High Performance Information For Parents

2008 Season

 

As you and your child begin this season of High Performance field hockey you should be aware of a few things. First – this program is “self funded” meaning that is run based on trial fees & athlete levies.

 

Where does the money go?

The money that you pay goes to pay for facility rentals for training, equipment needed for training, tournament fees, travel expenses for players & coaches, coach honorariums & mileage, team uniforms when needed.

 

High Performance Committee

This year we have formed a High performance Committee made up of parents, athletes & coaches who meet to try to make decisions regarding our High Performance Program.

Within the committee there are three key areas of focus:

1.        Competition Travel

2.        Uniforms

3.        Fundraising

In addition to the three committees we have appointed a Parent Liaison.

Regina Branco is our parent liason and she will be happy to address

any questions or concerns you may have about the High Performance Program from both

 the mens’ side & the womens’ side.

She can be reached via email at:    reginabranco_1966@hotmail.com

 

Tournament Dates & Locations

At this time we have firm dates & locations for some of our provincial teams.

U19 Women – Winnipeg, Manitoba  July 17 – 20, 2008

U19 Men – Vancouver, BC  July24 – 27, 2008

Senior Women – TBA

Senior Men – TBA

U16 Men – TBA

U16 Women – TBA

U14 Men – TBA

U14 Women – TBA

 

Support for our Athletes

The FHO Board, the High Performance Committee and our “certified volunteer coaches” are working hard to make the High performance experience a rewarding one for your children. In order to have each athlete perform to the best of his or her ability we need you , as parents, to play a role in their success. Behind every gold medal athlete you can usually find family support.

 

Please help us to help your child by making sure that they arrive at all practices on time, encourage them to eat healthy and support them in following their training program.

 

What happens now & NEXT PRACTICE: After the fitness testing, the athlete results will be assessed by the coaches and athletes will be notified by email as to whether or not they have made the cut for the training squad. By Jan. 4, 2008 they will be sent an individual training program to follow and record over the winter. The next squad practice will take place at

the beginning of May 2008. Check the FHO website in the new year for the exact date & location.

 

The Field Hockey Ontario website is: fieldhockeyontario@netfirms.com

 

Let’s work together and “Go for the GOLD” !

 

****Please see over for frequently asked questions

 

FAQS

 

1. Why are we doing fitness testing?

As a high performance athlete - it is important to monitor improvement not only in skill but in your fitness level. All athletes in the program will participate in the same tests – giving Field Hockey Ontario a set of baseline data to use to monitor athlete’s progress.

 

2. How does the High Performance System work?

 

There are three phases:

Trials:     Open to any athlete that is the appropriate age.  

Squad:    Selected from trials or were on the team the previous season

Team:     Selected from Squad – assessing skill, fitness, and game play

 

3. How much does this cost?

 

Athletes pay at each stage of the process – fees paid at Trial and Squad phase are absolutely non refundable. Team fees will be refunded if only if an athlete is unable to travel due to medical reasons or an extreme family emergency. In this case in alternate athlete will assume the first athlete’s position on the team.

Field Hockey Ontario operates its Age Group Program as one budget.   This means outdoor teams  will have approximately 30 hours of practice time and two exhibition games and one tournament.   In 2007 – the full levy (squad and team combined) was $1100 – we expect it to be more in 2008 as all teams are travelling. As airfare is constantly changing we can not provide an accurate amount at this time. Squad fees will be between $300 and $400 dollars.

 

 

     3. Who are the coaches & how are they selected?

 

         Our provincial coaches are all NCCP certified and responded to a Call for Coaches job posting on the FHO website.

         They have previous coaching experience at either the club, provincial or university level.

         Our coaches are paid a VERY NOMINAL honorarium for all of their work with our athletes and are generally

         coaching to “give back’ & for the love of the sport. Please support them in any way that you can.

 

4.  When/where and how long are practices?

 

Practices are on the weekends from May until season ends. In general we avoid long weekends.    Practices are 2- 3 hours in length.   Practice venues have not yet been booked for 2008 – last season FHO held practices in Oakville, Guelph and Toronto. We are currently working with the City of Mississauga (Hershey Centre) to establish a practice centre for 2008.

