids, properly equipped, learn that falling on the ice, and making a snow angel or two, is a part of having

fun. The drills they will go through are not necessarily hockey oriented. Rather, they are designed for them

to become comfortable with the ice surface, to get used to falling down and getting up, and to gain

confidence in their ability to stand and be mobile on the ice. Some kids, usually those 4 and older, will likely

master the ability to skate (or just putt) on the ice within a session or two. For our younger skaters, it may

take a bit more time, but this is where the “bar” comes in handy. The single best thing that you can do as a

parent is to be visible through the glass and to encourage your child every step along the way. Just like the

time they took their first step, the kids will be filled with pride when they can stand and start to skate along

the way.

By the second or third week, our skaters will be separated into three groups. Those that can skate well

(advanced level and usually our 2ndyear or older participants) will be placed on the far end of the ice facing

the bleachers. Those skaters that can stand and are partly mobile (intermediate level) will be placed in the

middle of the ice between the blue lines. Finally, our youngest beginners (typically first time skaters and/or

those using the bar) will be placed on the end of the ice facing the front lobby. This segregation technique is

not intended to isolate the kids based on talent. Rather, it is a practical strategy to assist the coaches with

organizing the kids based upon their instructional needs.

As the program moves forward, our skaters will gradually progress to other areas of the ice from where they

started such that by end of the first session (October through December) we may only have two groups of

skaters. For those skaters who are ready and willing to move beyond the skills that can be nurtured at the

LTS level, there is the option of moving up to the Tyke level in December (more information will be

forthcoming on this). By the beginning of this year’s second session (January through March), we will

introduce those skaters who are ready to sticks and pucks, while we bring in new skaters to start the

introductory process all over again.

Again, welcome to this year’s LTS program, and we are glad to have you and your children participating in

the program. I will be holding a parent’s meeting during the first and second night of our program, Friday,

October 3, and Saturday, October 4 where I will discuss these topics and answer any questions that you may

have at that time.

Other important notes:

•LTS practice will begin Friday, October 3 from 6-7 PM and Saturday, October 4, from 5-6 PM.

Please arrive 30 minutes prior to dress your child.

•For those families that participated in, and purchased equipment through the NHYHA subsidized

equipment sale, the equipment will be distributed during the first couple of sessions in the back

concession area. Please make checks payable toNHYHA.

•Please pickup your child’s LTS jerseys prior to practice on Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October

4 in the back concession area. Blue and red jerseys are available.

•There will be an equipment exchange table set up in the back concession area. This is used

equipment and free for the taking. We do ask that when your child outgrows his/her current

equipment, you recycle it through our equipment exchange program.

•There will be a parents meeting on Friday, October 3 (Saturday, October 4 if needed) as soon as the

skaters begin practice. This meeting will be in the back concession area.

•LTS registration forms will also be available in the back concession area.

•From time-to-time, we will be taking photos throughout the year of the skaters for use on our

NHYHA website. Please contact me if you do not want your child photographed.

Thanks again,

Dan Berkhoudt, LTS Coordinator