Jun 9, 2008
S & H in the ONT…
Seen
- Set up the camera. Made sure we could see the presentation clearly. Made sure I was always in the picture. Started my presentation. Never pressed record!!.
- Niagara-on-the-Lake region is really nice! I could have stayed there much longer. J
- A lot of familiar faces from my ‘ORA’ days. Great to see everybody again!
Heard
“How will we measure the success of LTAD in years to come?”
“Women’s hockey doesn’t have to deal with the Draft age. Is the female model on hold as well?”
“Is LTAD going to address boys and girls divisions as two separate streams of the sport?”
Back to where I started… ORA AGM.
Some of you may not know that I held the seat of athlete rep on the Board of director for a few years before taking on the role of TD here at Ringette Canada.
So, going back to the ORA AGM, but this time representing RC was quite strange. As Terry Watters put it during my introduction “she’s come a long way since her ORA days. The little girl from Kapuskaing, ON how use to get volunTOLD to do many things… “.
Needless to say, I was rather nervous for this presentation. I couldn’t understand why that was. I had done this 7 other times already… why was I nervous now? And then it occurred to me (Ok, Jane pointed it out to me) that this time I knew everybody! Presenting in front of people you know is always more nerve wracking.
Having said that it went very well. The presentation was smooth and the questions and feedback at the end were great.
Many of the local and regional representatives have inquired about having me attend their coaches meeting to present the LTAD model. This could be a very beneficial endeavor as these individuals will be key in the delivery of the ‘new way of doing things’.
Check back soon as I will be posting specifics on the questions that came up throughout the presentation.
mon sport. ma passion.
-FL
So, going back to the ORA AGM, but this time representing RC was quite strange. As Terry Watters put it during my introduction “she’s come a long way since her ORA days. The little girl from Kapuskaing, ON how use to get volunTOLD to do many things… “.
Needless to say, I was rather nervous for this presentation. I couldn’t understand why that was. I had done this 7 other times already… why was I nervous now? And then it occurred to me (Ok, Jane pointed it out to me) that this time I knew everybody! Presenting in front of people you know is always more nerve wracking.
Having said that it went very well. The presentation was smooth and the questions and feedback at the end were great.
Many of the local and regional representatives have inquired about having me attend their coaches meeting to present the LTAD model. This could be a very beneficial endeavor as these individuals will be key in the delivery of the ‘new way of doing things’.
Check back soon as I will be posting specifics on the questions that came up throughout the presentation.
mon sport. ma passion.
-FL
Jun 4, 2008
That's what it's all about...
That’s what its all about…
This morning I received the following link. Seeing as it was early in the day, not yet into the full swing of the day, I took the time to watch the video:
Touching Them All
At first I simply got caught up in the emotion of it and thought “wow that really brings tears to your eyes”.
But after having thought about it now for a few hours, the LTAD connection has become evident. I’m actually surprised that it took me this long to make the connection. (I’m usually on LTAD mode 24/7).
The story in the video truly reflects what sport is all about. Although the athletes are a bit older in this situation I think this can easily be applied across the board… actually it can serve as a great example. If the older kids are doing it, then surly the younger kids would think the same way.
I talked about athlete centered yesterday. I’ve made references to “what would the kids do”. This is a clear example of this.
in this case, the initial reaction of the coaching staff and officials in the game was “what’s the ruling on this?” (I am not implying that they were not concerned for the athlete’s well being here). The concern being the outcome of the game, the implication this will have, how they are to go about this situation to ensure that the score at the end of the game is in their favor.
However, the initial reaction of the athletes (in this case from the other team) was how can we get the injured athlete to home plate? How can we ensure that she is awarded that home run? How can we ensure that (despite the pain of the injury) she can feel the joy of what it is like to get her first and only Home Run?
They didn’t care about the outcome of the game. They didn’t care what the score was. All they cared about was the best interest of the athlete.
