The Sunshine Coast Summer Hockey School at Gibsons Arena just finished its 12th year with record registration for the summer of 2015.
Close to 120 kids have been registered in the school this summer. Facilities program coordinator Tom Poulton credits the school’s popularity to fun.
“This camp is a place where kids can get their season started and get their legs under them,” Poulton said. “Of course it’s about learning the game of hockey, but it’s also mainly about having fun.”
The kids get on the ice twice a day, and between games Poulton said they supplement hockey time with other physical activities like swimming, soccer and even yoga.
“There are all kinds of things to be learned from other sports that help with their hockey skills,” Poulton said. “Yoga is well known right now to be a big part of a pro-hockey player’s life.”
Poulton added that getting kids to play hockey every day could get boring. Mixing up their activities keeps things interesting for the young players.
“The main thing is to have fun,” Poulton said. “I mean look at these kids, they’re just high-fiving and having fun. And we’re seeing some skill out there.”
Summer school might be over, but hockey season is just around the corner. Poulton said that in the fall they offer One Goal, a six-week program that runs through the hockey season.
