The Humboldt Broncos’ Summer Hockey School has taken a new step this year with the addition of a girls-only camp. The change highlights the growing interest from local players, giving young female athletes in the area their own opportunity to develop within the program.
Guest coaches at the girls’ summer hockey school were Chelsea Wytrykusz, a local power skating coach and former hockey player. Joining her are Saskatoon’s Alida Korte, brother of Broncos forward Jeter Korte and a member of Canada’s gold medal–winning squad at this year’s U18 Women’s World Championships, and local hockey player Nova Langevin.
Running a girls’ summer hockey school was something Wytrykusz had always wanted to do, and after discussions with the Broncos hockey organization over the past couple of years, before it became a reality this year.
“I hop on board right away because I find it important for the girls to get together and get to network in their area together.”
Korte said she was excited to be involved in the girls hockey school in Humboldt as an instructor.
“My whole family's from around here, so I know a lot of people.”
An encouraging aspect of the girls summer hockey school is that there’s enough interest to fill the spots needed for the camp. Wytrykusz is happy to see girls get an opportunity that others didn’t.
“It's exciting for me because of the fact that I never got to do that as a kid until I was a little bit older. So, to have these girls at a very young age being in a comfort zone for them is pretty cool.”
For Korte, she noted there weren’t many opportunities for a girls exclusive camp when she was younger.
“I had to stay with my brother and all the guys. So, it's cool to have just a camp for girls.”
There are 15 girls in each session, and players from Humboldt and communities from the surrounding area including Lanigan and Lake Lenore.
Beginning on Monday, the girls have been on the ice for a couple of sessions per day and have also spent some time outdoors.
Wytrykusz says the players improving their skills and having fun is a key aspect of the summer hockey school.
“Progressions I focus on and then skills, I mean we learn how to learn.”
She added, “I like to just have them listen and have fun while they're doing it.”
“I always say if you're getting uncomfortable, you're getting better. So, I really like to get them out of their comfort zone.”
It’s a similar viewpoint from Korte.
“I just try to encourage them. Just try to have fun, talk to them, get to know each and every one of them. Just try and make sure they have a good time and get better every session.”
Holding games inside of the camp is a big component for Wytrykusz to keep the kids competitive but also having fun while doing it.
Even though the camp is only for a few days, Wytrykusz feels the girls have built some camaraderie.
“I think they're actually excited to get to know each other. And you can tell as the camp goes on, they're getting to know each other just by their interactions and they're getting more comfortable with each other.”
Thursday will mark the final day of the camp as all the players will compete in a scrimmage as a part of the games day.
It won’t be long before the girls are back on the ice for their regular hockey season. Wytrykusz hopes the Broncos Summer Hockey School is a memorable one for many reasons.
“I hope that it's a good memory for them that they just had a lot of fun and that they learned something and they got better at a skill and that they want to come do it again next year.”