Junior Placement Showcase (JPS)
May 18-20, 2012

Click {HERE} and watch today's Minute with Maxwell, by leadership expert, John C. Maxwell. 

ADVERSITY DRIVES GREAT ATHLETES

Watch video here.

By: Alexandra Kleinhuizen, CSCS

Everyone has heard the phrase, ‘Practice like you Play;’ and this is true, if you desire to consistently play your best, you have to practice that way. You do not want to guess or hope you are going to have a good game; you want to know and be confident in it. Why should nutrition be any different? If you ‘Practice like you play,’ ideally giving your all in every moment, sacrificing, focusing, etc., you will use the same amount of energy as if in a competition.  Your nutrition and eating regimen should be the same for both practice and competition. The ultimate athlete can output maximal force repeatedly while having optimal recovery. This is the goal of nutrition: to promote consistent optimal performance and optimal recovery. You cannot have ideal performance without recovery.  If your nutrition habits change day to day or change between practice and competition you are setting yourself up for mediocrity, inconsistency, and injury. You would not be training yourself to give your all every moment. You will also not be able to predict your performance or recovery. Inconsistent nutrition is inconsistent performance.  To be the best takes sacrifice not only in training, but in nutrition as well. Nutrition is fuel and recovery, and you need it to perform.  

Now, the question is what is appropriate nutrition? The first thing one has to understand is that we must eat for human performance not sport performance. If you eat for sport performance, you will be lacking in your sport and other areas of life. Treat hockey like a skill, just like anything else: academics, other sports, how you interact with the people around you, music, etc. Develop optimal human performance so you can display any skill you choose. Eat for human performance so you can optimally display any skill you choose.  

It is very important that when you are fueling your body, you begin from the moment you wake until the moment you go to sleep. A meal, or ratio of nutrients, every three hours is ideal and sums up to six meals. When you wake up in the morning, you want to jump start your metabolism in order that you can use your energy efficiently and optimally throughout the day. Fruit is a great jump start. Those who do not eat breakfast will have a slow and inefficient metabolism. When you sleep, optimal recovery takes place. Protein is the nutrient that builds and repairs tissue and new living cells, and this is the ideal macronutrient before sleep.  

Meals during the day must encompass the three macronutrients, carbohydrates, protein, and fat along with vitamins and minerals. Carbohydrates are the immediate energy source of the cell. Protein is the building block of the body. Other than water, it is the most abundant cell in the body with numerous essential purposes, not limited to tissue repair and building. And fat; people fear this nutrient and have negative connotations to it, but it is so important.  Not only does it provide a long-term source of energy, it allows your nervous system to work efficiently. Your brain controls everything you do. The signals created by your brain and the nervous system control every movement, every thought, etc. It is so important that these signals are efficient and fast. Just like an electric circuit, if your nerves have ideal, appropriate insulation (myelin), you will have a strong, consistent signal; and, if it is lacking, your signal will be lost. This is a huge role of fat. In terms of vitamins and minerals, the biggest thing to focus on is an appropriate ratio. Too much of one vitamin or too little in relation to everything else in the body can lead to poor human performance.  

There is so much information related to nutrition and I challenge everyone to take an initiative and educate themselves on these things. Remember human beings are wonders. In fact, the potential of a human being has never been reached. Individuals continue to get faster, stronger, smarter, etc; so, always shoot for the stars. If you sacrifice and give your all in every area of life, including nutrition, you can reach and even surpass your goals. It takes optimal effort in all areas and an initiative to grow.  

Alexandra Kleinhuizen, CSCS

Director of Girl’s MAP and Human Performance for FHIT Players                                                               
Bachelors Degree in Physiology from the University of Minnesota
Played DI Women’s Hockey for the University of Minnesota from 2006-2010 

The Combine: Making a difference in girls hockey

FHIT and Legend Hockey are teaming up to throw a 3 day hockey experience for female hockey players. With this event we hope to enhance the level of play and overall concept of athletics. Although this is an event geared towards ice hockey, we are providing information and athletic situations that will help in all facets of the athletes life. 

Over the course of the next couple months we will be breaking down The Combine for you. Thank you for joining us in changing how female hockey players prepare for higher levels of play.

For now check out the companies involved:

www.legendhockey.com

www.fhitplayers.com

www.megagoaltending.com

By Diane Ness

Let'sPlayHockey.com

We recently had our first day of our Learn to Skate program for the new winter session. For this program, we see all types of ages and abilities. The basic fact is that it still comes back to understanding that skating development is a progression.

One of the classes in particular sticks out in my mind. It was a beginner class filled with 3- and 4-year-olds in which this was their first time being on the ice. Our first lesson at this level starts from the beginning, learning how to fall down and get up, learning how to march with hands “on the table” out in front of them, and if they are really advanced, trying to touch their toes as they march.

Most of this is taught through games so the kids have fun while not even knowing they are actually working on fundamental skating. Anyways, as the young skaters left the ice after the half-hour lesson, I had a parent approach me asking why they didn’t work on stopping and backwards skating. Now keep in mind that these kids are 3- and 4-years-old, so if we can get them to fall down and get up on their own during the first class we have accomplished our goal.

While learning to skate and learning new skills, we have to understand this is a process. A process that takes time, energy and patience. If we aren’t willing to spend the time and energy it takes to get better, we cannot get better and will not progress.

Learning to skate does not happen “right now.” Rather, it is a series of skills that are accomplished, each one getting more difficult than the next. The key is to have the right progression so we have a better chance at succeeding at each new skill rather than getting overwhelmed and frustrated.

The point of this article is not to rant and rave but rather to understand that skating is a progression. Every new skill learned gets tougher to execute, but if the skater has learned all of the lead-up skills, he/she should be able to accomplish the new skill. It’s when we skip steps and try to go from point A to point D that the skater will become very frustrated because it will seem to be too daunting of a task.