 

      5. Do I need to become a Field Hockey Ontario member?

 

          Yes, you do need to become a member of FHO. There are many Field Hockey Clubs throughout the province

          that you can join and these can be found by accessing the Field Hockey Canada website at www.fhc.ca and

          looking for clubs under their links tab.

 

    6. My parents want to travel with the team – how does this work?

 

       Once the tournament venues have been established and travel arrangements made for players & coaches, parents will

       be notified and they are welcome to join the team as supporters. It is great to have an “Ontario” presence when our

       team travels. Flight & accommodation arrangements are the responsibility of the supporters themselves to organize

      along with their own ground transportation.

 

    7. Can my child travel on my “points”?

 

       Athletes cannot travel on their parent’s air mile points. Team tickets are booked as a group .

       With the number of teams that we run it is not possible to make individual arrangements.

 

 

   8. Where do I go if I have concerns about a coach/situation?

 

     Occasionally situations arise where parents have questions or concerns so these should be addressed to

    our Parent Liaison Rep. – Regina Branco at reginabranco_1966@hotmail.com

 

 9. What if I get hurt?

 

    If you get hurt and are temporarily unable to practice with the team you are still expected to attend the practice to

   watch & learn. You will be required to provide medical clearance in order to resume playing and practicing with

   the team. Field Hockey Ontario players are insured with Field Hockey Canada.

 

 10. What about equipment?

 

      In order to compete at the provincial level it is important to have the proper level of stick. Those who are moving

      up from playing high school field hockey, usually need to purchase a better level of stick.

     At the U14/U16 level there is no need to go to the top end of the price range however a composite stick is recommended.

 

 11. What about uniforms?

 

      The cost of the uniform is part of the athlete levy .Those players who were on the provincial team last year and who

      still fit in to their uniforms, will only be required to purchase a new jersey, socks and any travel/training shirt as

      determined by our newly formed High Performance Committee.

 

ONLY those athletes who are named to the FINAL TEAM will be issued a uniform. Making the training squad does

 not entitle you to the uniform package.

 

 12.          I have heard about Quest for Gold – what is it?   How do I apply?

 

Quest for Gold is an Ontario athlete  carding program focused on junior athletes, sponsored by the Ministry of Health Promotion.  This means that nominated athletes receive funds from the province to support their commitment to high performance field hockey.

 

Field Hockey is fortunate to be a Quest for Gold sport. There are full cards and half cards. In 2006  fully carded athletes received $8000 dollars each. As the funding is dependent on the sale of its lottery tickets – 2007 amounts have not yet been released.  In 2007 Field Hockey Ontario has 22 full cards and 16 half cards – to be divided equally among male and female athletes.

 

 

There is a Quest for Gold Committee – this committee reviews the High Performance Goals set by Field Hockey Ontario and the Ministry’s frame of reference and develops a set of criteria for the program. This is then sent to the Board of Directors for comments and approval.

 

Once approved an assessment grid is developed. This grid outlines the assessment process for each athlete – all aspects of the game are covered – including fitness, skill, game play, team play and communication. Individual skills are assessed by position to ensure that athletes playing all

 positions – including goal keeping have an equal chance to be carded.   

 

The assessment grid with a grading guideline is provided to all coaches. Each coach is instructed to share this grid with the athletes they coach. Coaches at the end of the season will use this grid to assess all the athletes on their team. This assessment is submitted to both the VP High Performance and the Chair of the Quest for Gold Committee. The chair then applies the protocol to generate the list of nominees. Please note – the Quest for Gold chair – does not rank or change the ranking submitted – the committee ensures MHP and FHO criteria have been met and applies the protocol to submitted rankings.

 

Important notes – Athletes who did not make the team and alternates who do not travel are not assessed for Quest for Gold. If there is a development team (B team) for a designated age group – it is very unlikely that athletes on this will be carded due to the limited number of cards available.