A 6-year-old at a 2 day intensive Goalie Camp? Sure, why not. Sounds completely reasonable, right? If you are a hockey parent, you know it is. Earlier this month my 6-year-old son, Kellen, participated in the Goalies Inc. goalie camp with 28 other goalies aged 6 to 17 at the Sobe Ice Arena here in Las Vegas. We were so excited to have a local camp focused on Goalies that when we saw this one come across, we signed him right up.
Jim Stanaway’s communication was very good, with the schedule for the weekend being sent 2 days in advance via email. Hockey moms I know you are with me when I say, that sometimes, communication is PAINFULLY lacking at some camps and hockey programs, so this was a welcome change.
Check in time on day 1 was at 8:30am which was tough for us being locals to the Las Vegas area, since we chose to stay at home and make the 30-minute drive to the rink each day (I know, first world problems). When we arrived, we were greeted by a few coaches at the casino doors and directed where to go to check in. The young lady managing the check in table was very friendly and spoke directly to Kellen where she confirmed his jersey size and name and she didn’t pass out when he told her to put Hollywood on his helmet instead of Kellen. After-all, he is Hollywood, and lives up to that dramatic name every day of his life.
After checking in, the players placed their bags in the designated locker rooms and headed over to the tequila lounge for a pre-camp meeting. Yep, the meeting was in the tequila lounge in the casino. It is Las Vegas after-all. Coach Stanaway took some time to go over his experience as a player and coach. He also took some time and explained how the weekend would go.
One thing that really stood out to me was that Coach told all of the players, in front of the parents, that if they didn’t listen and work hard, he would have them leave the camp and they could explain to their parents why they spent money for nothing. I found this to be refreshing. I loved that the coach was insisting on respect from the players. Honestly though, I was also a bit worried because there were four 2012 goalies attending the camp. 6-year-olds are not well known for their attention spans.
The meeting was over at about 9:40am, and goalies were sent to their locker rooms to get dressed. They were on the ice for the first of four, 1 hour and 45 minute sessions that weekend. The first session began with Coach going over the process for the warm up skate and the importance of getting your muscles warm before stretching. He completed some skating drills using the length of the ice. The players then worked together to form a circle around center ice for stretching.
Stretching was led by one of the other coaches while the 6 stations were set up. After the stretching was complete, the players were divided into groups based on age. Each group completed each station which had a focus on a single technique. Stations included drills to work on how to work with a screen, positioning in the crease and goalie skating skills.
With the first on-ice session over, the kids changed and went back to the tequila lounge for a yoga session. Yoga in the tequila lounge, another chance for the parents to warm up. Also a great way to get ready to hear about all the new goalie products on the market. I always say if you want someone to buy something, give them a few drinks. I’m kidding, of course, the lounge was closed during the day for these sessions.
The yoga session was run by a local yoga instructor. She worked with the goalies, walking them through many of the beginner poses and giving personal instruction to each player. She seemed to really enjoy working with the kids and had some great things for them to work on.
Lunch was provided right after yoga followed by the vision training session. This training was run by a local vision therapist who works with athletes in the Las Vegas area. This was the one session I was really excited to learn more about.. The kids were again divided into groups based on age and completed station-based training exercises. These exercises focused on hand eye coordination and focus.
There were 2 stations that really stood out. The first used a tool called a Hecostix. This is a 3-pronged device with each prong being a different color. Partners take turns throwing the Hecostix to each other while calling out which color prong to catch and which hand to catch it with. My son liked this one so much that we ordered one a few days later. The other excercise made use of these incredible glasses that strobe making it difficult to focus on the tennis balls that were bein. This helped the kids learn to focus on the puck through difficult situations and prevent distractions of other items coming at them on the ice.
With the vision training complete, it was back to the ice for the second on-ice session of the day. This session was similar to the first with this ice time used to progress from the prior session’s skill stations.
Day two began with another 1 hour and 45 minute on-ice session using the station-based methodology. Each station again continued to build on the work done in the previous sessions. The on-ice session was followed by another hour of yoga focusing more on the long stretches. Yes, we were still in the tequila bar. Don’t be jealous, it still wasn’t open, but the casino bar was. The instructor was impressed by our little Hollywood since he was able to do the splits. I am also impressed, because I can’t do them since I had kids and my body doesn’t bend that way. Lunch was again provided by Goalies Inc. Then it was back on the ice for a final station-based training session.
One of the things the kids really enjoyed most was the last activity of the camp. They really put those kids to the test to see if they learned anything when the coaches took penalty shots on each kid and I think the coaches had fun putting the pressure on.
Overall, my impression of the Goalies Inc camp was very good. Coach Stanaway did an amazing job of balancing new and exciting training techniques with proven on ice skills development, and the staff that he brought in from other cities and locally were incredible with the goalies. Coach Stanaway personally spent time talking to each player and worked to give as much constructive instruction as possible, which with many camps you don’t find. My 6-year-old spent seven hours on the ice, two hours doing yoga and an hour of high mental engagement with the vision training in two short days and was asking to for more after the second day, but he is Hollywood… and INSANE… so maybe don’t take advice from him.
In all seriousness, I think this is a great goalie camp that any goalie parent with a dedicated goalie should consider. The price was incredibly reasonable especially considering the focused attention and out of the box training the goalies get and it felt like they never stopped moving. They were exhausted, but seemed to really be flourishing and were sweaty and happy when they left the ice.
And guess what? No one got kicked out, so I guess that warning really worked. Maybe I should consider using that at the office before my meetings, or maybe I’ll try having them at the tequila lounge. Either way, we will absolutely be back to another Goalies Inc Camp.