“You hit the ball over the fence you deserve it” was the response from the opposing team when thanked for the gesture.
That’s what sport should always be about.
This is proof that sport only develops great athletic abilities… but it makes better people.
play it. love it. live it.
-FL
This morning I received the following link. Seeing as it was early in the day, not yet into the full swing of the day, I took the time to watch the video:
Touching Them All
At first I simply got caught up in the emotion of it and thought “wow that really brings tears to your eyes”.
But after having thought about it now for a few hours, the LTAD connection has become evident. I’m actually surprised that it took me this long to make the connection. (I’m usually on LTAD mode 24/7).
The story in the video truly reflects what sport is all about. Although the athletes are a bit older in this situation I think this can easily be applied across the board… actually it can serve as a great example. If the older kids are doing it, then surly the younger kids would think the same way.
I talked about athlete centered yesterday. I’ve made references to “what would the kids do”. This is a clear example of this.
in this case, the initial reaction of the coaching staff and officials in the game was “what’s the ruling on this?” (I am not implying that they were not concerned for the athlete’s well being here). The concern being the outcome of the game, the implication this will have, how they are to go about this situation to ensure that the score at the end of the game is in their favor.
However, the initial reaction of the athletes (in this case from the other team) was how can we get the injured athlete to home plate? How can we ensure that she is awarded that home run? How can we ensure that (despite the pain of the injury) she can feel the joy of what it is like to get her first and only Home Run?
They didn’t care about the outcome of the game. They didn’t care what the score was. All they cared about was the best interest of the athlete.
“You hit the ball over the fence you deserve it” was the response from the opposing team when thanked for the gesture.
That’s what sport should always be about.
This is proof that sport only develops great athletic abilities… but it makes better people.
play it. love it. live it.
-FL
Jun 3, 2008
Athlete Centered?... are we really?
What does it mean? How do you define Athlete Centered? How would things be different if this was the primary influence on all of the decisions we make.
How would associations be different? Would their structure change? Would they have the same amount of teams? How would they proceed with team selections? When would team selections take place?
How would leagues be different? Would the season start at a different time? How many games per season would each team play? How many age divisions would be part of the league? Are adult leagues and youth leagues run the same way?
What about tournaments? Should tournaments taking place in November have the same structure/the same focus as those taking place in March? What would an athlete development centered tournament look like?
What about the decisions we make during all those ‘meetings’. Board meetings, association meeting, league meetings, tribunals, player releases, appeals… and the list goes on. I am positive that most of these meetings could be shortened by at least half the time (and discussion and disagreements lessened) if we ALWAYS asked the question what is in the best interest of the athlete. The decision would be clear cut 100% of the time.
Practice plans, game strategies and game line ups would be significantly different if they were truly athlete centered. If the coaches’ desire to win (especially during those petite games taking place on a Tuesday night in November) is put aside, and the athlete development is put on the forefront we could see significant changes not only in the structure of the way we do things but also in the improvement of our athletes’ skills.
When the focus is on the “W”, most of the time adults get caught up in the hype, the glamour and the pressure to win. That being said, athletes are the ones who lose out on the benefits of sport when this occurs. For example, ice allocation within a team becomes unequal, the plays revolve around the ‘Stronger’ players and those not having yet developed /caught up to the rest of the team are set aside. How can we expect these players to improve their skill and enjoy the sport if they don’t get to participate as much? Knowing that we currently play more games than we spend time practicing, when are these athletes suppose to learn?
Lets truly ask ourselves “What is in the best interest of the athlete?”
If you are unsure of the answer, rather than assume that they would want the same things we want, take a moment and ask them. You might be surprised by what you get in response.
Kids play the sport because they love it. They love it some much that it becomes a part of their lives. Let’s make sure they enjoy it to the fullest.
Our sport. Our Passion.
-FL
How would associations be different? Would their structure change? Would they have the same amount of teams? How would they proceed with team selections? When would team selections take place?