I will explain a progression from when a young skater is just starting out. The first-timer should obviously learn how to fall down and get up. Believe it or not, this will take time. Each beginner should do this over and over again. The instructor should help the skater stabilize one foot but let the skater do this on their own.

The skater should then learn how to march, perform a two-foot glide then proceed to a one-foot glide. The general idea is to get the skater progressing forwards. When marching, the youngsters are trying to pick their feet up off the ice rather than just shuffling.

The one-foot glide is the first step to really challenge a skaters balance. You will notice the skater will only be able to hold their foot up for a split second or so but with repetition this will get better.

Once the skater is able to march and move forward, the skater will learn how to do a forward swizzle, which is actually the first edge drill they will perform. From there, the skater can learn how to do a snow plow stop, a backward wiggle and backward swizzles. This is basically what we would teach all of our first time skaters throughout the eight-week session.

Over time, we can move on to more advanced skills such as forward pushing, edges, hockey stops, power turns and forward and backward crossovers. Finally, our most difficult maneuvers are quick starts, strides, transitions and mohawk turns.

As you can see, each one of these skills seem more difficult as the skater progresses. However, if the skater has developed the core skills and is starting from a good base, these skills definitely can be achieved.

Everyone needs to understand that skating just takes time, practice and a bit of patience. Enjoy learning and enjoy improving. Skills will come, some easier than others but the more quality repetition put in, the more the skater will get out of it. Remember to not put the cart before the horse, and always make sure your young skaters have fun.

Diane Ness has been a full-time professional skating coach for over 35 years. She has coached both figure skaters and hockey players alike and is a former U.S. gold medalist in figure skating. She is the Director for the Pro Edge Power hockey camps and the Learn to Skate program at Highland Park Arena. Ness is the skating coach for the New Jersey Devils, the University of Minnesota men’s and women’s hockey teams and the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. She has trained players in the NHL, AHL, NCAA, USHL and NAHL.

Composed by Diane Ness

Letsplayhockey.com

http://www.letsplayhockey.com/online-edition/ness/341-the-progression-of-skating.html

http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/s2443321.shtml

Click the video box on this page to hear Jack Jablonski's mother provide updates on his condition, discuss Jack's  concern for the players that hit him, and new efforts to start "Jack's Pledge" hoping to reduce checking from behind in hockey.
Jack Jablonski is already making strides.

Eight days after a check sent the Benilde-St Margaret's hockey player into the boards breaking his spinal cord and paralyzing him, Jablonski moved his arms.
In an interview with several media members prior to Benilde-St Margaret's hockey game Saturday night, Jack's mother Leslie delivered the encouraging news.
Leslie Jablonski says Jack moved was able to flex his left arm at the elbow, something doctors intiially said he would not be able to do.  He also was able to move his right arm away from his body.
Immediately after moving his arms, Leslie quoted Jack saying, "Alright, when can I strap up my skates?"
Jablonski was paralyzed by his injury and remains in the hospital. Doctors who operated on Jablonski said he will likely never regain the ability to walk.
Jack's mother shared that one of his doctors said, "You made my day," to Jack when he saw him moving his arms.
In addition to his own struggle to recover, Jablonski is also concerned about the two opposing players who hit him.
"He keeps asking how they are doing. Saying 'I want them to know I'm not mad'," his mother said. "Jack's gotten so much support, they need it as well.  It wasn't a malicious hit.  We're concerned about them."
An outpouring of support has come out for Jack after the injury and diagnosis that it was unlikely he'd regain the ability to walk.  Rallies, coordinated efforts at sporting events and a massive online effort have all been part of a huge groundswell of community support.
Leslie Jablonski says Jack has seen and heard of the various shows of support, and truly appreciates them all.
A website - jabby13.com - has been established to support the Jack Jablonski Fund.
Saturday's game was the first for a Benilde-St Margarets hockey team since Jack, a member of the Red Knights junior varsity, was injured.

Benilde hockey player Jack Jablonski had 'irreparable' damage, doctors say

By Tim Leighton

tleighton@pioneerpress.com

Updated: 01/05/2012 11:11:17 AM CST

Surgery stabilized the spinal column of Benilde-St. Margaret's sophomore hockey player Jack Jablonski, but the damage done was "irreparable," his doctors said in a statement today.

A news conference will be held today at Hennepin County Medical Center to address the condition of Jablonski, who had spinal fusion surgery Wednesday.

Late Wednesday night, his parents Mike and Leslie, wrote on his CaringBridge website that he likely will not walk again because of the severity of the injury suffered Friday in a junior-varsity hockey game against Wayzata at the St. Louis Park Recreation Center.

"Jack Jablonski's surgery went very smoothly, and we accomplished the necessary goals which were to assess and stabilize his spinal column to prevent further injury and allow for rehabilitation,'' Dr. Thomas Bergman, HCMC chief of neurosurgery, and Dr. Walter Galicich, an HCMC neurosurgeon, said in a joint statement. "Unfortunately, our pre-operative diagnosis was confirmed intra-operatively when we visualized the obviously horrific injury to his spinal column as a result of the neck vertebrae dislocation and fractures (C5-6 dislocation fracture and a C6 fracture). An injury to the spinal cord of this nature results in severe neurological dysfunction and often leads to the inability to move the arms and legs.

"Spinal cord damage of this type is irreparable with surgery, however, Jack is young, strong and determined, and has excellent support from family, friends and

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the community. This support is essential to helping him recover from surgery and continue with the therapies he will require when he goes home.''

Pioneer Press

TwinCities.com

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19680543

http://vimeo.com/6089854