Farm Tough Hockey College Prospects Camp
February 16, 2019
written by Celeste Nicholson
Did you know Roller Hockey is more than just a game you play between Ice Hockey Seasons?
Roller Hockey offers as many if not more opportunities than Ice Hockey. While in Canada Ice Hockey is still the King of sports, in other parts of the world Roller Hockey rules and opportunities abound.
Just ask Robin and Kaidn who attended the Prospects Camp at Concordia College in Wisconsin. Alberta Roller Hockey (AMRHA) had sent out an invitation to attend the prospect camp late in May “I wasn’t sure what it was all about - we get a lot of emails with a variety of opportunities. Not all opportunities are created equal - the Prospect Camp seemed well organized. There were a lot of the same people involved that I had met through the State Wars Organization.”
Speaking with Robin and Kaidn their opinion of the Camp “AMAZING - truly an opportunity that exceeded our wildest expectations!” Robin said “We have been to lots of hockey camps, camps run by NHL players, camps run by colleges and university programs - but this camp was next level”
The Camp was attended by 40 kids divided into four teams - the teams were all ages from 2000’s to 2004’s. Most of the attendees were from Michigan, and Wisconsin, but there were some other people from all over the US as well as two Alberta families. The teams had two practices together and then there was a round robin tournament. Participants had a chance to attend clinics on a variety of topics as well as the chance to learn about the variety of schools looking to recruit players, and the types of scholarships available,
Robin said “We (Mom & Dad) went down with Kaidn, because we didn’t know what to expect; but really we wouldn’t have had to. We were all picked up from the Airport by a shuttle the parents were taken to a hotel and the kids all stayed at the dorms at the college.”
The Parents got to meet with all the recruiters - the recruiters offered the parents all kinds of advice and insight, but most important was how to pick the school that is the right fit for your kid, not the hockey program you think will advance his or her athletic dreams. Good athletes are good athletes wherever they play - if the academic fit isn’t right it will most definitely have an affect your Childs athletic experience.
Ron Bealstead, head coach from team USA and recruiter for Kansas State University was available to meet and discuss with parents the best fits for them, and what they would need to do to get ready to apply to college. In the case of Canadian parents and students what extra steps they would need to take.
Kaidn was most interested in Lindenwood - and while at State Wars in St Louis Kaidn and one of the other players from the College Prospects program were picked up and taken on a tour of the Lindenwood Campus. “Lindenwood was nuts it sits on 500 acres. They have their own rink just for inline! once you are in Lindenwood - they can assist you in finding scholarships. It was the best experience ever!”
There is a whole world of opportunity out there with Roller Hockey. Contact AMRHA to find out more.