How would leagues be different? Would the season start at a different time? How many games per season would each team play? How many age divisions would be part of the league? Are adult leagues and youth leagues run the same way?
What about tournaments? Should tournaments taking place in November have the same structure/the same focus as those taking place in March? What would an athlete development centered tournament look like?
What about the decisions we make during all those ‘meetings’. Board meetings, association meeting, league meetings, tribunals, player releases, appeals… and the list goes on. I am positive that most of these meetings could be shortened by at least half the time (and discussion and disagreements lessened) if we ALWAYS asked the question what is in the best interest of the athlete. The decision would be clear cut 100% of the time.
Practice plans, game strategies and game line ups would be significantly different if they were truly athlete centered. If the coaches’ desire to win (especially during those petite games taking place on a Tuesday night in November) is put aside, and the athlete development is put on the forefront we could see significant changes not only in the structure of the way we do things but also in the improvement of our athletes’ skills.
When the focus is on the “W”, most of the time adults get caught up in the hype, the glamour and the pressure to win. That being said, athletes are the ones who lose out on the benefits of sport when this occurs. For example, ice allocation within a team becomes unequal, the plays revolve around the ‘Stronger’ players and those not having yet developed /caught up to the rest of the team are set aside. How can we expect these players to improve their skill and enjoy the sport if they don’t get to participate as much? Knowing that we currently play more games than we spend time practicing, when are these athletes suppose to learn?
Lets truly ask ourselves “What is in the best interest of the athlete?”
If you are unsure of the answer, rather than assume that they would want the same things we want, take a moment and ask them. You might be surprised by what you get in response.
Kids play the sport because they love it. They love it some much that it becomes a part of their lives. Let’s make sure they enjoy it to the fullest.
Our sport. Our Passion.
-FL
May 30, 2008
What about the officials?
LTAD will have a significant impact on “the way we do things” in our sport. This is a great endeavor for Ringette as it will raise issues that have needed attention for quite some time. This will give our sport a platform on which we can all work together (locally, provincially and nationally) to achieve our vision that “Ringette is played by people of all ages and all abilities on all rinks in Canada”
One question that has come a lot throughout the Road Show has been “what about the officials?”
Well my friends… we didn’t already have enough acronyms already going around… but LTOD is on the rise. The first steps towards Long Term Official Development (LTOD) have started.
Ringette Canada’s Board of Director has directed its Officiating Committee to review and ensure that their programs are in line with LTAD. As this is quite a large undertaking, and in light of the development structure used for Athletes Development, the Officiating leaders of Ringette Canada are looking to put a separate Steering Committee together. (similar to the LTAD process)
Ringette will be leaders on this topic within amateur sport in our country. We will be the first National Sport Organization to fully take on the task of the LTOD process.
We seem to be fully embracing change…
First the athletes… now the officials…
What next… coaches, volunteers… the list goes on.
It’s our sport. It’s our passion… let’s make sure it’s a great product!
play... love… live…
-FL
One question that has come a lot throughout the Road Show has been “what about the officials?”
Well my friends… we didn’t already have enough acronyms already going around… but LTOD is on the rise. The first steps towards Long Term Official Development (LTOD) have started.
Ringette Canada’s Board of Director has directed its Officiating Committee to review and ensure that their programs are in line with LTAD. As this is quite a large undertaking, and in light of the development structure used for Athletes Development, the Officiating leaders of Ringette Canada are looking to put a separate Steering Committee together. (similar to the LTAD process)
Ringette will be leaders on this topic within amateur sport in our country. We will be the first National Sport Organization to fully take on the task of the LTOD process.
We seem to be fully embracing change…
First the athletes… now the officials…
What next… coaches, volunteers… the list goes on.
It’s our sport. It’s our passion… let’s make sure it’s a great product!
play... love… live…
-FL
May 27, 2008
Presentation now available
Hi all!
