First Time Hockey Parent FAQ

Q: What is my cost?

A: The fee is designed to be a great value that includes ice time, instruction & jerseys.

Q: What is my time commitment?

A: There will be 2 1 hour professional instruction sessions on weekday / weekends during convenient times.

Q: What will be my involvement?

A: As much or as little as you want. GPHA is always looking for people to be involved in the association as coaches-assistants-managers-volunteers- or board members

Q: What paperwork is required?

A: Coaching Application (if applicable)

Consent to treat form

GPHA membership agreement

Parent Code of Conduct Form

Coaching Ethic Form (if applicable)

Player Code of Conduct Form

Waiver of Liability

Copy of Birth Certificate for Player

USA hockey Registration.

All forms should be submitted to the team manager within the month following the start of the session.

Q: Do I need any type of certification to coach or assist?

A: All coaches and on-ice assistants must be registered with USA hockey and complete the required course for the appropriate age level. For first time players 8 and under a level 1 certificate and card must be obtained prior to Dec. 31^st. a list of locations for these courses may be obtained from the usa website http://www.usahockey.com/ .

Expectations for My Child in the I-Program (first year)

I PROGRAM LEVEL

Program Philosophy

Encourage a love of the game of hockey by associating hockey with fun and games. The fun and games should also develop skating, team work and agility skills. Early season the focus should all be on balance, getting up by themselves, stepping over sticks, begin backwards skating and holding their sticks properly. The later part of the season emphasis will be on controlled turning, puck handling, shooting and attempting to transition. I program participants will also start to play small ice games.

Development Goals and Objectives:

All Children at this level will be able to perform the following skills at the mid point of the season:

• Skating forward
• Skating backward
• Stopping 1 way
• Stepping over sticks
• Hold their stick properly

All kids at this level should be developing the following skills during the rest of the season:

• Skating with the puck
• Basic stick handling
• Touching a knee
• Controlled turns
• Transitioning from forwards to backwards
• Stopping both ways

Expectations for My Child in the I-Program (still developing)

MINI MITE LEVEL

Program Philosophy:

Develop hockey skills through a combination of professional instruction, coach instruction and game situations. Early season emphasis should include individual development by using small ice games, 3 on 3 games broken up by skill level. This allows each child maximum exposure to puck handing and shooting skills while encouraging aggressive play. The 2^nd half of the season should focus on full ice games and coach run practices that emphasize individual skating and puck handling skills.

Development Goals and Objectives:

All kids at this level should be able to perform the following skills at the mid point of the season:

• Stopping both ways
• Controlled turns
• Transitioning from forward to backwards & vice versa
• Skate with the puck both forehand and back hand
• Basic stick handling ability
• Basic passing and shooting
• Agility skills such as touching either knee to the ice

All kids at this level should be developing the following skills during the remainder of the season:

• Controlled turns with the puck
• Utilizing forehand and backhand while turning through figure eights
• Skating with the puck with their heads up
• Awareness of where to line up for each position on face offs
• Finding open space to play
• Using both outside and inside edges