In the month of June there are two annual meetings that take place, the AHAI Annual meeting and the National USA Hockey Congress. The AHAI Annual Meeting is open to all Members and is held on June 2, 2013 at the Hyatt Woodfield at 9AM. The USA Hockey Congress is June 5-8 in Colorado Springs, Colorado (home of USA Hockey). It is at both of these meetings that rule changes, initiatives, and vital information is brought forth. At The Annual AHAI meeting this year the agenda includes:

• Growing the game by the Chicago Blackhawks, USA Hockey and AHAI
• An introduction of the new SafeSport program directed at education on providing and implementing a safe environment for our players, mostly off the ice
• A STEP aHead , A concussion awareness and baseline testing program
• AHAI Committee reports including rule changes and any other initiatives each committee might have
• Election of AHAI Board of Directors. Each year five of the fifteen Directors are up for election

The USA Hockey Congress is a national meeting that includes all the representatives from each Affiliate (state or area) and the national USA Hockey staff. It is at this meeting that rules and guidelines are discussed and voted on. Click HERE if you would like to see additional information on the USA Congress.

This AHAI newsletter will continue to be your source of information regarding the changes and initiatives that will be presented at these meetings. Also I encourage you to send your questions to Gretchen Cockey, our Communications Director,  and see the reply in future newsletters.

As the American Development Model (ADM) is implemented across the country, many leading hockey experts, players, and coaches have commented on the rationale and benefits that the ADM provides for our young skaters. Like many new programs, not everyone accepts the premise that the ADM is the correct way to develop our youngest players. Below are a few quotes from those that have reached the highest levels of hockey and while they may have been trained in a slightly different manner, each of them has seen the advantages of this new approach inside the United States. 

"We should always strive to do the right things for kids andthe American Development Model does just that. I think as hockey has evolved in our country, coaches and parents have certainly tried to do the right thing in regard to development. But we haven't had a national blueprint for associations to use - something that is based on solid research - until now. This is a major step forward and USA Hockey is to be commended for its leadership." - RON WILSON, 2010 U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey Coach 7th All-Time Winningest Coach in NHL History

Within Illinois, many Associations have continued to develop their own ADM programs. Several key ingredients that make up a strong ADM program in your association include; Hard Board rink dividers, cross-ice jamborees, coaching education, parent education, proper practice planning, maximizing ice usage, making game days special, and finally no lines, no laps, no lectures.....keep the kids moving. 

Click HERE to read what the experts have to say about the ADM.

Hockey Canada's Annual Meeting concluded this week with a ruling on checking at the Pee Wee level that USA Hockey implemented last year. Beginning in 2013-14 season the body checking age will be moved to bantam for all Associations governed by Hockey Canada. In addition, a committee will be formed to create a national body-checking standard. A move similar to what USA Hockey has developed for its Associations. As the article states, the studies done showed the increase in injuries amongst Province's that had checking at Pee Wee versus those that have already raised the age to bantam.

The silence was deafening. Driving home after a loss has never been a pleasant trip with either of my hockey-playing sons, but this particular defeat was brutal. Nicholas's team had made it to the division semi-finals and the next game had looked to be an easy victory. It was not-final score: 4-0-and my brooding son was proof of it. He slammed his hockey bag into the trunk of the car, stomped around to the passenger side, and got in the back seat. All I could see in the rear-view mirror was his 13-year-old furrowed brow. "So that was a tough game," I offered. Nothing from Nick. I tried another approach. "Well, you skated well." Still nothing. My brain raced to find the exact right thing to say to snap my son out of his post-loss funk. It was achingly clear that my repertoire of comforting Mom words was falling short. What should I have done on that car ride home? Insist that he talk to me, or simply endure the silence? Nearly every parent has been in the same situation after a son or daughter has suffered a loss on the field (or rink, court, or in the pool.) What you say (or do) in the moments afterwards can go a long way in helping your budding athlete learn how to handle these inevitable defeats-both in sports and in life. Dr. Larry Lauer, director of coaching, education, and development at the  Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University, says the first thing parents need to remember is timing. "A sporting event is intense for a student-athlete and there are a lot of emotions running through them in the moments afterwards," he says. "Kids are being evaluated on their talent in a very public forum and the fact that parents are watching only increases the pressure. You can easily make things worse by not thinking before you speak." To navigate that future car ride home in (relative) peace.  

Click HERE for a few tips from Dr. Lauer