Note the the Road Show PowerPoint is now availble online.
Cilck here to link to the Ringette Canada site. The presentation can be downloaded - on the right hand side of the page!
Note the the Road Show PowerPoint is now availble online.
Cilck here to link to the Ringette Canada site. The presentation can be downloaded - on the right hand side of the page!
Define tiering. Do it. I dare you!
Consider this conversation… it may sound familiar.
“Do you tier in Novice?”
“No we don’t”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes I am. We don’t have Novice A, B and C”
“So all of the Novice teams in your provinces can attend the same tournaments?”
“Well, all but one tournament.”
“Really, which one is that?”
“We have an Super Elite Novice tournament at the end of the season where the best from each association come together to compete in this tournament.”
“Super Elite hey? Sounds like something you’d hear during the pre-boarding announcement of an Air Canada flight.”
The question that comes out of all of this is… What defines a tier?
MON SPORT. MA PASSION.
-FL
S & H in Nova Scotia
SEEN
- The airport and the meeting room. Doing the day trip thing doesn’t allow for much of anything else.
- Crosby. He’s everywhere! I think he’s from around there...
- Some of the AGM participants had seen the blog already! Exciting to see that you all are reading this blog!! :)
HEARD
- “Where is hockey in this process?”
- “Has soccer done this yet?”
LTAD Takes on Nova Scotia!!
On May 24th, I did the day trip thing to Halifax. As this is the 7th installment of the Traveling Road Show I felt pretty comfortable in doing the quick turnaround. Let me tell you, quick doesn’t even cut it.
I landed in Halifax, got into the car, drove to the Hotel where the AGM was, said hi, had lunch, set up for the presentation, delivered the presentation and headed back to the airport…
Aside from the craziness of the travelling, the presentation went very well.
The group in attendance was not only treated to the LTAD presentation, but also got some additional information with regards to Ringette Canada’s strategic plan. Leading off the presentation portion of the day was Beth Vallis’s presentation of our sports direction.
The LTAD portion of the presentation went well. Again, no major push back. I got many of the same questions I’ve seen in every province…
Something to note before I go… when the “please stand up” portion of the presentation takes place, I always enjoy seeing the look on people’s faces. They all have the “what is she going to make us do now” look… I get a laugh at that eveytime…
I guess this gives Ontario and Quebec some time to prepare… be ready to stand up and do something crazy when the Travelling Road Show comes to your province. :)
Thank you Nova Scotia for the warm welcome!
Although my stay was brief, it is always a pleasure to get the Maritime Welcome!
Play… Love… Live…
-FL
I landed in Halifax, got into the car, drove to the Hotel where the AGM was, said hi, had lunch, set up for the presentation, delivered the presentation and headed back to the airport…
Aside from the craziness of the travelling, the presentation went very well.
The group in attendance was not only treated to the LTAD presentation, but also got some additional information with regards to Ringette Canada’s strategic plan. Leading off the presentation portion of the day was Beth Vallis’s presentation of our sports direction.
The LTAD portion of the presentation went well. Again, no major push back. I got many of the same questions I’ve seen in every province…
Something to note before I go… when the “please stand up” portion of the presentation takes place, I always enjoy seeing the look on people’s faces. They all have the “what is she going to make us do now” look… I get a laugh at that eveytime…
I guess this gives Ontario and Quebec some time to prepare… be ready to stand up and do something crazy when the Travelling Road Show comes to your province. :)
Thank you Nova Scotia for the warm welcome!
Although my stay was brief, it is always a pleasure to get the Maritime Welcome!
Play… Love… Live…
-FL
May 16, 2008
S&H... MRA AGM
HEARD
- “They only play Tournaments at Bunnies”
- “It’s boring to watch kids play the game and it NOT be the way it was intended to be played.”
SEEN
- MB regulates the number of goals per player at the Bunny and Novice…
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