Don’t you just love watching the Olympics (especially the women’s hockey)?  It doesn’t matter which sport I’m watching, I literally get goose-bumps during almost every event.  Watching athletes achieve a personal best, compete their hardest and realize their Olympic dream is so awe inspiring.

But there has been one moment for me that stood out among all the rest.

During the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics, one of the organizers made a terrific point during his speech that really struck a chord with me and I wanted to make sure that I shared with you.

He said that we should all, “Aspire To Be Olympian”.

He didn’t say we should all aspire to be AN Olympian, but to “Be Olympian”.

Let’s be honest - The reality is that there are very few players or coaches that are ever going to realize their dream of being AN Olympian.

But we can ALL aspire to embody the QUALITIES Olympians have:

::  Commitment & Desire
::  Confidence & Focus
::  Humility & Belief in Themselves

Whether you are a player, parent or coach, you can display these qualities on the ice, off the ice, at school, at work and with your family.

Take a moment and think about what you can do today to embody these ideals in your life.  We won’t all have the chance to compete on the world-stage or stand on top of that podium, but we can learn a lot from these amazing athletes and role models and use their achievements as a guidepost for our own lives.

Keep Working Hard, Dreaming BIG and Be Olympian.

Your friend and coach,

Kim

PS - This past Monday, 103 players came to the Total Female Hockey Speed Camp in Toronto.  The enthusiasm and effort all the players showed was absolutely awesome.

Click on the link below to learn more about future Total Female Hockey Camps and Events:

http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/camps-schools/

Here is an overview of the upcoming Toronto events:
::  March Break - 2 Day Speed and Body Contact Camp
::  July - 4 Day Complete Player Development Camp
::  August - 3 Day Total Female Hockey “Experience” (high school age only)

You can find out more at:

http://totalfemalehockeyclub.com/camps-schools/

If you aren’t in the Toronto area and are interested in bringing a
Total Female Hockey event to you, email me back with the subject line
“TFH Hockey Travel Event” and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

 

The Olympics start this Friday, and I can’t wait to watch the best female players in the world battle it out for the gold.   For 12 days in February, our sport will finally get the visibility and recognition it deserves. To help you celebrate, I’m giving you a special free gift.
 
I have put together 12 of Total Female Hockey’s most popular articles into one big package. I also threw in another 2 bonus articles that got such a great response from the female hockey community that I just couldn’t leave them out.

Here’s the list of articles included inside this free package:

:: Expect Success To Be Successful
:: The 10,000 Hour Rule in Women’s Hockey
:: 7 Skills Every Player Must Improve On (and Why)
:: The Weight Issue in Girls’ Hockey
:: Committing Random Acts of Excellence
:: The Worst 4-Letter Word in Girls’ Hockey
::  #1 Hockey Pet Peeve
:: Getting Over Getting Cut
:: Olympic Strength In Numbers
::  The Worst Fight In Girls’ Hockey
::  Next Top Model or Next Great Player?
::  #1 Injury in Girls’ Hockey

Click on the link below to get your FREE Olympic Package now:

http://www.totalfemalehockey.com/olympic_package.shtml

Please pass this package along to any player, parent or coach who might be interested in getting some great information & inspiration before the Olympics start later this week.

Enjoy!

Your friend and coach,

~ Coach Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

?Director, Total Female Hockey
Girls Hockey Director, PEAC School For Elite Athletes

PS - Start the Olympics off with a bang.  Click on the link below to get your FREE Olympic Package now:

http://www.totalfemalehockey.com/olympic_package.shtml

 

Girls’ hockey players have been blatantly discriminated against ever since I started playing 15 years ago… We get worse ice times at worse arenas and are seen as a "lesser" version of the boys’ game.

This makes me sick, but I have to admit, that I had almost come to accept this as "the way it is"…Until this week.

For the past week here in Toronto, all the papers, radio stations and TV stations have been following the story of a local girls’ hockey association, Toronto-Leaside, that is threatening to launch a human-rights complaint for sex discrimination unless the city makes sure the girls get their share of ice at their community arenas.

I coach one of the teams for Leaside, played for them growing up and still play for them now.  I am extremely proud to be part of an organization that refuses to sit back and accept the way things are and is taking the action necessary to get our girls what they deserve.

But this is not just about our association. And it’s not just about Toronto. It’s about each and every girl who plays girls’ hockey who is treated as a second-class citizen.

It’s about girls having the right to play hockey in their local community arenas, just like their brothers and friends do, instead of being forced to find ice time that costs twice as much at a rink that is an hour away.

Here are some of my "favorite" comments that have been made about this issue from the organizations that are shutting us out:

"We must honor our traditional users." 

"We have gender equity because the majority of
the figure skaters are girls." 

"The hockey league at our rink accepts girls."

Are you kidding me?!?!?!?! Are we still in the dark ages here?

Sure, girls’ hockey wasn’t a huge factor when it came to getting ice time 30 years ago.  But now we are the ONLY segment of the hockey population that is growing in Canada.  Enrollment in boys’ hockey has consistently gone DOWN for the last 5 years, while enrollment in girls’ hockey has gone through the roof.

We aren’t asking to have the boys sit on the sidelines…
We don’t want to take anything away from them at all…

We just want what we’ve been promised. Equal access to ice time in our own community.

Our mayor has come out and said that this needs to change. But as you and I both know, SAYING that things will change and DOING the things necessary to enforce that change are two very different things.

That’s why I need your help.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

We are being discriminated against. Years of polite requests, meetings and presentations have gained little or nothing. It’s time to fight for our rights.

So what can YOU do to help?

I am always talking about how important it is to TAKE ACTION and now is the time.

Please show your support by signing the "Fairness For Girls’ Hockey" on-line petition at:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/girlshockey

Even if you don’t live in Toronto, Ontario or Canada, it’s time to send a message that we will not be treated like 2nd class citizens any longer.

This petition will be presented to Mayor of Toronto at the end of this month.  And if action is not taken, we will take the next step and take legal action.

The time to take action is now.  Because enough is enough.

PLEASE pass this message along to anyone and everyone you know who is a supporter of girls’ and women’s hockey. 

Thanks in advance for your help!

Your friend and coach,

~ Coach Kim

PS - I can’t stress enough the importance of taking action on this!
Please sign the petition today!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/girlshockey

 

Do you have a burning question that you absolutely need to ask about girls or women’s hockey? Here’s your chance. Where are you going to be tomorrow at 1pm EST?
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After 15 years of playing women’s hockey at a pretty high level, I have had the chance to play with players from all across Canada and the United States and against players from Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Russia, China, England and Australia.  Now with Total Female Hockey, I get emails from players and coaches from across the world looking for ways to take their game to the next level.

Every time I get a message from some far-flung corner of the world, I am amazed at the tremendous growth of female hockey world-wide.  And I want to share these stories from every corner of the women’s hockey world here at Total Female Hockey Club.

Our first story is from a college teammate of mine and former Canadian National Team member playing in Russia.
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